Today, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) released the film nominations for 2025, with two international films leading the list. Edward Berger’s papal thriller Conclave received 12 nominations, and Jacques Audiard’s musical Emilia Pérez received 11 nominations.
Both films have open categories for the best film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet and a Golden Globe winner, has received nine nominations.
Universal Pictures led the nominations this year with 32 for its films. The studio has had success with several productions: “The Brutalist” received nine nominations, “Anora” and “Wicked” got seven each, “Nosferatu” had five, “The Wild Robot” got three, and “Monkey Man” received one. Netflix trails behind with 16 nominations, partly thanks to “Emilia Pérez.”
Some odd missing items have caught the industry’s eye. “Wicked” was not nominated for Best Film despite receiving good technical nominations. Denzel Washington, a well-known actor, did not receive his first BAFTA nomination for his supporting part in “Gladiator II.” Other popular films like “Babygirl,” “Challengers,” and “Queer” were completely excluded.
In a big win for independent movies, the Irish-language hip-hop biography Kneecap received six nominations. This success puts small-budget movies on the same level as big studio films.
The nominations show that there is still a gender gap in directing, with Coralie Fargeat being the only woman nominated. She received five nominations for her film The Substance, which moved from Universal to Mubi.
Black Bear U.K. stood out among distributors with 15 nominations, surprising many. The company’s success is largely due to “Conclave,” which received 12 nominations, and “Sing Sing,” which got three. This is better than Disney, which had 10 nominations, mostly for “A Complete Unknown” from Searchlight.
The awards event will be held at the Royal Festival Hall in London on February 16, and David Tennant will be back as the host.