LONDON (AP) 鈥� Prepare for Poppenheimer.
and are the leading contenders for the , which will be handed out Sunday in front of an audience of filmmakers, movie stars and the heir to the British throne.
Yorgos Lanthimos鈥� gothic fantasia is up for 11 trophies, while Christopher Nolan鈥檚 atom-bomb epic has 13 nominations for the British prizes, known as BAFTAs. That's the same number 鈥淥辫辫别苍丑别颈尘别谤鈥� has for the Oscars, where it is also the frontrunner.
The ceremony at London鈥檚 Royal Festival Hall will be a glitzy, British-accented appetizer for Hollywood鈥檚 , closely watched for hints about who might win at the Oscars on March 10.
Nominees including Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Rosamund Pike, Ryan Gosling and Ayo Edebiri are expected on the red carpet beside the River Thames, along with presenters such as Andrew Scott, Cate Blanchett, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Idris Elba.
Guest of honor will be , in his role as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. He鈥檒l be without his wife Kate, who is recovering after last month.
The show will be hosted, with a dash of self-deprecating humor, by .
鈥淧eople keep telling me I should be terribly nervous,鈥� Tennant said about the notoriously of awards show host. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 not like I鈥檓 up for the award. I just get to hand them out.鈥�
Historical epic and Holocaust drama 鈥� have nine nominations each for the prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards.
French courtroom drama boarding school comedy and Leonard Bernstein biopic each have seven, while grief-flecked love story is nominated in six categories and class-war dramedy 鈥� in five.
鈥� one half of 2023鈥檚 鈥淏arbenheimer鈥� box office juggernaut, also has five nominations, but missed out on nods for best picture and best director. Many see the omission of 鈥淏arbie鈥� director Greta Gerwig 鈥� for both BAFTAs and Oscars 鈥� as .
Britain鈥檚 film academy introduced changes to increase the awards鈥� diversity in 2020, when no women were nominated as best director for the seventh year running and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white. But there is only one woman among the six best-director nominees: Justine Triet for 鈥淎natomy of a Fall.鈥� Emerald Fennell for 鈥沦补濒迟产耻谤苍鈥� and Celine Song for 鈥淧ast Lives鈥� also failed to make the list.
The best film race pits 鈥淥辫辫别苍丑别颈尘别谤鈥� against 鈥淧oor Things,鈥� 鈥淜illers of the Flower Moon,鈥� 鈥淎natomy of a Fall鈥� and 鈥淭he Holdovers.鈥�
鈥淧oor Things鈥� is also on the 10-strong list for the separate category of best British film, an eclectic slate that includes class-war dramedy 鈥沦补濒迟产耻谤苍,鈥� imperial epic 鈥淣apoleon,鈥� south London romcom 鈥淩ye Lane鈥� and chocolatier origin story 鈥淲onka,鈥� among others.
A woman of color could take the best actress BAFTA for the first time, with Fantasia Barrino for 鈥淭he Color Purple鈥� and Vivian Oparah for 鈥淩ye Lane鈥� nominated alongside Sandra H眉ller for 鈥淎natomy of a Fall,鈥� Mulligan for 鈥淢aestro,鈥� Margot Robbie for 鈥淏arbie鈥� and Emma Stone for 鈥淧oor Things.鈥�
No British performers are nominated in the best-actor category, but Ireland is represented by Cillian Murphy for 鈥淥辫辫别苍丑别颈尘别谤鈥� and Barry Keoghan for 鈥沦补濒迟产耻谤苍.鈥� They鈥檙e up against Cooper for 鈥淢aestro,鈥� Colman Domingo for 鈥淩ustin,鈥� Paul Giamatti for 鈥淭he Holdovers鈥� and Teo Yoo for 鈥淧ast Lives.鈥�
Harrowing Ukraine war documentary produced by The Associated Press and PBS 鈥淔rontline,鈥� is nominated for best documentary and best film not in the English language.
The ceremony is set to include musical performances by 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� star and Sophie Ellis-Bextor, the latter singing her 2001 hit 鈥淢urder on the Dancefloor,鈥� which shot back up the charts after featuring in 鈥沦补濒迟产耻谤苍.鈥�
Samantha Morton will receive the academy鈥檚 highest honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, and film curator June Givanni, founder of the June Givanni PanAfrican Cinema Archive, will be honored for outstanding British contribution to cinema.
Sunday鈥檚 ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One in the U.K. from 1900GMT, and on streaming service BritBox in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa.
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
