Two weeks before revealing its nominations, BAFTA reveals longlists of 15 contenders in each category from which the eventual five nominees will be chosen. (Switch those numbers to five and three in the Animated Feature race.)
Vague as the lists are, a couple of telling trends stand out. It’s been clear for some time that “An Education” is the film to beat at this years BAFTAs. Like the group’s last three Best Film winners — “The Queen,” “Atonement” and “Slumdog Millionaire” — Lone Scherfig’s film is a mainstream British effort that has U.S. awards traction, allowing them to remain patriotic while fulfilling their recent Oscar-aping remit.
So it’s no surprise that “An Education” leads the longlists with 17 mentions — seven of them in the acting races. Close behind is “Inglourious Basterds,” with 15 bids, while “The Hurt Locker” manages 12.
As usual, however, BAFTA sidelines British fare that doesn’t have a high American awards profile, which is why “Bright Star” and “Fish Tank,” despite appearing on longlists for directing, writing and acting, aren’t among the 15 titles vying for a Best Film nod. (But two Clint Eastwood films are. Sigh.) Rather miraculously, “Moon” made the cut, at least.
There’s also a clue in the shortlists as to which of the group’s Best Foreign Language Film nominees is best-positioned for the win. “A Prophet” pops up in the directing and writing longlists; “The White Ribbon” is nowhere to be seen.
The BAFTA longlists for the top categories are below. The asterisks, by the way, denote the top selections of each category’s own voting branch or Chapter. The nominees tend to mostly — though not completely — line up with these, so it’s interesting to see such strong directors’ Chapter support for Neill Blomkamp and Jacques Audiard.
Also, a reminder that the BAFTA voting system is actually the reverse of the American Academy’s: from these longlists, the entire membership votes on the nominees. The winners, however, are voted on by members of the relevant branch/Chapter only. (Best Film excepted, of course.)
You can find the full list on their site here.
Best Film
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“An Education”
“Gran Torino”
“The Hurt Locker”
“Inglourious Basterds”
“Invictus”
“Moon”
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
“The Road”
“A Serious Man”
“A Single Man”
“Star Trek”
“Up”
“Up in the Air”
Best Director
James Cameron, “Avatar” *
Jane Campion, “Bright Star”
Neill Blomkamp, “District 9” *
Lone Scherfig, “An Education” *
Andrea Arnold, “Fish Tank”
Clint Eastwoo, “Gran Torino”
Kathryn Bigelow, “The Hurt Locker” *
Quentin Tarantino, “Inglourious Basterds”
Clint Eastwood, “Invictus”
Duncan Jones, “Moon”
Lee Daniels, “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Jacques Audiard, “A Prophet” *
Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, “A Serious Man”
Pete Docter, “Up”
Jason Reitman, “Up in the Air”
Best Actor
Aaron Johnson (John Lennon), “Nowhere Boy”
Andy Serkis (Ian Dury), “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” *
Ben Whishaw (John Keats), “Bright Star”
Brad Pitt (Lt. Aldo Raine), “Inglourious Basterds”
Clint Eastwood (Walt Kowalski), “Gran Torino”
Colin Firth (George), “A Single Man” *
George Clooney (Ryan Bingham), “Up in the Air” *
Jeff Bridges (Bad Blake), “Crazy Heart”
Jeremy Renner (SSgt. William James), “The Hurt Locker” *
Michael Sheen (Brian Clough), “The Damned United”
Morgan Freeman (Nelson Mandela), “Invictus” *
Peter Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker), “In the Loop”
Peter Sarsgaard (David), “An Education”
Sam Rockwell (Sam Bell), “Moon”
Viggo Mortensen (Man), “The Road”
Best Actress
Abbie Cornish (Fanny Brawne), “Bright Star” *
Amy Adams (Julie Powell), “Julie & Julia”
Audrey Tautou (Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel), “Coco Before Chanel”
Carey Mulligan (Jenny), “An Education” *
Emily Blunt (Queen Victoria), “The Young Victoria”
Gabourey Sidibe (Precious), “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” *
