The British Academy Film Awards, handed out on , delivered a fresh set of surprises in the acting categories, continuing a trend of awards season unpredictability. While Jessie Buckley’s momentum for Hamnet remains strong in Best Actress, the other three acting awards diverged from recent precursors, signaling a potentially wide-open race as the Academy Awards approach.
Sean Penn secured the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance in One Battle After Another, a win that followed Jacob Elordi (Frankenstein) taking the Critics Choice Award and Stellan Skarsgard (Sentimental Value) winning the Golden Globe. The Best Supporting Actress category also saw an upset, with Wunmi Mosaku of Sinners prevailing over previous winners Amy Madigan (Weapons) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another). Perhaps the biggest shock of the night came with Robert Aramayo’s win for Best Actor in the British indie film I Swear, a project not yet released in the United States and therefore ineligible for consideration in the Movies Fantasy League. This win throws the Best Actor Oscar race, previously considered a lock for Timothée Chalamet, into uncertainty.
Beyond the acting categories, One Battle After Another largely dominated the evening, securing wins for Best Film, Best Director (Paul Thomas Anderson), and Best Adapted Screenplay. The film amassed 180 points in the Movies Fantasy League, further solidifying its lead. Sinners also had a successful night, with Ryan Coogler winning Best Original Screenplay and Ludwig Göransson taking home the award for Best Original Score, adding 90 points to its MFL total. Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein also garnered recognition, winning awards for production design, costumes, and hair/makeup, contributing 60 points to its MFL score.
Other notable wins included Hamnet receiving the Best British Film prize alongside Buckley’s acting win, Sentimental Value being named Best Film Not in the English Language, and Zootopia 2 winning Best Animated Film. The sound design for F1 and the visual effects in Avatar: Fire and Ash were also recognized.
As the awards season progresses, incremental gains in box-office points are becoming less significant. Films like Zootopia 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash have already maximized their bonus point potential. Marty Supreme and Hamnet are nearing additional bonus thresholds, but a substantial boost would be needed to reach them. Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie recently surpassed $1 million in box office revenue, earning an additional point, and Harry Lighton’s Pillion also crossed the $1 million mark, gaining a point as well.
Current MFL Points Totals:
- One Battle After Another: 180
- Sinners: 90
- Frankenstein: 60
- Hamnet: 55
- Avatar: Fire and Ash: 20
- F1: 20
- Sentimental Value: 20
- Zootopia 2: 20
With less than three weeks remaining until the Academy Awards, the upcoming Producers Guild Awards on and the Actor Awards (formerly the SAG Awards) on will be crucial indicators. The Producers Guild Awards often favor box-office successes, potentially benefiting Sinners. A win for Sinners in the Best Cast category at the Actor Awards could further strengthen its Oscar prospects.
Key Dates Remaining:
- Producers Guild Awards:
- Actor Awards:
- Writers Guild Awards:
- 98th Academy Awards: