BAFTA Leads Jane Millichip and Emma Baehr to ‘Outstanding’ Nomination Score, Spielberg and Variety

Netflix War Epics No news from the western front lead the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards with what new BAFTA chief executive Jane Millichip described as an “extraordinary” string of nominations in the craft and performance categories.

The German-language film received 14 nominations, the most BAFTA nominations for a single film since The King’s Speech in 2011 with also 14.

Millichip, who is overseeing her first film awards this year as BAFTA’s chief executive, said the film’s success reflected this year’s “hypnotic” line-up of nominations as well as the films now open for BAFTA voters to embrace.

“I think the breadth of the storytelling is really interesting,” Millichip said. “So you have big commercial films like elviswhich has nine nominations and then likes indie films After sun. There is also 40% ethnic diversity in our nominees.”

All quiet Also draw Ang Lee’s previous record Crouching tiger hidden dragon for the most nominations for a non-English language film in BAFTA history, a record according to Millichip that indicates a marked shift in taste of BAFTA voting bodies and the impact of streaming on viewers.

“The voting members now don’t mind not filming in English,” she said. “I think that’s very interesting and something that will probably be reflected in streaming playback as well.”

One of the highlights of this year’s nomination list is the great variety in the performance categories. In Lead Actress, Viola Davis has her fourth BAFTA nomination for The queen of womenNewcomer Danielle Deadwyler is there Toand Michelle Yeoh received her first BAFTA nomination in 22 years Crouching tiger hidden dragon Per Everything everywhere at once.

In the past, the BAFTA’s acting names have been a subject of controversy due to a lack of racial diversity. In 2021, all 20 current BAFTA nominees were white. Since then, the awards organization has made massive structural changes that, according to Millichip, directly affected this year’s nominations.

“When the changes to our voting process were made, the most important thing was to increase the number of films watched and rated by each voting member,” she said. “So this simple change has really brought a lot more variety and breadth to the films that can be longlisted. And once you’re longlisted, all judges must watch all the longlisted films. So at this point they fill in the blanks.

In Notable Snubs, Spielberg’s last picture, The Fables won just one BAFTA nomination for Best Screenplay after winning Best Director and Best Picture – Drama at last week’s Golden Globes.

“It’s important to note that Spielberg has a nomination for writing what is a very personal film. So I hope he is happy. And this is a very important nomination,” she said. “Our members vote on what they want to win and see, so our nominations reflect their preferences and yes, you have some very interesting results.”

Winners in all categories will be announced at the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards ceremony hosted by actor Richard E. Grant on February 19 at the Royal Festival Hall in London’s Southbank Centre. This is the first time the BAFTAs have been held at the Royal Festival Hall.

Also new this year, the ceremony will culminate in a live broadcast of the final four categories for the first time in BAFTA history. In previous years, the event was pre-recorded and broadcast with a time delay.

Commenting on the updated programme, Emma Baehr, BAFTA executive director, awards and content, said: “There will be minor changes to the format. You will see more entertainment and a faster pace. There are a few surprises waiting for us, which of course we won’t reveal today. But it’s refreshed, so tune in.