BAFTA nominations 2024: Oppenheimer wins battle with Barbie as shortlist announced

Published

1 year ago

January 18, 2024

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Barbie might have won the battle of the box office, but Oppenheimer leads the BAFTAs race – picking up 13 nods for this year’s awards.

British filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s epic, which explores the true story of the first atomic bomb, is shortlisted for gongs including best film and best director, as well as acting awards for stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr.

It is followed by the critically acclaimed Poor Things, which has 11 BAFTA nominations. Star Emma Stone, who plays a young woman resurrected from the dead with the mind of an infant, is nominated for best actress – like Murphy, she is fresh from a Golden Globe win – while the film is also in the running for best film and outstanding British film.

Nominations in full:
The films and stars in the running this year

Barbie, the biggest film of 2023, has five nominations, including best actress for Margot Robbie and supporting actor for Ryan Gosling, but is notably missing from the best film and director categories for filmmaker Greta Gerwig, who surprised the world with her feminist take on the world’s most famous doll when the film was released in the summer.

She receives a nod instead for best original screenplay, while the film is also shortlisted for best costume design and best production design.

Anatomy Of A Fall (seven nods), The Holdovers (seven nods) and Killers Of The Flower Moon (nine nods) make up the rest of the nominees in the best film category, while acting nominees also include Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, for Maestro, and Robert De Niro for Killers Of The Flower Moon.

British films, including All Of Us Strangers and Saltburn, have fared well, with six and five nods respectively. Saltburn has acting nods for Irish star Barry Keoghan and British actress Rosamund Pike, while Paul Mescal and Claire Foy are in the running for their performances in All Of Us Strangers.

Films shortlisted alongside Poor Things for outstanding British film include How To Have Sex, Napoleon, Wonka and Rye Lane.

First and second ever nominations for one actress

In the acting categories, German actress Sandra Huller receives both her first and second ever nods – for best actress for Anatomy Of A Fall and best supporting actress for Zone Of Interest. She is one of 11 nominees, from 23 in total, to be shortlisted for the first time – along with Murphy for Oppenheimer.

Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers), Jacob Elordi (Saltburn), Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane) and Teo Yoo (Past Lives) are also first-time nominees.

In the directing category, four of the six are first-time director nominees: Jonathan Glazer (The Zone Of Interest), Andrew Haigh (All Of Us Strangers), Alexander Payne (The Holdovers), and Justine Triet (Anatomy Of A Fall). They are up against Nolan and Cooper, who directed and starred in Maestro – meaning five of the six nominees are male.

‘The most talked about films of the year’

The nominations for the Rising Star Award, which recognises up-and-coming talent and is voted for by the public, were announced ahead of the full shortlist – and feature Bridgerton star Phoebe Dynevor, Saltburn’s Elordi, The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri, and Mia McKenna-Bruce and Sophie Wilde – stars of the films How To Have Sex and Talk To Me respectively.

Previous winners – including Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart and Daniel Kaluuya – have gone on to become household names.

Barbie misses out – and other stars also notable by their absence

Six months after their joint release date created the Barbenheimer phenomenon and gave the box office a boost, Barbie and Oppenheimer have continued to be talked about in the same breath as nominees and winners throughout the start of awards season.

But that’s changed with today’s BAFTA nominations – Oppenheimer, about the creator of the atomic bomb, has received more than double the nods given to the smash hit about the beloved children’s toy.

But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. There has long been a gap between the taste of cinema-goers and industry awards voters.

Barbie’s Golden Globes wins earlier this month were for best song for Billie Eilish and Finneas’s What Was I Made For?, and for cinematic and box office achievement – two categories not even recognised by BAFTA.

And Barbie won’t be the only one feeling somewhat snubbed by today’s shortlist. Killers Of The Flower Moon star Lily Gladstone, predicted to be a frontrunner for best actress at the Oscars, didn’t make the cut with BAFTA – and co-star Leonardo DiCaprio was also notable by his absence.

But the good news is that despite a tricky year for the film business, with cinema chains struggling and strikes shutting production down for months, today’s nominations showcase a range of quality films – the industry may be down, but it’s certainly not out.

BAFTA chief executive Jane Millichip said the “films and talented people nominated represent some of the most talked about films of the year, the most critically acclaimed, and films yet to be released and discovered by audiences”.

