Precursor: 61st British Academy Nominations (2019)

What to think about the British Academy’s selections this year? The first caveat we always have is any film that nominated in the British film categories should be taken with a grain of salt when it appears in the main categories. Rocketman and The Two Popes were likely over-represented in those major categories, especially considering their performances in precursor season. 1917 on the other hand is already a major player elsewhere, so those nominations don’t have to be weighed differently. You will also see British performers that should either be ignored or their chances diminished. Jessie Buckley is the kind of out-of-left-field choice BAFTA often makes, so her slot is definitely open. Taron Egerton is a special case. Although he likely benefited from being a British star, his candidacy is real.

Now to the consequential developments not associated with British-ness. Joker does far better than anyone ever anticipated, going so far as even to top the nominations list. The film is now certain to appear in many places at the Oscars even if we wondered if the Academy would take it seriously. We will know if Todd Phillips is really in the hunt when the DGA announces later today. The double Margot Robbie nomination can be ignored because the Academy has rules against that. Scarlett Johansson getting a double nomination is a good sign for the Oscars and BAFTA ignoring critic darlings Adam Sandler and Jennifer Lopez is a sign that those individuals might just be the critic blips some of us always thought they were. Lopez is probably on more solid footing, but Sandler’s film just isn’t going to be at the top of viewing stacks for most Academy members. Then again, neither is Hustlers, which could hinder both. Other than that, you can expect 80% of these nominations to mirror at the Oscars.

Award Tallies

(11) Joker
(10) The Irishman, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
(9) 1917
(6) Jojo Rabbit
(5) Little Women, Marriage Story, The Two Popes
(4) For Sama, Parasite, Rocketman
(3) Bombshell, Ford v Ferrari, Judy, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

The Awards

Best Film

The Irishman
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite

Best Animated Film

Frozen II
Klaus
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Toy Story 4

Best Director

The Irishman – Martin Scorsese
Joker – Todd Phillips
1917 – Sam Mendes
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood – Quentin Tarantino
Parasite – Bong Joon-ho

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Adam Driver – Marriage Story
Taron Egerton – Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix – Joker
Jonathan Pryce – The Two Popes

Best Actress

Jessie Buckley – Wild Rose
Scarlett Johansson – Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan – Little Women
Charlize Theron – Bombshell
Renée Zellweger – Judy

Best Supporting Actor

Tom Hanks – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins – The Two Popes
Al Pacino – The Irishman
Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Brad Pitt – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern – Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson – Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh – Little Women
Margot Robbie – Bombshell
Margot Robbie – Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Original Screenplay

Booksmart
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Parasite

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes

Best Original Score

Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Editing

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Cinematography

Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
1917

Best Production Design

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Costume Design

The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Judy
Little Women
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood

Best Makeup & Hair

Bombshell
Joker
Judy
1917
Rocketman

Best Sound

Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917
Rocketman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Special Visual Effects

Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Best Film Not in the English Language

The Farewell
For Sama
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Documentary

American Factory
Apollo 11
Diego Maradona
For Sama
The Great Hack

Best Casting

Joker
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Two Popes

Best British Film

Bait
For Sama
1917
Rocketman
Sorry We Missed You
The Two Popes

Best British Short Animation

Grandad Was a Romantic
In Her Boots
The Magic Boat

Best British Short Film

Azaar
Goldfish
Kamali
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
The Trap

Outstanding British Debut

Bait – Mark Jenkin, Kate Byers, Linn Waite
For Sama – Waad al-Kateab, Edward Watts
Maiden – Alex Holmes
Only You – Harry Wootliff
Retablo – Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio