BAFTA 2021 Nominations – Is this the most diverse nomination list in BAFTA history?

The BAFTA 2021 nominations for the 74th annual British Academy Film Awards was announced by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) on March 9. Originally scheduled to take place on February 14, the event will now be held on April 11 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

At the time of announcing their postponement of the 74th BAFTA awards, BAFTA said:

“This change from the previously announced date of February 14 acknowledges the impact of the global pandemic and accommodates an extended eligibility period. Further details on the ceremony will be announced later in the year. The date for the 2022 Film Awards, announced last year as 13 February, is currently under consideration as part of the Awards Review, and any changes will be published once the review has been completed, alongside other findings and recommendations.”

The BAFTAs were the first major awards ceremony to postpone this year’s event following the Oscars’ announcement of pushing back their ceremony to take place at the end of April. Unlike previous award shows that took place amid the pandemic, the BAFTAs will be held in an actual venue, but without a live audience.

The BAFTAs also followed the Academy’s footsteps last year when they announced they would be joining the Oscars in implementing “representation and inclusion standards” for their future ceremonies. In 2018, BAFTA was the first film awards organization to have a diversity criteria for their nominations. They would use British Film Institute (BFI) Diversity Standards to determine the eligibility for their Best British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer categories.

Despite this, the awards ceremony came under major criticism last year for failing to include actors of color in their major acting categories (Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor) as well as for the lack of female nominees under BAFTA’s Best Director Award. Following the controversy, Marc Samuelson, Committee Chair for BAFTA, admitted there to be an “infuriating lack of diversity in the acting noms.” As such, the organization refined their voting process for 2021 to ensure the nomination list would be more inclusive.

Last September, after a seven–month review following the controversy, BAFTA announced that around 120 “wide–ranging changes” were being made to address the lack of representation in their awards, which included changes to their membership and voting process.

The updated process seems to have been in full effect for determining this year’s nominees, as the 2021 BAFTA nominations sees a notably diverse list of nominees. “Nomadland” and “Rocks” lead this year’s awards with the most nominations (seven each), while “Mank,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Father,” and “Minari” each received six nominations.

Out of the 24 nominees in this year’s acting categories for the BAFTAs, more than half come from ethnic minority backgrounds, including Bukky Bakray for “Rocks” and Daniel Kaluuya for “Judas and the Black Messiah.”

No women were nominated for last year’s BAFTA Best Director Award. This year, four women were nominated, including Chloe Zhao for her film “Nomadland.” Zhao recently made history at this year’s Golden Globes by becoming the first Asian woman and second woman ever to take home the Golden Globe Award for Best Director for “Nomadland.”

Breakout star Adarash Gourav managed to bag his first ever nod for the “Best Leading Actor” category for his debut role in “The White Tiger.” The film, written and directed by Ramin Bahrani, was also nominated for “Best Adapted Screenplay.” Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who co–starred with Gourav and served as executive producer on the project, took to Twitter to congratulate both Gourav and Bahrani for the nominations.

Gourav also expressed his gratitude for the nomination on his Instagram, saying, “Holy s*** it’s really happening!”

See the full list of BAFTA 2021 nominations below.

Best Film

“The Father"

“The Mauritanian"

“Nomadland"

“Promising Young Woman"

“The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Outstanding British Film

“Calm With Horses"

“The Dig"

“The Father"

“His House"

“Limbo"

“The Mauritanian"

“Mogul Mowgli"

“Promising Young Woman"

“Rocks"

“Saint Maud"

Best Film not in English Language

Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen – “Another Round"

Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov – “Dear Comrades!"

Ladj Ly – “Les Misérables"

Lee Isaac Chung, Christina Oh – “Minari"

Jasmila Žbanić, Damir Ibrahimovich – “Quo Vadis, Aida?"

Best Leading Actor

Riz Ahmed – “Sound of Metal"

Chadwick Boseman – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"

Adarsh Gourav – “The White Tiger"

Anthony Hopkins – “The Father"

Mads Mikkelsen – “Another Round"

Tahar Rahim – “The Mauritanian"

Best Leading Actress

Bukky Bakray – “Rocks"

Radha Blank – “The Forty-Year-Old Version"

Frances McDormand – “Nomadland"

Vanessa Kirby – “Pieces of a Woman"

Wunmi Mosaku – “His House"

Alfre Woodard – “Clemency"

Best Supporting Actor

Daniel Kaluuya – “Judas and the Black Messiah"

Barry Keoghan – “Calm With Horses"

Alan Kim – “Minari"

Leslie Odom Jr. – “One Night In Miami…"

Clarke Peters – “Da 5 Bloods"

Paul Raci – “Sound of Metal"

Best Supporting Actress

Niamh Algar – “Calm With Horses"

Kosar Ali – “Rocks"

Maria Bakalova – “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

Dominique Fishback – “Judas and the Black Messiah"

Ashley Madekwe – “County Lines"

Yuh–Jung Youn – “Minari"

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg – “Another Round"

Shannon Murphy – “Babyteeth"

Lee Isaac Chung – “Minari"

Chloé Zhao – “Nomadland"

Jasmila Žbanić – “Quo Vadis, Aida?"