‘Our mad, special film got recognition’: Stars react to nominations

Oppenheimer star Murphy said he “couldn’t be happier” to see so many of his collaborators recognised, Nolan in particular. “Working on the film was an experience I’ll never forget,” he said.

Colman Domingo, who is nominated opposite Murphy for the best actor prize for Rustin, about the man who helped Martin Luther King Jr and others organise the 1963 March on Washington, said he was in “tremendous company”.

Saltburn star Pike, who plays the mother of a wealthy Oxford student who invites a less privileged friend back to his family estate for the summer, said there was “something uniquely special” about a BAFTA nomination.

“It happened once before,” she said, referring to her nomination for best actress in 2015, for her performance in Gone Girl. “I thought realistically it might never happen again.”

She continued: “I am proud to be nominated in this group of varied and powerful supporting actresses. And overjoyed that Jacob and Barry and our mad, special film got recognition. Bliss Bliss Bliss.”

Molly Manning Walker, writer and director of How To Have Sex, said it was “nothing short of a dream” to be shortlisted.

The film, her directorial debut, tells the story of three British teenage girls on a rites-of-passage holiday in Malia, where they find themselves navigating the complexities of sex, consent and self-discovery. “It’s hard to imagine that a year ago, when editing the film, it would take us on this incredible journey,” she said.

Poor Things star Stone, who is also a producer, released a statement along with director Yorgos Lanthimos and their fellow producers Ed Lowe and Andrew Guiney, saying they were delighted by the nominations.

“It’s particularly gratifying that BAFTA has recognised the work of our many talented UK-based heads of department across cinematography, costume design, make-up and hair, original score, production design and special visual effects,” they said.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph, nominated for best supporting actress for her performance in The Holdovers, said her career started in London’s West End so to be BAFTA nominated was “truly dreamlike”.

Danielle Brooks, nominated in the same category for The Color Purple, a new musical film version of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, said she was grateful that the story had brought her “this amazing moment”.

The winners will be announced at the BAFTAs ceremony on 18 February, with David Tennant hosting this year.

Entertainment

Glastonbury 2025 line-up revealed

Published

10 hours ago

March 6, 2025

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The 1975 and Olivia Rodrigo will be among the stars headlining Glastonbury Festival this year, it has been announced.

Glastonbury organisers have revealed the line-up for this summer’s event, taking place between 25 June and 29 June, after months of speculation.

The 1975 will take to the iconic Pyramid Stage on the Friday to headline, then Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young will perform on Saturday and Olivia Rodrigo on the Sunday.

Other big names performing include British pop sensation Charli XCX, rapper Loyle Carner electronic group The Prodigy.

The announcement comes after Sir Rod Stewart was booked for the Sunday teatime legend slot and Young was confirmed as a headliner earlier this year.

Young’s announcement in January came amid some confusion, as he had days before told fans he was pulling out of the festival because the BBC’s involvement was a “corporate turn-off”.

The Canadian singer-songwriter later said this decision was down to “an error in the information I received”.

The 1975 will be headlining for the first time, having made their Glastonbury debut in 2014.

The Cheshire band, known for hits such as Somebody Else and Chocolate, have regularly made headlines due to the antics of frontman Matty Healy.

Glastonbury, which takes place at Worthy Farm in Somerset in the summer, has worked closely with the BBC – its exclusive broadcast partner – since 1997.

Appetite for the esteemed festival saw standard tickets sell out in 35 minutes in November.

They cost £373.50 plus a £5 booking fee, up £18.50 from the price from the 2024 festival, and were sold exclusively through the See Tickets website.

The date for the resale – where tickets not fully paid for are put back up for purchase – is set for some time in spring.

The headliners last summer on the iconic Pyramid Stage were Dua Lipa, SZA and Coldplay, who made history as the first act to headline the festival five times.

2026 is likely to be a year off for Glastonbury, with the festival traditionally taking place four out of every five years, and the fifth year reserved for rehabilitation of the land.

Entertainment

Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

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Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX BRIT Awards appearances spark hundreds of Ofcom complaints

Ofcom received 825 complaints over the Brit Awards, with the majority relating to Sabrina Carpenter’s raunchy performance and Charli XCX’s outfit, the media watchdog says.

US pop star Carpenter, 25, sported a red sparkly military-style blazer dress for her performance at the awards show on Saturday night, paired with stockings and suspenders for a rendition of Espresso.

The song was mixed with a Rule Britannia mash-up, as dancers in military parade dress followed her.

