Conclave and Emilia Pérez Dominate 2025 BAFTA Nominations with Strong Contenders Across Categories

The competition is getting hotter by the minute for this year’s BAFTA Film Awards, with a slew of films and talents leading the pack. First out of the blocks in the nominations is Conclave, Edward Berger’s gripping Vatican-set thriller, which has received a whalloping 12 nods. These include Best Film, Best Director for Berger, Leading Actor for Ralph Fiennes, and Supporting Actress for Isabella Rossellini. It has also been recognized in Adapted Screenplay categories, making the film a certain frontrunner.

Emilia Pérez, by Jacques Audiard, comes in a close second, having received 11 nominations with this genre-bending crime thriller. The unlikely true story of a Mexican cartel boss who undergoes gender-reassignment surgery to start anew, Audiard is in the running for Best Director, while Karla Sofía Gascón, who plays the title character, is up for Leading Actress. Both Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña have also received Supporting Actress nods for their performances in the movie.

The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s sweeping American epic, scored nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Leading Actor for Adrien Brody. Wicked, Dune: Part Two, and Anora each received seven nods, with the musical Wicked securing acting nods for both Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Meanwhile, low-budget Irish comedy-biopic Kneecap scored a surprising six nods, competing among a list of heavyweight contenders.

However, the absence of Dune: Part Two from the Best Film category has raised some eyebrows, with many questioning how such a major blockbuster could be overlooked in the race for the top prize.

Nosferatu and The Substance will represent the horror world, respectively. Nosferatu got five nominations mainly for technical groups while The Substance managed nominations for Demi Moore as Leading Actress, Coralie Fargeat for Director, and Original Screenplay.

The films that are bound to bring the most spectacle and innovation include Dune: Part Two, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, and Better Man in the Special Visual Effects category. Other acting nominations included Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin for Sing Sing, and Dev Patel earned one for acting in his directorial debut of Monkey Man On the documentary front, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and Will & Harper earned nods.

Of course, this being an excitingly diverse range of nominees, the fresh faces and new talent take centre stage again. However, Saoirse Ron, The Outrun, Hugh Grant for Heretic, and Jamie Lee Curtis for The Last Showgirl, are among a few returning highlights in this year’s set of awards noms. Conversely, Denzel Washington’s performance in Gladiator 2 was highly absent, continuing BAFTA’s trend of sidelining one of the greatest film actors alive today.

Several films fell just short of expectations in major categories. Wicked, despite its strong showing, missed out on a Best Film nomination, as did performances by Nicole Kidman (Babygirl) and the steamy tennis drama Challengers. On the other hand, there were welcome surprises, such as Jeremy Strong’s Supporting Actor nomination for his role in The Apprentice, Ali Abassi’s biopic of Donald Trump.

The only female director this year, Coralie Fargeat has been nominated for the raw body-horror film The Substance. Meanwhile, Ireland’s cinematic moment continues as Kneecap picks up six nominations, including British Film and Outstanding Debut-an achievement astonishing for the tiny indie production.

As the celebrations around the awards continue, BAFTA organisation has recognised the grim fact of the wildfires that have devastated California.

Film chair Sara Putt said her thoughts are with the families and friends of those affected, adding that though the BAFTA voting process remains on schedule, they are very aware of the challenges their colleagues are currently facing.

The BAFTA Film Awards 2025 will take place on February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall, with David Tennant returning to host the event. This will be a night of celebration for such a diverse and competitive field of talent and storytelling.

Full List of Nominations here.

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