Papal thriller 'Conclave' leads BAFTA Film Awards with 12 nominations
LONDON − Papal thriller "Conclave" leads the nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards announced Wednesday, securing 12 nods in Britain's top movie honors.
"Conclave," about scheming cardinals deciding who to elect as the next pope, is up for best film, director for Edward Berger and leading actor for Ralph Fiennes, whose character, the dean of the College of Cardinals, has to oversee proceedings.
Isabella Rossellini was nominated for best supporting actress for playing a nun in the movie, which is based on the novel by Robert Harris.
Berger's last film, a German remake of anti-war classic "All Quiet on the Western Front," swept the 2023 BAFTA awards with a historic seven wins.
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"Emilia Pérez," which mixes the diverse genres of musical, crime and comedy, followed "Conclave" on Wednesday with 11 nominations. The Spanish-language film stars Zoe Saldaña as a lawyer who helps a drug cartel leader, played by Karla Sofía Gascón, transition from a man to a woman.Gascon got a leading actress nomination, while Saldaña and Selena Gomez, who plays the drug lord's wife, were recognized in the supporting actress category,
Considered one of the top contenders at this year's awards season, "Emilia Pérez" also received nods for best film and director for French filmmaker Jacques Audiard.
Fellow musical "Wicked," the hit box-office adaptation of the stage show, and Bob Dylan biopic "A Complete Unknown," in which Timothee Chalamet portrays the singer's rise to fame in the 1960s, were also recognized, with seven and six nominations respectively.
"A Complete Unknown" will also compete at the Feb. 16 ceremony for best film, along with "The Brutalist," in which Adrien Brody portrays a Jewish-Hungarian immigrant seeking to rebuild his life in the U.S. after World War II.
"Anora," about a young exotic dancer who becomes involved with the son of a Russian oligarch, rounds out the field for the top prize.
All of the best film contenders are directed by men.
When are the 2025 BAFTA Film Awards?
The winners will be announced at a Feb. 16 ceremony at London's Royal Festival Hall. The event will be hosted for a second year by "Doctor Who" star David Tennant.
The prizes are Britain's equivalent of Hollywood's Academy Awards and will be watched closely for hints of who may win at the Oscars on March 2.
Contributing: Kim Willis, Paste BN