2018 BAFTA nominations: The biggest snubs and suprises

The 2018 BAFTA nominations were revealed Tuesday morning and of course it came with a series of snubs and surprises.

No shock to see The Shape of Water earn the most nominations – twelve in total including Best Film, Best Director for Guillermo del Toro and Best Actress for British star Sally Hawkins – or Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Darkest Hour do well with nine nominations but it was certainly unexpected to see Blade Runner 2049 pick up so many.

Big nods for Blade Runner 2049

The film was snubbed at both the Golden Globes and in the Screen Actors Guild nominations but Denis Villeneuve managed to pick up a nomination for Best Director. Neither of those US-based awards offer technical categories so at the BAFTAs the film managed to bump up their nomination count to seven with nods in the Editing, Sound, Original Music, Production Design, Special Effects and Cinematography categories, which sets itself up well for the same at the Oscars.

Hugh’s time to shine

Another surprise was to see Paddington 2 pick up three nominations; Best British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Grant, which marks two years in a row for the British actor who was also nominated in 2017 for his supporting role in Florence Foster Jenkins.

It’s not often we see sequels earn awards season regard, especially when they’re of the rather vanilla, family-friendly variety but the children’s film has been beloved by critics, both in the UK and across the pond, so it’s recognition isn’t entirely undeserved.

Scouse glory

Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool was another surprising recipient of several awards, though with its British setting and James Bond producer backing it isn’t really. Both its lead stars Anette Bening and Jamie Bell picked up leading actress and actor nominations while the film itself earned a nomination in the Best Adapted Screenplay category, putting it ahead of Phantom Thread and Get Out in their individual tallies.

Woody’s buzz

Woody Harrelson’s best supporting actor nod was also unexpected; his role as a dying police chief in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is far more understated than Sam Rockwell’s racist cop (a performance that won him a Golden Globe) but it seems BAFTA voters were impressed with his delivery.

It’s not Hammer time

However, Harrelson’s inclusion means he’s pushed out some of the more obvious nominees, Armie Hammer in particular. Call Me By Your Name has been heavily recognised at this year’s BAFTAs, and at several awards ceremonies including the Globes, but for Hammer to not get a best supporting actor nod is a shock as it probably was for Richard Jenkins who was also nominated in this category at the Globes and the SAGs.

All-male directors… again

Female directors were once again at the receiving end of awards snubs as the Best Director category was entirely made up by men despite a stellar year for female filmmaking. Ladybird’s Greta Gerwig, Mudbound’s Dee Rees and even Wonder Woman’s Patty Jenkins have delivered stunning films but none were recognised by the BAFTAs. Wonder Woman didn’t even pick up any technical nods. Kathryn Bigelow remains the only female filmmaker ever to win a Best Director BAFTA for Hurt Locker.

Get overlooked

Women weren’t the only minority filmmakers to be snubbed in this category; Jordan Peele did not receive a Best Director nod for Get Out either but did pick up a nomination in the Best Original Screenplay category and a Best Actor nod for lead star Daniel Kaluuya.

Another surprising snub was God’s Own Country in the Best Outstanding Debut category after it won the equivalent at the British Independent Film Awards, however it did pick up a Best British film nomination alongside Lady Macbeth, another film that earned several nominations at the BIFA but has received far less at the BAFTAs.

And finally The Post shockingly didn’t feature at all. One would think with the Steven Spielberg-directed film starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks would get some form of recognition but it may have lost consideration because it didn’t provide screeners to BAFTA members.

(Editor’s note: An anonymous BAFTA voter informs us they did receive screeners for The Post, but it appears to have been shut out of the final votes.)

If this is the case, the journalism film could pop up at the 2019 BAFTAs instead.

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