Alternative Film Guide

Though usually more open to non-English-language films than the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Orange British Academy of Film and Television Arts failed to place either Pedro Almodóvar’s Volver or Guillermo del Toro’s El Laberinto del fauno / Pan’s Labyrinth as one (or two) of its best film or best director nominees.

Pan’s Labyrinth did however receive a total of 8 nominations, including best foreign-language film and best original screenplay (del Toro). Almodóvar had to settle for a nomination in the best foreign-language film category, plus a best actress nod for Penélope Cruz.

As to be expected, the top nominees were The Queen, with ten nods, and that great example that at the movies, at least, bigger usually means boring-er, Casino Royale, with nine, including best British film. (Admittedly, Casino Royale did receive lots of critical praise.)

Some potential Oscar contenders — e.g., Letters from Iwo Jima — can’t be found in the Bafta list because they will not be released in the United Kingdom before Feb. 11, the date of the Bafta ceremony and the deadline for qualification for the 2006 awards.

Among the Bafta surprises, both major and minor, were the inclusion of The Last King of Scotland as one of the top films of 2006 and a best supporting actor nod for James McAvoy (above photo, right), who has been totally ignored by critics and other awards groups in the U.S. (and who actually has a leading role in the film); a mere two nominations for Dreamgirls (best supporting actress Jennifer Hudson and best music); and the omission of Children of Men and The History Boys from the best adapted screenplay category. (Though both Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour were recognized for their excellent work in the latter film.)

Bafta’s five best actress nominees perfectly match the lists from U.S.-based awards groups.

When discussing the Bafta’s longlists, I mistakenly remarked that small British films such as Andrea Arnold’s Red Road and Paul Andrew Williams’s London to Brighton were completely out of the running. Actually, both directors were nominated for "Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer in their First Feature Film." This award represents Bafta’s token recognition for independent British filmmakers. As far as small British films are concerned, that’s all they’re gonna get.

The British Academy takes its international (read: Oscar — and as a result, American) influence quite seriously. That helps to explain the prevalence of American and Anglo-American productions — El Laberinto del fauno notwithstanding — in the nominations. (In fact, even Laberinto had some U.S. backing, though, of course, it’s mostly a Mexican-Spanish production.)

And that also helps to explain why the British Independent Film Awards are important.

Full list of 2006 Bafta nominations

Full list of 2005 Bafta winners and nominees

Full list of 2004 Bafta winners and nominees

 

American Society of Cinematographers Awards - 2006 Nominations

Costume Designers Guild Awards - 2006 Nominations

Iowa Film Critics Association Awards - 2006

Writers Guild of America (WGA) Awards - 2006 Nominations

Golden Beetle Swedish Film Awards - 2006 Nominations

 

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