Sarah Gavron – “Rocks"

Best Original Screenplay

Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg – “Another Round”

Jack Fincher – “Mank”

Emerald Fennell – “Promising Young Woman”

Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – “Rocks”

Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best Adapted Screenplay

Moira Buffini – “The Dig"

Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller – “The Father"

Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, M.B. Traven – “The Mauritanian"

Chloé Zhao – “Nomadland"

Ramin Bahrani – “The White Tiger"

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Remi Weekes – “His House"

Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai – “Limbo"

Jack Sidey – “Moffie"

Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson – “Rocks"

Rose Glass, Oliver Kassman – “Saint Maud"

Best Documentary

Alexander Nanau – “Collective"

Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes, Keith Scholey – “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet"

Bryan Fogel, Thor Halvorssen – “The Dissident”

Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, Craig Foster – “My Octopus Teacher"

Jeff Orlowski, Larissa Rhodes – “The Social Dilemma"

Best Animated Film

Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae – “Onward"

Pete Docter, Dana Murray – “Soul"

Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young – “Wolfwalkers"

Best Original Score

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – “Mank"

Emile Mosseri – “Minari"

James Newton Howard – “News of the World"

Anthony Willis – “Promising Young Woman"

Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – “Soul"

Best Casting

Shaheen Baig – “Calm with Horses"

Alexa L. Fogel – “Judas and the Black Messiah"

Julia Kim – “Minari"

Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu – “Promising Young Woman"

Lucy Pardee – “Rocks"

Best Cinematography

Sean Bobbitt – “Judas and the Black Messiah"

Erik Messerschmidt – “Mank"

Alwin H. Küchler – “The Mauritanian"

Dariusz Wolski – “News of the World”

Joshua James Richards – “Nomadland"

Best Editing

Yorgos Lamprinos – “The Father"

Chloé Zhao – “Nomadland"

Frédéric Thoraval – “Promising Young Woman"

Mikkel E.G. Nielsen – “Sound of Metal"

Alan Baumgarten – “The Trial of the Chicago 7"

Best Production Design

Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald – “The Dig"

Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone – “The Father"

Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale – “Mank"

David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan – “News of the World"

Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer – “Rebecca"

Best Costume Design

Michael O’Connor – “Ammonite"

Alice Babidge – “The Dig"

Alexandra Byrne – “Emma"

Ann Roth – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"

Trish Summerville – “Mank"

Best Makeup and Hair

Jenny Shircore – “The Dig"

Patricia Dehaney, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle – “Hillbilly Elegy"

Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal – “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"

Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams – “Mank"

Mark Coulier – “Pinocchio"

Best Sound

Nominees TBC – “Greyhound"

Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, Oliver Tarney – “News of the World"

Sergio Diaz, Zach Seivers, M. Wolf Snyder – “Nomadland"

Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker – “Soul"

Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, Michelle Couttolenc – “Sound of Metal"

Best Special Visual Effects

Pete Bebb, Nathan McGuinness, Sebastian von Overheidt – “Greyhound"

Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, David Watkins – “The Midnight Sky"

Sean Faden, Steve Ingram, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury – “Mulan"

Santiago Colomo Martinez, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher – “The One and Only Ivan"

Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley – “Tenet"

Best British Short Animation

Renaldho Pelle, Yanling Wang, Kerry Jade Kolbe – “The Fire Next Time"

Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf – “The Owl and the Pussycat"

Daniel Quirke, Jamie MacDonald, Brid Arnstein – “The Song of a Lost Boy"

Best British Short Film

Jesse Lewis Reece, Ike Newman – “Eyelash"

Akinola Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Wale Davies – “Lizard"

John Addis, Rami Sarras Pantoja – “Lucky Break"

Ghada Eldemellawy – “Miss Curvy"

Farah Nabulsi – “The Present"

EE Rising Star Award

“Bukky Bakray”

“Conrad Khan”

“Kingsley Ben-Adir”

“Morfydd Clark”

“Sope Dìrísù”

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