Following an outcry over the lack of diversity in last year's nominees and an overhaul of its rules and regulations, the EE British Film Academy Awards on Tuesday unveiled a far more inclusive field of nominees, including record nods for female directors and a leading seven nominations for Chloe Zhao's 鈥淣omadland鈥� and Sarah Gavron鈥檚 鈥淩ocks."
Much like previous Academy Awards controversies, last year's nominations by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts were denounced for their all-male directing nominees and all-white acting nominees, a backlash that spawned a #BaftasSoWhite hashtag. Director Steve McQueen said the BAFTAs 鈥� Britain's equivalent of the Oscars 鈥� risked irrelevancy. After winning for his performance in 鈥淛oker,鈥� Joaquin Phoenix said he felt 鈥渃onflicted鈥� even accepting the award.
The British academy responded with a seven-month review. It expanded membership, mandated unconscious bias training for its 7,000 voting members, grew the number of nominees in numerous categories and changed the nomination process to include a longlist phase. Acting categories were selected in part through juries. Watching all longlisted films was made compulsory viewing. And the longlisted directing field was divided equally between women and men.
The results on Tuesday made for a radically different BAFTAs. The leading vote-getters were Zhao's drama about a middle-aged woman (Frances McDormand) who travels the American West while living out of her van, and Gavron's coming-of-age tale about a Black British teenage girl (Bukky Bakray) in London.
鈥淪eeing how people are just so like in love with 鈥楻ocks,鈥� it kind of makes you feel indispensable in the world, and makes you feel less marginal to the broader picture," Bakray, who was nominated for best lead actress, said by video interview. 鈥淎nd it just makes you feel like the main character in your own story.鈥�
Four of the six directing nominees are women, including Zhao, Gavron, Shannon Murphy (鈥淏abyteeth鈥�) and Jasmila Zbanic (鈥淨uo Vadis, Aida?鈥�). Also nominated are Lee Isaac Chung for the family drama 鈥淢inari鈥� and Thomas Vinterberg for the Danish dark comedy 鈥淎nother Round.鈥�
More films were nominated, too. A total of 50 films were nominated, up from 39 last year. Amanda Berry, chief executive of BAFTA, said in a video interview that one of the most important parts of the academy's overhaul was getting members to watch more than just the most hyped movies. Despite the pandemic, a total of 258 films were entered into this year's BAFTAs, which the academy said were watched more than 150,000 times through its online platform.
鈥淗undreds of people were involved in that review. Out of it came a 120 changes that we鈥檝e made across the organization,鈥� said Berry. 鈥淏ut one of the biggest pieces of feedback was that the feeling was that not enough people were watching enough films.鈥�
Nominated for best film are: 鈥淣omadland,鈥� Florian Zeller's dementia drama 鈥淭he Father,鈥� Kevin Macdonald's Guantanamo Bay drama 鈥淭he Mauritanian," Emerald Fennell's pitch-black revenge comedy 鈥淧romising Young Woman鈥� and Aaron Sorkin's 1960s courtroom drama 鈥淭he Trial of the Chicago 7.鈥�
Up for lead actress are: Bakray, McDormand, Radha Blank (鈥淭he Forty-Year-Old Version鈥�), Vanessa Kirby (鈥淧ieces of a Woman鈥�), Wunmi Mosaku (鈥淗is House鈥�) and Alfre Woodard (鈥淐lemency鈥�). Up for lead actor are Riz Ahmed (鈥淪ound of Metal鈥�), Chadwick Boseman (鈥淢a Rainey鈥檚 Black Bottom鈥�), Adarsh Gourav (鈥淭he White Tiger鈥�), Anthony Hopkins (鈥淭he Father鈥�), Mads Mikkelsen (鈥淎nother Round鈥�) and Tahar Rahim (鈥淭he Mauritanian鈥�).
The nominations left out some notable performances that have been nominated elsewhere, including Carey Mulligan ("Promising Young Woman"), Viola Davis ("Ma Rainey"), Sacha Baron Cohen (snubbed for both 鈥淏orat Subsequent Moviefilm鈥� and 鈥淭he Trial of the Chicago 7鈥�), Andra Day ("The United States vs Billie Holliday") and both Gary Oldman and Amanda Seyfried from 鈥淢ank."
The nominees for most outstanding British film 鈥� a category expanded to 10 鈥� are: 鈥淭he Dig,鈥� 鈥淭he Father,鈥� 鈥淐alm With Horses,鈥� 鈥淗is House,鈥� 鈥淟imbo,鈥� 鈥淭he Mauritanian,鈥� 鈥淢ogul Mowgli,鈥� 鈥淧romising Young Woman," 鈥淩ocks鈥� and 鈥淪aint Maud.鈥�
The BAFTAs will be held virtually this year from London's Royal Albert Hall and split between two broadcasts on April 10 and 11.
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AP's Hilary Fox contributed to this report from London
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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP
Jake Coyle, The Associated Press