She then switched to a red sparkly bra and shorts for her next song, Bad Chem, which she performed alongside dancers in bras and shorts while sitting suggestively on a large bed.

Carpenter later received the global success award at the ceremony, and was also nominated in the international artist and international song of the year categories.

But much of the buzz on social media surrounded her performance, which took place before the 9pm watershed.

Ofcom said some of the complaints were also aimed at British pop sensation Charli XCX, who dominated the night by winning five awards, including album of the year.

Some viewers took issue with her outfit – a black see-through dress.

The singer addressed the concerns during her acceptance speech for artist of the year, saying: “I heard that ITV were complaining about my nipples. I feel like we’re in the era of ‘free the nipple’ though, right?”

Carpenter paid tribute to the UK in her acceptance speech, saying: “The Brits have given me this award, and this feels like such an insane honour in a very primarily tea-drinking country… you really understood my dry sense of humour because your sense of humour is so, so dry. So I love y’all more than you even understand.”

Entertainment

Why is Noel Clarke suing The Guardian?

Published

1 day ago

March 5, 2025

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Actor Noel Clarke begins his High Court libel case against The Guardian’s publisher today.

Clarke, 49, is suing Guardian News and Media (GNM) over a series of articles it published about him in April 2021.

They were based on the claims of 20 women Clarke knew “in a professional capacity” who allege his behaviour towards them amounted to sexual misconduct.

Clarke, known for his roles in the Kidulthood trilogy and Dr Who, “vehemently” denies “any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing”.

What will the trial cover?

Clarke is suing GNM for libel, sometimes also referred to as defamation.

It’s a civil tort – not a criminal offence – defined as false written statements that have damaged the person’s reputation. This means Clarke can seek redress or damages but no one will face charges or prison.

Clarke claims the articles The Guardian published in 2021 altered public opinion of him, damaged his reputation, and lost him work.

He said after the allegations emerged: “In a 20-year career, I have put inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of my work and never had a complaint made against me.

“If anyone who has worked with me has ever felt uncomfortable or disrespected, I sincerely apologise. I vehemently deny any sexual misconduct or wrongdoing and intend to defend myself against these false allegations.”

The Guardian is defending the claim on the basis of truth and public interest.

It said in its statement: “Our reporting on Noel Clarke in 2021 was based on the accounts of 20 brave women. After we published our first article, more women came forward.

“At trial, 32 witnesses are set to testify against Mr Clarke under oath. We look forward to a judge hearing the evidence.”

The trial will only focus on liability – not the amount of damages to be paid if Clarke is successful.

The actor tried and failed to get the case struck out in January, with his legal team saying it had “overwhelming evidence” of “perversion of the course of justice”.

His lawyers told the High Court three of the journalists involved in the articles had “deliberately and permanently” deleted messages, which meant he could not get a fair trial.

Lawyers for GNM told the court there was “no adequate evidential basis” for Clarke’s application for a strike out and said it sought “to smear Guardian journalists and editors without any proper justification”.

The trial, which will be presided over by judge Mrs Justice Steyn, is expected to last between four and six weeks.

What has happened since the articles were published?

A month before the articles about him were published in April 2021, Clarke received BAFTA’s outstanding contribution to British cinema award.

However, once the allegations against him emerged, he was suspended by the organisation and the prize rescinded.

His management and production company 42M&P told Sky News they were no longer representing him and Sky cancelled its TV show Bulletproof, starring Clarke and Top Boy actor Ashley Walters as the lead roles.

ITV also decided to pull the finale of another of his dramas, Viewpoint, following the Guardian articles.

The Met Police looked into the allegations against Clarke for any potential criminal wrongdoing, but in March 2022 announced they “did not meet the threshold for criminal investigation”.

Clarke filed the libel claim the following month and has attended several of the preliminary hearings in person.

He says he has faced a “trial by media” – and that the ordeal has left him suicidal and in need of professional help.

‘Rising star’

Clarke made his TV debut in a revived version of Auf Wiedersehen Pet in 2002.

Soon after he played Mickey Smith in Dr Who and Kwame in the six-part Channel 4 series Metrosexuality.

He wrote and starred in the film trilogy Kidulthood, Adulthood, and Brotherhood, which were based in west London, where he grew up, and explored the lives of a group of teenagers given time off school after a bullied classmate takes their own life.

It was a box office success and eventually saw Clarke given BAFTA’s rising star prize in 2009.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.