BAFTA Film Awards Weekend Party List features new venues and a mega combo

It’s BAFTA weekend here in London, which means it’s time for our annual round-up of celebrations that await nominees, executives and other rich guests. In particular, 2023 will see a new location for the film awards ceremony and dinner, while the schedule of pre-ceremony events will feature a new host. The whole ends with celebrations of different protagonists on Sunday, from intimate to big parties.

The ceremony, hosted by Richard E. Grant (who will succeed Rebel Wilson), will begin at approximately 5:45 p.m. local time. BBC One starts broadcasting the show locally an hour later at 19:00, editing the live program en route to broadcast the final four categories in real time (EE Rising Star, Lead Actor and Actress and Outstanding Film). Britbox in the US is also broadcast with a similar delay and two minutes later.

The BAFTA Film Awards are moving from the Royal Albert Hall to the Royal Festival Hall in the Southbank Centre, which is now home to the BAFTA Film and Television Awards ceremonies. The Royal Festival Hall also hosts the annual post-ceremony dinner. It is the first time in over a decade that the awards dinner will not be held at Grosvenor House on Park Lane, meaning attendees will not have to commute from the show to dinner.

It remains to be seen how this will affect the flow of the meal, where historically almost no one eats while their table is hopping, shuffling and shuffling. We were told that the Royal Festival Hall and its open plan design is being fully utilised; Dinner is served in the ballroom. After dinner, BAFTA hosts an after-party at the adjacent Queen Elizabeth Hall.

In 2022, the Critics Choice Awards took place on the same night as the BAFTAs in Los Angeles, causing some disruption for the nominees. This year, the Directors Guild of America presents its awards on Saturday nights, with the likes of Todd Field (tar), The Daniels (Everything, everywhere, all at once), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees by Inisherin) and Charlotte Wells (After sun). We’re told they’re all due at Sunday’s BAFTA ceremony.

But before we get to that point and more Sunday after parties, the weekend really doesn’t start until Saturday. New fatard Apple TV+ hosts its first BAFTA Brunch to celebrate excellence in global storytelling and creativity. Billed as an annual event, the Apple TV+ BAFTA Brunch celebrates this year’s nominees, including an animated short The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse. Expected attendees include stars and creators in Apple Original films and TV series Ted Lasso, CODA, slow horses, black bird, surface And Attempt amongst other things.

In the evening, AMPAS’ annual cocktail event returns to Claridge’s in Mayfair – a different venue from last year’s Berkley Hotel Wilton Place and previously The Biltmore (it used to be at Claridge’s). The event honors the organization’s Oscar nominees and is an opportunity for BAFTA contenders seeking Academy Awards to collaborate and be seen before the March 7 Oscar voting date.

After AMPAS, the annual BAFTA-nominated party starts at 7.30pm at the National Gallery. It is also a change of location. It was held at Kensington Palace from 2015, and last year moved to the BAFTA headquarters at 195 Piccadilly. Bulgari came on board as a sponsor.

After the nomination event, a number of people attend Charles Finch’s exclusive annual dinner, held in partnership with Chanel at 5 Hertford Street.

Unlike in previous years, there will be no studio party before the awards ceremony on Saturday night. In 2022 and 2019, Universal and Focus held nightly pre-BAFTA celebrations at the Chiltern Firehouse, while Netflix did the same in 2020.

The big studio events take place on Sunday evening after the post-ceremony dinner. In a mega-combination, no less than 10 studios, streamers and indie distributors are joining forces to populate the multi-story SoHo House building on Greek Street.

Hosts and their films include Universal/Focus (TAr, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, Mrs Harris Goes to Paris, She Said, Till, Moonage Daydream, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Decisively (Top Gun: Maverick, Babylon), searchlight (The Banshees of Inisherin, Realm of Light), Sony (Matilda the Musical by Roald Dahl)lion gate (Good luck to you Leo Grande; Life; triangle of sadness), eA (The Fablemans, the queen king), Amazon (Argentina, 1985), A24 (Everything, everywhere, all at once, The Whale) and Mubi (Aftersun decides to leave).

Around the corner, Warner Bros. is hosting its annual cocktail party at Kettner’s in honor of its nominated films elvis And The dough.

As in 2022, 2020 and 2019, Netflix takes full ownership of the Chiltern Sunday to celebrate its nominees and talent. The streamer has 21 nominations for six titles, including Guillermo del Toros Pinocchio, Blonde, The Good Nurse, The Swimmers, Miracles and top 14 nouns for it No news from the western front. The party is going late.