On Wednesday Jan. 9, the British Academy of Television and FIlm Arts (BAFTA), one of most important organizations in film awards season, will announce its nominees. The BAFTA awards nominations have been tremendous prognosticators for the Oscar nominations for years in part because many Oscar voters are also a part of BAFTA.
Unlike the Academy of Motion Picture and Sciences (AMPS), the BAFTA only picks five Best Pictures. They usually fall in line with the top contenders for the Oscars, but British films often have a tremendous advantage. Here are predictions for the five Best Pictures at the BAFTA.
"Argo" has been picking up the most awards steam and could be thought of as the Best Picture front-runner at the Oscars. As a result, the film should easily garner a spot among the top five.
"Les Misérables" will also garner a nomination since it is the biggest British film of the year and has the most awards buzz. The film is also likely to land a spot in the Best British Film Category.
"Zero Dark Thirty" will also pick up a Best Picture nomination since is the most awarded film of the season. Furthermore Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal were major winners at the BAFTAs back in 2010 for "The Hurt Locker."
The final two spots are in play though "Lincoln" likely picks up one of the spots. The film was shunned by the London Film Critics, an organization that does a solid job of predicting how the BAFTAs will vote. "Lincoln" has also failed to win any Best Picture precursors and its predominantly American subject matter could be found irrelevant to British voters. Nonetheless, Steven Spielberg is too much of a draw to be completely ignored and gets the nomination.
My final pick is "Skyfall." The film is British through and through and is the most critically acclaimed iteration in the James Bond franchise. Back in 2007, "Casino Royale" picked up a number of nominations from the BAFTAs. Best Picture was not among them, but "Skyfall" has received tons more awards buzz than "Casino Royale" ever did and that makes its prospects better.
Other films that could potentially compete in the category include "The Master," "Silver Linings Playbook," and "Amour." Back in 2008, the BAFTAS nominated Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" for Best Picture and could give the auteur another nomination. "Silver Linings Playbook" has lesser chances but the fact that "The Help" got a surprise nod last year for the top prize bodes well for David O. Russell's film. The BAFTAs usually pick American and British films for their top category, but on occasion will insert a "foreign" film in the mix. "Amour" has generated tremendous awards buzz and could find a spot in the top five. Back in 2008, German film "The Lives of Others" was picked among the final five contestants.
The rest of the categories are almost impossible to pick as British actors get huge advantages in these races. Dame Judi Dench could score nominations for her work in "Skyfall" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel." Daniel Craig's turn as Bond in "Skyfall" could also get a nod. Other actors that are likely to have better shots at a nomination include Tom Wilkinson and Maggie Smith for "Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" and Keria Knightley for "Anna Karenina. "
The organization did announce its top five rising stars on Monday. The nominees include Elizabeth Olsen, Andrea Riseborough, Suraj Sharma, Juno Temple and Alicia Vikander.