Carol and Bridge of Spies lead BAFTA Nominations

Two films that study the politics of mid-20th Century America have set the running for this year’s BAFTA Film Awards.

Matt Damon in The Martian, Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies, Leonardo diCaprio in The Revenant, Cate Blanchett in Carol
Matt Damon in The Martian, Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies, Leonardo diCaprio in The Revenant, Cate Blanchett in Carol

Carol – about a daring lesbian romance in 1950s New York – and Bridge of Spies – Steven Spielberg’s 1960s Cold War drama – each secured nine nominations. Cate Blanchett as the eponymous Carol and Rooney Mara as her paramour are in the running for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively, with the director Todd Haynes also earning himself a nomination. Spielberg is also up for the directing award and Britain’s Mark Rylance is recognised in the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of an alleged Soviet spy, but the star of Bridge of Spies, Tom Hanks, missed out.

Both films are in the running for Best Film, alongside three films which haven’t yet been released in the UK; Spotlight, about a team of journalists who exposed the cover-up of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Boston; The Revenant, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s tale of survival; and the all-star study of the 2008 financial crisis, The Big Short.

As ever with the BAFTAs, British talent has been recognised – including Kate Winslet’s supporting performance in Steve Jobs, Julie Walters for her turn in Brooklyn, Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation, Christian Bale for The Big Short and Dame Maggie Smith as the eponymous Lady in the Van, among others. But Charlotte Rampling and Sir Tom Courtenay, who were both highly praised for their central roles in 45 Years both missed out; their film was recognised only in the parochial Outstanding British Film category, alongside Asif Kapadia’s documentary Amy, Alex Garland’s sci-fi Ex Machina and three international co-productions, Brooklyn, The Lobster and The Danish Girl.

The rising Swedish actress Alicia Vikander is nominated for her performances in two of those films – the supporting role in Ex Machina and as the lead actress in The Danish Girl, alongside Eddie Redmayne, who’s hoping for his second BAFTA in a row, for his portrayal of the pioneering sex-change artist Lili Elbe.

As well as films generally seen as aiming for awards, a number of crowd-pleasers have also found themselves up for awards, including The Martian, which earned nominations for its star Matt Damon and its director Ridley Scott. And Star Wars and Mad Max feature strongly in the craft categories.

Although actresses including Winslet and Walters remarked that it had been a strong year for women’s roles, it’s perhaps surprising to note that the British Film Academy failed to recognise any of the talent – either on screen or behind the camera – from the almost all-female London Film Festival opener Suffragette. British film-makers involved in the Kray biopic Legend, the latest Macbeth adaptation and the latest bond film SPECTRE were also overlooked.

The head of the BFI Film Fund, Ben Roberts, said he was particularly proud to have helped the prodigiously talented teams behind six of today’s nominated films, including 45 Years, Amy, Brooklyn and The Lobster. “Making a film isn’t easy, making a good film is even harder, so in what has been a fantastic year for British film we tip our hats to all the nominees whose commitment to great cinema is rightly recognised today.”

The awards will be handed out on Valentine’s Day, with BAFTA members choosing from the following full list of nominees:

Best film

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Revenant
Spotlight

Outstanding British film

45 Years
Amy
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Ex Machina
The Lobster

Outstanding debut by British writer, director or producer

Alex Garland (director, Ex Machina)
Debbie Tucker Green (writer/director, Second Coming)
Naji Abu Nowar (writer/director, Theeb), Rupert Lloyd (producer, Theeb)
Sean McAllister (director/producer, A Syrian Love Story), Elhum Shakerifar (producer, A Syrian Love Story)
Stephen Fingleton (writer/director, The Survivalist)

Best film not in the English language

The Assassin
Force Majeure
Theeb
Timbuktu
Wild Tales

Best documentary

Amy
Cartel Land
He Named Me Malala
Listen to Me Marlon
Sherpa

Best animated film

Inside Out
Minions
Shaun the Sheep the Movie

Best director

Adam McKay, The Big Short
Steven Spielberg, Bridge of Spies
Todd Haynes, Carol
Ridley Scott, The Martian
Alejandro González Iñárritu, The Revenant

Best original screenplay

Bridge of Spies
Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Spotlight

Best adapted screenplay

The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
Room
Steve Jobs

Best actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Matt Damon, The Martian
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Best actress

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Brie Larson, Room
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best supporting actor

Benicio del Toro, Sicario
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Best supporting actress

Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Julie Walters, Brooklyn
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Rooney Mara, Carol

Best original music

Bridge of Spies
The Hateful Eight
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best cinematography

Bridge of Spies
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

Best editing

The Big Short
Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant

Best production design

Bridge of Spies
Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best costume design

Brooklyn
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road

Best make-up and hair

Brooklyn
Carol
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Best sound

Bridge of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best special visual effects

Ant-Man
Ex Machina
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best British short animation

Edmond
Manoman
Prologue

Best British short film

Elephant
Mining Poems or Odes
Operator
Over
Samuel-613

EE Rising Star (voted for by the public)

Bel Powley
Brie Larson
Dakota Johnson
John Boyega
Taron Egerton