Marty Moser lost another important match, this time for a prize.
Josh Safdie’s sports drama Marty Supreme ended this year’s BAFTAs in an unwelcome fashion, tying the record for most losses in a night with an 11-0 record.
The film entered the BAFTAs with formidable nomination power and expected to win in at least a few categories, especially for lead actor Timothée Chalamet, who made big strides this season at the Critics’ Choice Awards and at January’s Golden Globes. In one of the biggest shocks of the night, Chalamet lost to Robert Aramayo in Tourette’s drama film The Vow, directed by Kirk Jones.
Now, all of the A24 nominations were completely eliminated, with “Women in Love” (1969) and “Finding Neverland” (2004) being the only films to receive no awards with 11 nominations. Remarkably, both of these titles went on to win a single Oscar on their respective nights: Glenda Jackson (“Women in Love”) for Best Actress and Jan A.P. Kaczmarek (“Finding Neverland”) for Best Original Music. The BAFTA results are particularly shocking given that Mr Safdie himself was ahead in the polls. He was the most nominated person of the year with four nominations, including for his roles as director, co-producer, co-screenwriter, and co-editor.
Despite the BAFTA setback, ‘Marty Supreme’ remains a formidable player in the broader awards conversation, and history reminds us that a rough night of harbinger isn’t always fatal. Another A24 title, Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) won seven Oscars, including three for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Acting, with just one BAFTA (Film Editing). The emotional drama Moonlight (2016) also failed to win at the BAFTAs that year, missing out on all four awards before pulling off a historic upset for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Still, a winless night and a record-tying number of losses are painful to see, and this isn’t the kind of headline any side would want late in the game.
At the BAFTAs, Marty Supreme was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Chalamet), Best Supporting Actress (Odessa Azion), Casting, Original Screenplay, Production Design, Cinematography, Costume Design, Film Editing, Makeup, and Hairstyling. She was nominated for nine Oscars, but missed out on the BAFTA nominations for Best Supporting Actress, Best Makeup, and Best Hairstyling.
Final Oscar voting will take place from February 26th to March 5th. The 98th Oscar Awards will be held on March 15th on ABC, hosted by Conan O’Brien.
