Given that nominations in most categories for the Oscars and Bafta Film Awards are determined by similar processes – for example, chapter voting – and members of the two film academies are similar in outlook, it’s no surprise to see similarities in the two sets of nominations.
Oscar and Bafta are in agreement that this year Oppenheimer is the broadest achievement, earning 13 nominations for both awards, followed by Poor Things, with 11 nods at both.
There are, however, some notable differences in taste and opinion among the two sets of voters. Barbie was considered to have under-performed at Bafta with five nominations, but has gone a few better at Oscar with eight nods, including for best picture.
A couple of UK homegrown films – All Of Us Strangers and Saltburn – found much favour with Bafta voters, earning six and five nominations respectively. Both are entirely missing from the Oscar nominations.
Conversely, films that Bafta omitted altogether – including Nyad and May December – found some love from Oscar voters, with Annette Bening and Jodie Foster for the former, and screenwriter Samy Burch for the latter, all nominated.
Similarly, American Fiction, Bafta-nominated only for adapted screenplay, received five Oscar nominations, including for picture, leading actor (Jeffrey Wright) and supporting actor (Sterling K Brown).
Only in costume do the nominees perfectly match across Oscar and Bafta – with Barbie, Killers Of The Flower Moon, Napoleon, Oppenheimer and Poor Things all achieving nominations from both academies.
The documentary feature category shows wide disparity, with only 20 Days In Mariupol nominated at both Oscar and Bafta. The two film academies have wildly different voting methods for documentary, with Oscar nominations determined by a specialist chapter, and Bafta by a large opt-in chapter combined with a jury. Rather surreally, the likes of American Symphony and Still: A Michael J Fox Movie, which seem primarily pitched at US audiences, earned Bafta nominations and then missed out at Oscar. Conversely, Bobi Wine: The People’s President, which qualifies as a UK film, earned its best documentary nomination at Oscar, not Bafta.
The international feature Oscar and film not in English language Bafta categories overlap on only two titles: Society Of The Snow and The Zone Of Interest. Two of the foreign language Bafta nominees – Past Lives and Anatomy Of A Fall – were ineligible in this category for Oscar. Nominated at Oscar but not Bafta: Io Capitano, Perfect Days and The Teachers Lounge.
In animated feature, Oscar, which nominated five films (compared to just four at Bafta) has found space to include a couple of admired films with a more independent flavour: Robot Dreams and the Netflix-backed queer fantasy adventure Nimona.
Across the 20 actors nominated for Oscar in performance categories, 13 had already picked up Bafta nominations last week. Notable omissions at Bafta – such as Killers Of The Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone and Poor Things’ Mark Ruffalo – achieved Oscar nominations.
In director, which like performance categories has a jury intervention at Bafta, there are three names common to both sets of nominees. Overlooked by the Bafta jury, but landing Oscar nominations, are Poor Things’ Yorgos Lanthimos and Killers Of The Flower Moon’s Martin Scorsese.
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