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DiCaprio's political thriller tops Bafta nominations
Leonardo DiCaprio's One Battle After Another has secured the most nominations at this year's Bafta Film Awards, with 14 nods, the British Academy announced on Tuesday.
Close contenders and British highlights
The vampire horror Sinners follows closely with 13 nominations, while Shakespearean drama Hamnet and the table-tennis biopic Marty Supreme each earned 11. The Baftas feature more categories than the Oscars, including dedicated slots for outstanding British film and debuts by UK writers, directors, or producers.
British indie films I Swear, Pillion, H is for Hawk, and The Ballad of Wallis Island are among those recognized in the shortlists. BAFTA chair Sara Putt praised the inclusion of homegrown talent alongside global blockbusters, expressing hope that audiences would enjoy these films as much as the academy's 8,300 voters did.
Acting categories: overlaps and omissions
Oscar frontrunners Timothée Chalamet and Jessie Buckley repeated their nominations at the Baftas, while actors Chase Infiniti and Paul Mescal-both absent from the Oscars-received recognition. The Baftas' expanded acting categories, which include six slots compared to the Oscars' five, allowed for additional nominees like Jesse Plemons (Bugonia) and Odessa A'Zion (Marty Supreme).
However, four Oscar-nominated actors missed out at the Baftas: Amy Madigan (Weapons), Delroy Lindo (Sinners), Wagner Moura (The Secret Agent), and Elle Fanning (Sentimental Value). The latter two had not even made BAFTA's longlist.
British actors Robert Aramayo, Peter Mullan (I Swear), Carey Mulligan (The Ballad of Wallis Island), and Emily Watson (Hamnet) also earned nominations, while Sinners star Wunmi Mosaku repeated her Oscar nod.
Technical categories and notable absences
The musical Wicked: For Good, snubbed at the Oscars, secured two Bafta nominations for costume design and make-up and hair. Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent earned two nods, down from its four Oscar nominations, which included best picture and best actor.
Other nominees include Frankenstein, a reimagining of the classic tale, and Sentimental Value, a family drama about two daughters reconnecting with their estranged father. The best director category mirrors the Oscars' lineup but adds Yorgos Lanthimos for Bugonia, thanks to BAFTA's extra slot.
Brad Pitt's racing drama F1 received three technical nominations but failed to replicate its Oscar best picture inclusion. The most glaring omission was KPop Demon Hunters, Netflix's viral hit, which was ineligible for BAFTA's longlists due to its direct-to-streaming UK release, despite a later singalong theatrical run.
Ceremony details
The Bafta Film Awards will take place at London's Royal Festival Hall on Sunday, February 22, hosted by actor and TV presenter Alan Cumming. No film this year has matched the record of 16 nominations set by Gandhi in 1982.
