For the first time in a very long time, nominations for this year’s BAFTAs will be announced after the Oscar nominations are announced. In fact, we will have to wait a full five days after AMPAS lifts the lid on its 2026 candidate line-up on Thursday until we find out the British Academy voters’ decisions on January 27th.
It’s a welcome change for BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip, who admits even her colleagues don’t know the last time this scenario happened. “It’s great to see the Oscars leading the way for the BAFTAs,” she said, noting that the final Oscar voting period is still quite open when the BAFTAs ceremony itself takes place on February 22nd.
Thanks to the BAFTA Longlist, introduced for the first time in 2021 as part of a major overhaul of BAFTA judging, we can give some indication of where voters are leaning. But while awards season blockbusters such as “One Battle After Another”, “The Sinners”, “Hamnet” and “Marty Supreme” may lead the way after the first round of voting, Millichip said the full lineup of 82 titles shows This includes an “astonishing” number of British films alongside debut short film nominees of the past, as well as the growing viewing habits of its members (this year has the highest number of longlisted films as a percentage of total entries).
In a wide-ranging interview, Millichip talks about how being longlisted is a “career boost” and something to celebrate even for those who don’t make it through to the nomination stage, why BAFTA will maintain its intervention in the director’s category to ensure equality for longlisted male and female filmmakers, and why Alan Cumming will host the film awards for the first time.
Is she prepared for the amount of tartan that might be on display? “I never get tired of it, no matter how much I eat,” she says.
I heard that you were recently in Los Angeles for the BAFTA Tea Party.
Yes, I have attended the BAFTAs every year since then. But last year I obviously had to miss it (due to the fire). But it’s a great opportunity to bring BAFTA to Los Angeles and celebrate the longlist there instead of here. And we’ve gathered some great people. To be honest, it kind of sucked. But I also appreciated the invitation to the Globes.
Oh good – how was it?
It was really nice. It’s a pretty intimate room. But when I go to other people’s awards ceremonies, I come away with really boring photos of the venue’s menus, the middle of the table, and sometimes under the table and chairs. I stand there pointing my camera at the least interesting thing on display so I can share footage with my team. So there’s an element of a bus driver’s day off.
Do you take any inspiration from the Globes that we might see at the BAFTAs?
I think I’m ready for this year. But it’s always good for mood boards.
BAFTA longlist is now available. How are you feeling?
I love this longlist because, as it says on the tin, it’s long, rich, and diverse. If I worked on a movie that was nominated but didn’t get nominated, I’d want to know. I think it will lead to career advancement. congratulations. Well done. And, you know, in a very competitive field, I think it’s really great for people and films that are getting a spot on the longlist that even if they don’t make it to the nominations, it’s still something to celebrate.
As we begin releasing this film in 2021, we also have another role: to get our members and voting members to see as many films as possible. After the awards ceremony, someone asked me, “What should I watch?” and I said, “Look at the longlist.”
It’s probably no surprise that “One Battle After Another” dominated the longlist. However, it’s nice to see that it includes some great British titles, and even ranks in the Best Film category.
Well, the UK’s outstanding list is really, really great. There are some terrible movies out there. What’s really interesting is that although this is a celebration of British talent and British cinema, quite a few of those films are financed by American studios. So it’s a celebration of both British and American talent and filmmaking.
Since we are at the longlist stage rather than the nomination stage, I think we will probably be able to submit some opinions. Is there a particular file that you’re really happy to have included in the mix?
I can’t express my opinion! I can only talk about “Casablanca”. But the big four – ‘One Battle’, ‘Sinners’, ‘Hamnet’ and ‘Marty Supreme’ – received a lot of mentions on the longlist, and it’s no surprise. I think what’s interesting about this year is that there’s a very strong flavor, films like One Battle, The Sinners, House of Dynamite, that deal with very big, heavy subjects in very specific ways, whether it’s activism, corruption, black identity, or moral ambiguity like the collapse of the world. So I’m really impressed with this interpretation that a lot of filmmakers have embraced rather than just attacking it head-on. I think the result is a really rich and textured list of movies. And if you can group them, there are other groups of movies. It’s a really beautiful personal story, like “Hamnet” or “I Swear.”
