Jan. 19 (UPI) — The British Film and TV Awards nominations were announced Thursday with Everything, Everywhere All at Once and The Banshees of Insherin leading the pack.
Much like the Golden Globes, the BAFTA Awards sought to overcome an image problem based on their record on diversity. In 2021, none of the 20 acting nominations went to a person of color.
In 2022, that has changed with nominations for Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, Danielle Deadwyler, Hong Chau, Viola Davis, and Ke Huy Quan in the acting categories. Gina Prince Bythewood also earned a nod as director of The Woman King.
This year, 14 of the top 24 acting nominations went to first-time nominees, another sign that the BAFTAs are trying to become more progressive.
The Banshees Of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All at Once were right behind it with 10 nominations apiece. Actress Cate Blanchett earned her eighth BAFTA nomination for her role as an orchestra conductor who becomes embroiled in a growing scandal in Tár.
Notable snubs this year are the critically acclaimed Steven Spielberg film The Fablemans. It led into the BAFTAS with two Golden Globe Awards — for Best Motion Picture Drama and Best Director, but only received one BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Michelle Williams of The Fabelmans may also see an Oscar nod for Best Actress, as she did for the BAFTAs. Front-running actors include Banshees star Colin Farrell, Elvis’ Austin Butler, and Brendan Fraser from The Whale, along with Ke Huy Quan for Everything Everywhere All at Once who’ve also all won at key awards stops this year.
The Best Picture race is also shaping up as the Banshees of Insherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once continue their run of nominations.
The diversity of the 2023 nominations comes from changes to the BAFTA organization that have been implemented over the past three award seasons. In that time, they’ve expanded their membership ranks, the acting and best director categories, and the list of films to encourage viewership of a broader slate of movies.
The 2023 show, which has been pre-recorded in the past, will announce the last four major categories live and there will be two hosts, one from Southbank Center’s Royal Festival Hall and another from a new BAFTA’s Backstage Studio that promises more behind-the-scenes coverage. They will also continue the music performances that debuted on the show last year.
