The 2024 Bafta nominations demonstrate the contemporary strength of British cinema
Cinema in the unpredictable post-Covid world has been tumultuous, to say the least, with streaming services circling like vultures over any movie struggling to secure a theatrical release and actors having rightfully fought for fair pay during the SAG-AFTRA strikes. Yet, 2023 seemed to be something of a turning point, with audiences resuming their interest in the cinematic experience largely thanks to the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon that brought colour and energy back to musty multiplexes.
Things have, indeed, not been smooth sailing, but if the nominations for ‘Outstanding British Film’, in particular, at the 2024 Baftas are anything to go by, British cinema can be proud of its defiant creative variety on display. From the likely Oscars frontrunner Poor Things from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos, which takes viewers on a gothic tale of rebirth and self-discovery, to Wonka, a comedy musical that charts the rise of the fictional sweet-toothed businessman, the industry has much to offer the wider world.
It is in this self-same category, too, that the Bafta thrives. After all, the humble, often rigid in its formality, awards show doesn’t have the grandiose to rival the Oscars, so it does something that the latter so often struggles to achieve: it shoves its independent triumphs into the limelight. This is evident elsewhere in the nominations, too, for what other mainstream awards show would have the gusto to leave out Oscar favourite Lily Gladstone from Killers of the Flower Moon in favour of the undoubtedly glorious Vivian Oparah from Raine Allen Miller’s wonderful feature debut Rye Lane.
Such audacious choices are reflected across the board, with Barbie being snubbed for ‘Best Picture’, Martin Scorsese for ‘Best Director’ and Greta Lee for ‘Best Actress’, with each losing out to more obscure choices, like The Holdovers, Andrew Haigh and Sandra Hüller, respectively.
Sure, having the ‘favourites’ for the Academy Awards present at the Baftas gives the British ceremony some credibility, but it doesn’t give it too much identity, especially when the often awkward show is severely in need of some. Instead, it’s in its variety that the Baftas can thrive and should thrive, with the list of ten films nominated for ‘Outstanding British Film’ doing just this, despite the fact that many outside the UK may have never heard of them before.
Movies like Napoleon by Ridley Scott, Lanthimos’ Poor Things and the Timothée Chalamet vehicle Wonka are global feats of filmmaking and will certainly be on the radar of American cinephiles, yet many of the other nominees come from indie obscurity. In many cases massively outperforming their big-budget counterparts in terms of creative output, the likes of How to Have Sex, Rye Lane and Scrapper show off the very best of independent British cinema from a range of diverse voices.
Across the pond, it’s rare to see independent movies share the limelight at major awards shows unless those movies are headed up by an already-established name, so by placing the vigour of British cinema in the shop window, the Baftas are doing the whole industry a favour. From the glittery cinematic greatness of Saltburn and Poor Things to the quiet emotional intensity of The Zone of Interest and The Old Oak, British cinema is thriving.
