‘Oppenheimer’ and ‘Poor Things’ lead Britain’s BAFTA film awards nominations

LONDON (AP):

Atom-bomb epic Oppenheimer leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, with nominations in 13 categories including best film – eight more than its box-office rival, Barbie.

Gothic fantasia Poor Things received 11 nominations on the list announced Thursday, while historical epic Killers of the Flower Moon and Holocaust drama The Zone of Interest had nine each.

Other leading contenders include French courtroom drama Anatomy of a Fall, boarding school comedy The Holdovers and Leonard Bernstein biopic Maestro, with seven nominations each. Grief-flecked love story All of Us Strangers was nominated in six categories and class-war dramedy Saltburn in five.

Barbie, one half of last year’s Barbenheimer box office juggernaut, also got five nominations, but missed out on nods for best picture and best director.

The best film race pits Oppenheimer against Poor Things, Killers of the Flower Moon, Anatomy of a Fall and The Holdovers.

Poor Things is also on the 10-strong list for the separate category of best British film, an eclectic slate that includes Saltburn, imperial epic Napoleon, south London romcom Rye Lane and chocolatier origin story Wonka, among others.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony on February 18 at London’s Royal Festival Hall hosted by Doctor Who star David Tennant. The prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, are Britain’s equivalent of Hollywood’s Academy Awards and will be closely watched for hints of who may win at the Oscars on March 10.