A common abbreviation for the BAFTA Awards is that they are the “British Oscars”, just as the Cesar Awards are the French Oscars and the Goya Awards are the Spanish Oscars. However, this comparison is not completely correct. While the Césars and Goyas have exclusive recognition for their national films, the BAFTAs, like the Academy Awards, officially have no borders.
As with the Oscars, BAFTA allows films from any nationality to compete. And as with the Oscars, that means American films often take the spot. It’s the same this year. Three of the five Best Picture nominees (One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme, and The Sinners) are all American films, one (Sentimental Value) is a European co-production with some involvement from BBC Pictures, and one clearly British film (Hamnet) is still an American co-production with Chinese auteur Chloe Zhao and Steven Spielberg. The same goes for producers.
Almost every year, BAFTA nominations are met with complaints that the home team lacks visibility in the British industry. In recent years, widely celebrated British films such as Aftersun, All of Us Strangers, The Zone of Interest and Kneecap have failed to receive Best Film nominations, raising questions about who the BAFTAs are for if they aren’t for Brits. For pundits, it was certainly the most profitable Oscar usher in decades since they rescheduled ahead of the American show. But shouldn’t they have more meaning in themselves?
The consolation prize for disgruntled local talent is the Best British Film Award, which expanded to 10 nominees five years ago to better reflect the breadth and diversity of British cinema. However, there is a risk that the scope of exclusion will become clearer if expanded. The 10 films nominated in this year’s category range from classic high-end films (Hamnet, Claire Foy-starrer H Is for Hawk, period biopic Mr. Burton) to mass entertainment (28 Years Later and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, both Emmy-nominated in the US but released theatrically in the UK) and independent films (I). Swear” and “The Ballad of Wallis Island”) to darker festival-grown songs (“Pillion,” “Steve” and Lynne Ramsay’s “Die My Love”).
But while it may raise some eyebrows that Akinola Davis Jr.’s moving and atmospheric childhood story My Father’s Shadow didn’t make the list, it was a sensation at Cannes, winning Best Director at the British Independent Film Awards, and across the pond at the Gotham Awards for Breakthrough Director.
Harris Dickinson’s punchy homelessness study “Urchin,” which won the Cannes Prize, was also frozen. Paul Andrew Wilson’s “Dragonfly” has been longlisted for the BAFTAs thanks to the shocking performances by Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn. And Alex Garland’s immersive combat drama “Warfare” at least sounded great. Davis Jr. was instead honored in the Outstanding British Debut category alongside the makers of Pillion, The Wasteman, The Ceremony and A Want in Her, although Dickinson’s critically acclaimed debut film also unfortunately missed out.
However, even if a film ranks on a list of the best British films, its evaluation may feel superficial. Of the 10 nominated films, only four were selected in other categories: “Hamnet,” “The Vow,” “Pillion,” and “The Ballad of Wallis Island.” For the remaining six, this was their only nomination. There was no recognition for Jennifer Lawrence’s powerful performance or Seamus McGarvey’s BIFA Award-winning cinematography in Die My Love, no recognition for the impressive technical achievements of 28 Years Later or H. Some might argue that none of them were nominated for an Oscar, but that seems to be reason enough for BAFTA to fly its own flag a little higher.
