‘One Battle After Another’ leads the pack in nominations for U.K.’s BAFTA film awards

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio in a scene from "One Battle After Another." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

LONDON -- Paul Thomas Anderson’s politically charged action thriller “One Battle After Another” leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, securing 14 nominations Tuesday including acting nods for five of its cast.

Ryan Coogler’s blues-steeped vampire epic “Sinners” is close behind with 13 nominations for Britain’s equivalent of the Oscars, while Chloe Zhao’s Shakespearean family tragedy “Hamnet” and Josh Safdie’s ping-pong odyssey “Marty Supreme” have 11 apiece.

Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of “Frankenstein” and Norwegian family drama " Sentimental Value" each got eight nominations, rounding out a six-pack of leading contenders for both the British and Hollywood Academy Awards.

The best film nominees are “One Battle After Another,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “Sinners” and “Sentimental Value.”

BAFTA Chief Executive Jane Millichip said the nominations recognized “films like `One Battle After Another,’ `Sinners,’ tackling really big societal issues -- the moral ambiguity of activism, Black identity,” alongside films exploring “the most intimate side of family relationships.”

“They’re all doing it in quite different ways: Strong flavors, really bold storytelling,” she said.

Hollywood heavyweights and rising stars

Best leading actor contenders are Timothee Chalamet for “Marty Supreme,” Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another,” Ethan Hawke for Broadway biopic “Blue Moon,” Michael B. Jordan for “Sinners” and Jesse Plemons for “Bugonia” and British actor Robert Aramayo for playing a man with Tourette’s syndrome in biographical drama “I Swear.”

Aramayo said it was “really crazy” to be nominated alongside Hollywood heavyweights.

“It’s absolutely amazing,” he said. “I admire each and every one of them so much.”

The leading actress category includes awards-season favourite Jessie Buckley for her performance as Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, in “Hamnet.” She’s up against Rose Byrne for “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” Kate Hudson for “Song Sung Blue,” Chase Infiniti for “One Battle After Another,” Renate Reinsve for “Sentimental Value” and Emma Stone for dystopian tragicomedy “Bugonia.”

“One Battle” actors Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Sean Penn are all nominated for supporting performances.

The Associated Press was recognized in the best documentary category with a nomination for Mstyslav Chernov’s harrowing Ukraine war portrait “2000 Meters to Andriivka,” co-produced by the AP and PBS Frontline.

The winners will be announced at a Feb. 22 ceremony in London hosted by actor Alan Cumming. The U.K. prizes -- officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards -- often provide clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15.

This year, unusually, Oscar nominations were announced first, with “Sinners” securing a record 16 nominations, followed by 13 for “One Battle After Another.”

The British academy has recognized several performers overlooked by the Oscars, including supporting actor nominees Paul Mescal for “Hamnet” and Odessa A’zion for “Marty Supreme.”

The BAFTAs also have a distinctly British accent, with a separate category of best British film. Its 10 nominees include “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “Pillion,” “I Swear” and “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.”

Tom Basden, co-writer and star of “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” the story of a musical duo reluctantly reunited by a superfan, said it was gratifying to receive three nominations for a movie filmed on a tiny budget in 18 days. Carey Mulligan, who spent 10 days on set, is nominated for best supporting actress.

“Sort of against the odds, we managed to create something in those conditions that we’re really proud of and that’s really hit home with people,” Basden said. “So it’s a lovely kind of underdog story in many ways.”

In search of diversity

Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,500 members of the U.K. academy of industry professionals, with one -- the Rising Star Award -- selected by public vote from a shortlist of nominees. This year’s rising star contenders are Infiniti, Aramayo, “Sinners” star Miles Caton and British actors Archie Madekwe and Posy Sterling.

Like other major movie awards, Britain’s film academy has introduced changes in recent years to increase diversity, including the addition of a longlist round before the final nominees are selected. Diversity has improved since 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running, and all 20 of the main acting nominees were white.

Still, Zhao is the only female nominee in the best director category, alongside Anderson, Safdie, Cooger, Yorgos Lanthimos for “Bugonia” and Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value.” Across all categories including documentaries and shorts, 25 per cent of the directing nominees are women.

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By Jill Lawless

Associated Press writer Hilary Fox contributed to this story.