In a refreshing change from last year’s BAFTA Film Awards, the 2021 nominations showcase a more diverse array of talents across categories. This year, we see more women and people of color possibly due to BAFTA’s newly implemented procedures regarding film review and voting, with around 1,000 new members from underrepresented groups added to the organization since last year. 

Select categories (particularly acting and directing) have expanded their nominee lists in an effort to level the playing field amongst entries and keep lesser known stories and/or filmmakers in the conversation during awards season. BAFTA maintains that no quotas concerning demographics were put into place, nor is the shortlist designed to look diverse, but in actuality, is the result of membership and voting procedural improvements.       

What we are seeing in the 2021 list is a wider variety of films represented across categories, with 50 different films nominated, as opposed to last year’s 39. Another turn-around is found in the female-led best director category with four out of the six nominations, compared to last year’s all-male lineup. 2021 also seems to be the year of the newcomer, demonstrated by the four out of the six best director nominees receiving their first BAFTA noms and 21 out of 24 performance nominees acknowledged as first-timers, as well. 

Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland and Sarah Gavron’s Rocks are this year’s front-runners with 7 noms each, and both filmmakers are represented in the best director category. Following closely behind with 6 noms each are Mank, The Father, Minari, and Promising Young Woman. 

The BAFTA ceremony will be divided into two, consecutive nights and conducted virtually on April 10th and 11th. Appearing on the BBC 2 channel on the first night will be awards concerning craftsmanship, while performance awards will feature on the second night on BBC 1. 

74th-Annual BAFTA Film Awards Nominations:

BEST FILM

The Father – Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt

The Mauritanian – TBC

Nomadland – Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao

Promising Young Woman – Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Stuart Besser, Marc Platt

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

Calm With Horses – Nick Rowland, Daniel Emmerson, Joe Murtagh

The Dig – Simon Stone, Gabrielle Tana, Moira Buffini

The Father – Florian Zeller, Philippe Carcassone, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christopher Hampton

His House – Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward Kings, Roy Lee

Limbo – Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont

The Mauritanian – Kevin Macdonald, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, M.B. Traven

Mogul Mowgli – Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed, Thomas Benski, Bennett McGhee

Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara

Rocks – Sarah Gavron, Ameenah Ayub Allen, Faye Ward, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson

Saint Maud – Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

His House – Remi Weekes (Writer/Director)

Limbo – Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer) [also produced by Angus Lamont]

Moffie – Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer) [also written by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Eric Abraham]

Rocks – Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers)

Saint Maud – Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer) [also produced by Andrea Cornwell]

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Another Round – Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen

Dear Comrades! – Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov

Les Misérables – Ladj Ly

Minari – Lee Isaac Chung, Christina Oh

Quo Vadis, Aida? – Jasmila Žbanić, Damir Ibrahimovich

DOCUMENTARY

Collective – Alexander Nanau

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

The Dissident – Bryan Fogel, Thor Halvorssen

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

The Social Dilemma – Jeff Orlowski, Larissa Rhodes

ANIMATED FILM

Onward – Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae

Soul – Pete Docter, Dana Murray

Wolfwalkers – Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young

DIRECTOR

Another Round – Thomas Vinterberg

Babyteeth – Shannon Murphy

Minari – Lee Isaac Chung

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

Quo Vadis, Aida? – Jasmila Žbanić

Rocks – Sarah Gavron

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Another Round – Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg

Mank – Jack Fincher

Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell

Rocks – Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Aaron Sorkin

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

The Dig – Moira Buffini

The Father – Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller

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

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

The White Tiger – Ramin Bahrani

LEADING ACTRESS

Bukky Bakray – Rocks

Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

Frances McDormand – Nomadland

Wunmi Mosakuh – His House

Alfre Woodard – Clemency

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

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

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

ORIGINAL SCORE

Mank – Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

Minari – Emile Mosseri

News of the World – James Newton Howard

Promising Young Woman – Anthony Willis

Soul – Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

CASTING

Calm With Horses – Shaheen Baig

Judas and the Black Messiah – Alexa L. Fogel

Minari – Julia Kim

Promising Young Woman – Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu

Rocks – Lucy Pardee

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Judas and the Black Messiah – Sean Bobbitt

Mank – Erik Messerschmidt

The Mauritanian – Alwin H. Küchler

News of the World – Dariusz Wolski

Nomadland – Joshua James Richards

EDITING

The Father – Yorgos Lamprinos

Nomadland – Chloé Zhao

Promising Young Woman – Frédéric Thoraval

Sound of Metal – Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Alan Baumgarten

PRODUCTION DESIGN

The Dig – Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald

The Father – Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone

Mank – Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale

News of the World – David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan

Rebecca – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer

COSTUME DESIGN

Ammonite – Michael O’Connor

The Dig – Alice Babidge

Emma – Alexandra Byrne

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ann Roth

Mank – Trish Summerville

MAKE UP & HAIR

The Dig – Jenny Shircore

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

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

Mank – Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams

Pinocchio – Mark Coulier

SOUND

Greyhound – TBC

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

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

Soul – Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker

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

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Greyhound – Pete Bebb, Nathan McGuinness, Sebastian von Overheidt

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

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

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

Tenet – Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

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

The Owl and the Pussycat – Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf

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