We also track talent associated with the BAFTAs in some way. So I’m very happy to see Akinola Davis’ movie “My Father’s Shadow.” He was a BAFTA Breakthrough and had previously been nominated for a BAFTA for Best Short Film. And the same goes for “Pillion” director Harry Righton. He has previously produced short films that were nominated for a BAFTA. And “The Ballad of Wallace Island” is based on a BAFTA-nominated short story.
One film that won’t be screened is “KPop Demon Hunters,” which was ruled ineligible for screening despite lobbying by Netflix.
It’s important for us to support the idea that movies need to be shown in theaters. I wish it had been there, but it wasn’t.
I think outside of the UK industry there was a bit of confusion about the longlist. But after five years, I feel like people are starting to understand what they are and why they exist?
absolutely. When I was in Los Angeles last week, I door-stopped some of the people on my longlist every time I went to an event, and they were really happy. I wasn’t looking for appreciation, I was looking for engagement and recognition. I bumped into Kate Hudson and she was so happy. So it feels understood and valued. That’s because it remains to be seen whether anyone named on the longlist will remain on the nomination list.
This year we have an unusual scenario where the Oscar nominations are announced before the BAFTA nominations, and I don’t think this has happened in a long time. The usual route is for awards experts to use BAFTA nominations to make predictions about the Oscars. Are you concerned that this will make BAFTA nominations less relevant?
Not at all. It’s great to have Oscar leading the way for BAFTA. However, the BAFTA ceremony will actually take place on February 22nd, while the Oscar voting period is still in progress. The change in candidates is simply a result of the schedule. But I don’t think that in any way makes us any less relevant. What happened on February 22 is particularly relevant to everyone at the Academy.
The longlist was part of the larger 2020 BAFTA Review, which took place in 2021. Five years later, are the changes having the desired effect?
That was before I joined, but I’m benefiting from the hard work and time I put into that review. We need to consider what we are controlling at the BAFTAs. We have a membership and awards process, so start there. Since then, significant efforts have been made to bring our membership more in line with the UK population. You can now also set membership diversity goals and continually map them against demographic data. We have achieved most of these goals and are setting further goals in certain areas. It’s working, and we’ll keep working on it.
And then there are longlists and randomized viewing groups. This was intended to encourage members to go beyond their preferences and watch as many films as possible, in the widest possible variety, so that more films would be considered.
What we can’t control is what gets made. An area that we continue to focus on is the number of women in several craft fields, particularly text, sound editing, cinematography, and of course directing. And even at the longlist stage, there are still board interventions, so the number of female and male directors is equal. However, industry statistics regarding female directors remain less than stellar. As far as we know, 30% of British films are directed by women. So it will be interesting to see not only how many female directors get nominated for director, but also how many films made by female directors are included in the nominations. So we’ll be watching it closely. We have a collection of wonderful works by women. But are they being watched? Is it being promoted? Will they get the same marketing budget as movies made by men?
So, given the current situation, will active intervention in the longlist director category continue for some time?
Of course, because we think it’s necessary. We’re not here to fix elections or tell people how to vote, but we’re here to say, “Did you see this?”
This year Alan Cumming will host the awards ceremony. I know he’s Scottish, but given “Traitor” I think he’s probably the highest profile BAFTA host in the US. He’s so big now!
Yes, that’s right. When I was in LA, I noticed all the billboards. And recently, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s a fun person to work with. He is originally a very interesting person. But he’s done it, he’s professional, and he’s trying to have fun. By the way, David Tennant was only scheduled to appear in two episodes, so we knew we’d have to change hosts this year.
Currently in the exclusive possession of Scotland…
Yes, we are indeed Caledonians!
Was Cumming’s popularity in America part of the decision?
Yes, of course that is also a factor. Because we’re looking for people who can deliver great performances both on the job and on the day, and who will resonate primarily with our UK audience. And we’re on the BBC again, we’re on the BBC and BAFTA Social. But of course there are international issues, and having a host who also works in America, which is a big market for us, is a double whammy.
There’s going to be a ton of tartan on display, are you ready?
I might be wearing it myself! But no, I’m always ready for tartan. No matter how much you eat, you will never get tired of it. But David upped the ante with his tartan and knees. So I’m hoping that my knees will stretch more.