Helen Mirren (Sofya Tolstoy), “The Last Station”
Katie Jarvis (Mia), “Fish Tank”
Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jean Craddock), “Crazy Heart”
Marion Cotillard (Luisa Contini), “Nine”
Melanie Laurent (Shosanna Dreyfus), “Inglourious Basterds”
Meryl Streep (Jane), “It’s Complicated”
Meryl Streep (Julia Child), “Julie & Julia” *
Penelope Cruz (Lena), “Broken Embraces”
Saoirse Ronan (Susie Salmon), “The Lovely Bones” *
Best Supporting Actor
Aaron Wolff (Danny Gopnik), “A Serious Man”
Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape), “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
Alec Baldwin (Jake), “It’s Complicated”
Alfred Molina (Jack), “An Education” *
Anthony Mackie (Sgt. JT Sanborn), “The Hurt Locker”
Brian Geraghty (Specialist Owen Eldridge), “The Hurt Locker”
Christian McKay (Orson Welles), “Me and Orson Welles” *
Christoph Waltz (Col. Landa), “Inglourious Basterds” *
Christopher Plummer (Leo Tolstoy), “The Last Station” *
Dominic Cooper (Danny), “An Education”
Matt Damon (Francois Pienaar), “Invictus”
Stanley Tucci (Mr Harvey), “The Lovely Bones” *
Stanley Tucci (Paul Child), “Julie & Julia”
Timothy Spall (Peter Taylor), “The Damned United”
Zachary Quinto (Spock), “Star Trek”
Best Supporting Actress
Anna Kendrick (Natalie Keener), “Up in the Air”
Anne-Marie Duff (Julia), “Nowhere Boy” *
Claire Danes (Sonja Jones), “Me and Orson Welles”
Diane Kruger (Bridget von Hammersmark), “Inglourious Basterds”
Emma Thompson (Headmistress), “An Education”
Julianne Moore (Charley), “A Single Man” *
Kristin Scott Thomas (Mimi), “Nowhere Boy” *
Mariah Carey (Mrs Weiss), “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Mo’Nique (Mary), “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” *
Olivia Williams (Miss Stubbs), “An Education”
Penelope Cruz (Carla), “Nine”
Rachel Weisz (Abigail Salmon), “The Lovely Bones”
Rosamund Pike (Helen), “An Education” *
Susan Sarandon (Grandma Lynn), “The Lovely Bones”
Vera Farmiga (Alex Goran), “Up in the Air”
Comments
39 responses to “‘Education,’ ‘Basterds’ lead BAFTA longlists”
At last, a little love for Sam Rockwell. At least he made the long list.
And 11 for Avatar. Not too shabby.
Finally! Someone recognized Mr. Quinto doing his best Leonard Nimoy.
I don’t get it. How does a film gets 9 or 10 or 11 mentions (Nine, Bright Star, The Lovely Bones) etc. and not get in Top 15 for BP where other films get 3,4,5 mentions and are in?
Though, I just read that each branch is separate and a different body chooses BP. Is that IT?
Are they saving Bright Star for British Film only? etc.
JJ: All the branches determine Best Film.
And no, “Bright Star,” “Fish Tank,” “In the Loop” etc aren’t restricted to the Best British Film category — they were snubbed in the top race. It’s possible to compete in both Best Film and Best British Film — as “An Education” almost certainly will.
Supporting Actor
Aaron Wolff (Danny Gopnik) – A Serious Man
ummm… Aarol Wolff, but no Fred Melamed?!
Ben Whishaw finally gets noticed! But dont get the snubbing of Paul Schneider?
How is Best British Film determined? Is there a shortlist that is published?
The nominees for Best British Film are determined by a separate, smaller committee. No longlist.
A little love for Zachary Quinto after all this time, that’s neat.
Sharlto Copley snub is grating. Absolutely grating. As if District 9 would have worked AT ALL without him.
Also strange to see (500) Days of Summer nowhere to be found.
Lol, Zachary Quinto. That’s kind of inspired, and deserved, considering how much he could have screwed up the role, and instead made it his own, and in the process proved that he is actually a good actor! ^_____^
Invictus….grrrrr
Yeah, I still can’t understand the D9 screenplay nominations… how do you judge a screenplay where the dialogue in the actual film was largely improvised (Copley, again)? What does this screenplay look like? (is it a scriptment?)
Confession: This is one of the more irritating announcements of the season for me. Just, you know, tell us when you have FIVE.
I quite agree.
