Now that we know what the BAFTA nominations are, it’s clear that this Sunday (18 February) will see tough competition at the awards.
The nominations themselves brought a lot of surprises, both good and bad. Beyond that, questions about the wider industry issues have been asked, such as all the sexual assault allegations which first swarmed Hollywood and later on washed up on English shores as well.
Rachel McGrath, HuffPost’s very own entertainment reporter, has offered us her insight and made some predictions as to who will be most likely to win.
With The Shape of Water, Three Billboards and Darkest Hour fighting for the most categories, it seems that Frances McDormand (Three Billboards) and Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) are the safe bets for Best Actor and Actress. Yet, Rachel is sure that it would be brilliant to see some surprise wins: “Daniel Kaluuya could be in for a big night if he wins the Rising Star prize and the Best Actor one on the same night.”
Given the many disappointments of the nominations, she notes, some surprises on the day will be welcome.
As for Blade Runner getting so many nominations despite its lukewarm reception, Rachel says that “it’s good to see BAFTA aren’t letting the unexpectedly low box office affect the decision”. Also, considering the fact that Netflix recently disrupted the ‘movie making’ process by streaming The Cloverfield Paradox after the Super Bowl, critics’ place in creating the reception of a film may be called into question and reflected in award nominations.
Despite its star cast, Steven Spielberg’s The Post did not get any nominations. Rachel notes that this year, BAFTA seems to be judging films on their “merits… rather than by the fact it has an A-list cast and director.”
Though women are looking set to wear black at this year’s BAFTAs, Rachel believes there is more can be done to abolish sexual misconduct within the industry, noting that “Hollywood is leading the conversation”.
According to her, while many British stars are involved in the Time’s Up movement, there hasn’t really been “a huge mobilised effort movement”. Beyond the 50:50 campaign, which calls for equal representation, “the efforts do not seem as big or forceful as they are in the US.”
Only time will tell what the results will be!
> Borislava Todorova
