‘Conclave’ leads the pack and struggling ‘Emilia Pérez’ faces a check at Britain’s BAFTA movie awards

LONDON — Papal thriller “ Conclave ” leads the race for the 78th British Academy Movie Awards on Sunday, with genre-bending musical “ Emilia Pérez ” going through a check of whether or not a multi-pronged backlash has made the previous prize favourite an awards-season pariah.

A plethora of film stars — together with Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan — are due on the purple carpet at London’s Roya Competition Corridor. The awards, referred to as BAFTAs, will probably be watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood’s Academy Awards subsequent month.

“Conclave” is nominated in 12 classes, together with finest image, finest director for Edward Berger and finest actor for Ralph Fiennes, taking part in a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a brand new pope.

Mexico-set melodrama “Emilia Pérez” has 11 nominations, together with finest image and finest director for Jacques Audiard.

Greatest-actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, who stars because the movie’s titular transgender ex-cartel boss, just isn’t anticipated to attend the ceremony. Gascón has withdrawn from selling the movie, which has 13 Oscar nominations, amid controversy over her social media posts disparaging Muslims, George Floyd and variety on the Oscars.

Audiard has referred to as the remarks “completely hateful.” The musical, shot in France with a largely non-Mexican forged, has additionally confronted criticism from Mexicans for what some see as its cliched and exploitative depiction of the nation. Some LGBTQ+ teams have derided its portrayal of trans folks.

The British prizes — formally referred to as the EE BAFTA Movie Awards — could give hints of who will win on the Oscars on March 3, in an unusually hard-to-call awards season.

The most effective-film contenders are “Conclave,” “Emilia Pérez,” Brady Corbet’s 215-minute structure epic ” The Brutalist,” Sean Baker’s Brighton Seaside tragicomedy “ Anora ” and the James Mangold-directed Bob Dylan biopic “ A Full Unknown.”

“The Brutalist” has 9 nominations, whereas “Anora,” the sci-fi epic “Dune: Half Two” and musical “Depraved” have seven every.

“A Full Unknown” obtained six nominations, as did the Irish-language hip-hop drama “Kneecap,” whose nominations embody finest movie not within the English language.

Nominees within the class of excellent British movie embody Andrea Arnold’s “Chook,” Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” Ridley Scott’s “Gladiator II” and “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” which can be up for finest animated characteristic.

The main actor favourite is “The Brutalist” star Adrien Brody, who faces stiff competitors from Fiennes and Chalamet, who performs the younger Dylan in “A Full Unknown.”

The opposite male actors nominated are Hugh Grant for his creepy function within the horror movie “ Heretic,” Colman Domingo in real-life jail drama “ Sing Sing ” and Sebastian Stan for his portrayal of a younger Donald Trump in “ The Apprentice.”

Whoever takes the very best actress award will probably be a first-time BAFTA winner.

Nominees are Gascón, Demi Moore for body-horror movie “ The Substance,” Mikey Madison for “Anora,” Ronan for “The Outrun,” Cynthia Erivo for “Depraved” and Marianne Jean-Baptiste for Mike Leigh drama “Exhausting Truths.” Erivo or Jean-Baptiste could be the primary non-white performer to win the main actress BAFTA.

Britain’s movie academy launched adjustments to extend the awards’ variety in 2020, when no ladies had been nominated as finest director for the seventh yr working and all 20 nominees within the lead and supporting performer classes had been white

The voting course of was modified so as to add a longlist spherical within the choice earlier than the ultimate nominees are voted on by the academy’s 8,000-strong membership of trade professionals.

Contenders for the Rising Star award, the one prize determined by public vote, are performers Mikey Madison, Marisa Abela, Jharrel Jerome, David Jonsson and Nabhaan Rizwan.

“Willow” and “Return of the Jedi” actor Warwick Davis will obtain the academy’s high honor, the BAFTA Fellowship, for his display profession and work to create a extra inclusive movie trade.

Final month’s devastating Los Angeles wildfires could forged a pall over the ceremony, hosted by former “Physician Who” star David Tennant. Jamie Lee Curtis, a supporting actress nominee for “The Final Showgirl,” will probably be absent as a result of the fires delayed filming on her present work. Co-star Pamela Anderson will settle for the prize for Curtis if she wins.

The occasion will even be and not using a sprint of royal glamour this yr. Neither Prince William, who’s honorary president of the British movie academy, nor his spouse Kate are attending.

It can embody a efficiency by grown-up boyband Take That, whose 2008 hit “Best Day” options on the “Anora” soundtrack. Jeff Goldblum will play piano throughout the ceremony’s tribute to individuals who have died up to now yr.

The ceremony airs on BBC in the UK and BritBox in North America, beginning at 1900GMT (2 p.m. EST).