Dancing Through 2024: BAFTA Lauds Most Musical (Or Music-Inspired) List of Films Ever
It is the most musical or music-inspired year in the British Academy’s history as Wicked, A Complete Unknown, and Emilia Pérez all scored BAFTA Film Awards nominations on Wednesday.
Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical closely follows the leader, Conclave, with 11 nominations, including performance nominations for its three main actresses, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Zoe Saldaña. Director Audiard scored three nods, namely for best director, adapted screenplay and best film not in the English language. Plus, Paul Guilhaume is nominated for cinematography and Camille, Clement Ducol for their original score.
Jon M. Chu’s Broadway adaptation of the beloved musical Wicked (which scooped up the box office prize at the recent Golden Globes) picked up a healthy seven BAFTA nominations, including Cynthia Erivo‘s first main BAFTA award nomination ever in the leading actress category for her portrayal of Elphaba, as well as a supporting actress nod for Galinda/Glinda Ariana Grande. Paul Tazewell was nominated for his costume design and Robin Baynton, Simon Hayes, John Marquis, Andy Nelson and Nancy Nugent Title for best sound.
Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown unsurprisingly scored a nomination for Timothée Chalamet in the starring role — he’s up against Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) and Hugh Grant (Heretic). A Complete Unknown, full of Dylan’s most iconic music and worshipped songwriting process, was also nominated for best film, adapted screenplay, supporting actor (Ed Norton), casting and costume design.
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Elsewhere, Kneecap made BAFTA Film Awards history on Wednesday as the movie became the British Academy’s most-nominated debut film ever. Peppiatt’s Irish hip-hop “print the legend” biopic on the Belfast-based rap trio — boasting Michael Fassbender among its ensemble — scored six nominations overall, including for outstanding British film, outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer and best casting for Carla Stronge.
Stars Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh and JJ Ó Dochartaigh feature as themselves in the movie. Peppiatt is also nominated for best film not in the English language, and original screenplay. Julian Ulrichs and Chris Gill picked up a nomination for best editing.
Greg Kwedar’s Sing Sing, based on the real-life Rehabilitation Through the Arts program at Sing Sing Maximum Security Prison, was also honored with three nominations. The film, Domingo at its center, follows a group of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical stage shows at the prison. As well as Domingo’s nomination, Clarence Maclin is running in the supporting actor category and the movie is also nominated for best adapted screenplay.
“It’s the most musicals or music-inspired year in BAFTA history,” film committee chair Anna Higgs told THR about the nominations on Wednesday.
It is also the most genre-diverse year ever for the BAFTA Film Awards as horror movies Heretic and The Substance, historical epics like Steve McQueen’s Blitz, and big-budget action fare like Dune: Part Two and Gladiator II all earned nominations, too.