This is so completely uninspired. The British really fuck their own best films don’t they? I mean In The Loop & Fish Tank get the shaft for other thuddingly general stuff. In The Loop probably has the best screenplay of the year, and is such a brilliant film but no showing in Best Picture. Last year it was happy Go Lucky.
Really sad to see A Prophet & The White Ribbon left off the major cuts. I expected either 1 or both to catch on in the way Lives Of others did. People just seem reluctant to vote for movies with subtitles(unless it stars Brad Pitt or is made by James Cameron).
Where’s Tilda Swinton? And where in the hell is Sharlto Copley?
Otherwise it’s a list of almost everyone we’ve been discussing for months now.
Maybe it is my memory but I remember when BAFTAs were not so desperate to be precursors to the Oscars – Do not like shut outs of In the Loop, Bright Star and Fish Tank. I wouldn’t be surprised come the awards these wonderful movies are shut out in everything. I expecting an Education to win Best British Movie and everything else, given the long list what Dominic Cooper for Best Supporting Actor over Paul Schneider and no best Actor nomination for a Serious Man ? Talk about Oscar F****ing seriously Peter Saarsgard played Ed Balls – who gets into a car with Ed Balls – sorry just very annoyed.
Billbil: Tilda Swinton wasn’t eligible — “Julia” was a 2008 release in the UK. Not that they longlisted her last year, either, when Scarlett Johansson made the cut for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.” Sigh.
Nel: I doubt “An Education” will take Best British Film. Being a committeed award, it almost always goes to a quirkier or lower-profile title — “Man on Wire” beat “Slumdog,” “This is England” beat “Atonement,” “My Summer of Love” beat “Vera Drake,” and so on. Look for “Moon” to triumph here.
So a * means that it is was the top 6 in the initial voting. So Lone Scherfig’s “An Educationwas better directed then Bright Star or an Education or Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon – who did not even make the long list.
Seriously did Bafta forget that Andrea Arnold won an Oscar.
Oh Michael Fassbender – Bafta officially hate you.
@ Guy – not Fish Tank or in the Loop? Don’t get me wrong I liked Moon but just thought Fish Tank and in The Loop were better.
Local industry folk think very highly of “Moon” — it beat “Fish Tank” at the BIFA Awards, as well as at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Those 10 longlist bids (Best Film included) are an indication of the breadth of support the film enjoys.
I’m not saying it’s a certainty, but it’s the one to beat.
Oh as well as Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Fassbender, Paul Schneider – I would also like to add Tom Hollander and Tom Hardy to the Bafta offically hate you list.
Rosamund Pike was one of my favorite things about An Education.
no sandra bullock.
The Blind Side has yet to receive a British release.
They didn’t go with Yolande Moreau, surprisingly. The film was on the eligibility list.
Indeed, “The Blind Side” is set for a March release in UK, falling outside of the BAFTA eligibility period.
Best nod: Rosamund Pike.
No Bright Star for best picture?
I would now like to talk individually with each and every person that has voted this awards season to explain to me how Precious is a work of art and Bright Star is not, or how Up in the Air is more stunning than Bright Star. Any type of feedback would be greatly appreciated as long as it makes this confusion I’m having dissapear.
Thus, if I’m not convinced with the arguments, I will be boycotting the Oscars with a well planned terrorist attack. Bahahahahaha just kidding.
Still sad that Bright Star won’t be present in the Best Picture and the Best Directing lineups.
Saw Fish Tank at Brooklyn Academy of Music tonight with a post-film Q&A with Andrea Arnold and Michael Fassbender…great film…Katie Jarvis deserves all the accolades she gets! Hope she makes the final five.
Nice to see Alan Rickman long listed. Though I was expecting Michael Gambon was the most powerful supporting in the last Potter film…
Me. I can’t help you. I, too, found Bright Star to be one of the most lyrical, beautiful movies I’ve seen this year. Granted, I also liked Precious & Up in the Air, too; just less so.
Lovin’ the LOVE for Saoirse Ronan. She OWNED in the role of “Susie Salmon”. I hope she snags a nod—-and the upcoming Critic’s Choice Award!
[…] ‘Education,’ ‘Basterds’ lead BAFTA longlists […]
Hmmm. Not a single acting mention for Avatar even with freaking 15 spots. Not good for its acting branch support.
Sharlto Copley was superb in D9 !! Where is the nomination??