February 03, 2022

Will Smith, Adam McKay, Questlove among nominees for British Academy Film Awards

BAFTA will be hosting an in-person event for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020

By Maggie Mancini
PhillyVoice Staff

Will Smith's performance in "King Richard," the biopic about the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams, has earned the Philadelphia native actor his first BAFTA nomination. Questlove's critically-acclaimed "Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)" earned a nomination for Best Documentary, while Adam McKay's doomsday satire "Don't Look Up" earned several nominations, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Film.

The British Academy Film Awards — which are the biggest film awards in Britain — will be held in person in London for the first time since 2020, and will be accessible to American viewers through BBC America, or through live coverage on BAFTA's social media channels. The awards are scheduled for March 13.

19 of the 24 performance-based nominees are newcomers, a change from previous years of the show. The ceremony often brings together the best in film from both England and the United States. BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry said that The British Film Academy is increasingly becoming a meritocracy, rather than just nominating the most popular or well-performing films.

Though "King Richard" is far from Smith's first dramatic role, the film has garnered widespread positive reviews, both of the actor's performance and the casting of the movie. Smith has already won several awards for his portrayal of Richard Williams in the biographical drama, including the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a dramatic film.

Questlove's "Summer of Soul" is a fan-favorite to win big this awards season, where it has consistently picked up awards from the Critics Choice Association, National Board of Review, and African American Film Critics Association. The Roots performer's directorial debut recently made the shortlist for the Academy Awards, which will announce its nominations on Feb. 8.

The film, which tells the story of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival through long-lost footage preserved from the summer-long music festival, has established Questlove as a powerful force in documentary filmmaking. He is currently working on a follow-up film, focusing primarily on Sly & The Family Stone, one of the prominently featured bands at the music festival.

Adam McKay's latest film, "Don't Look Up," has amassed audience acclaim since its Netflix-exclusive release in December. The dark comedy tells the story of a doomsday comet headed straight for Earth, and two scientists who become the center of the media frenzy that surrounds the impending disaster. McKay previously won the Best Adapted Screenplay award at the 2016 BAFTAs for his work on "The Big Short." He was also nominated for 2019's "Vice."

The full list of 2022's BAFTA nominees are listed below. The awards show will air on BBC America on March 13, and American viewers can also follow along on the BAFTA social media channels.

Best Film

• "Belfast"
• "Don't Look Up"
• "Dune"
• "Licorice Pizza"
• "The Power of the Dog"

Director

• Aleem Khan, "After Love"
• Ryusuke Hamaguchi, "Drive My Car"
• Audrey Diwan, "Happening"
• Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza"
• Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
• Julia Ducournau, "Titane"

Original Screenplay

• Aaron Sorkin, "Being the Ricardos"
• Kenneth Branagh, "Belfast"
• Adam McKay, "Don't Look Up"
• Zach Baylin, "King Richard"
• Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza"

Adapted Screenplay

• Sian Heder, "CODA"
• Ryusuke Hamaguchi, "Drive My Car"
• Denis Villeneuve, "Dune"
• Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
• Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"

Leading Actress

• Lady Gaga, "House of Gucci"
• Alana Haim, "Licorice Pizza"
• Emilia Jones, "CODA"
• Renate Reinsve, "The Worst Person in the World"
• Joanna Scanlan, "After Love"
• Tessa Thompson, "Passing"

Leading Actor

• Will Smith, "King Richard"
• Adeel Akhtar, "Ali & Ava"
• Mahershala Ali, "Swan Song"
• Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Power of the Dog"
• Leonardo DiCaprio, "Don't Look Up"
• Stephen Graham, "Boiling Point"

Supporting Actress

• Catriona Balfe, "Belfast"
• Jessie Buckley, "The Lost Daughter"
• Ariana DeBose, "West Side Story"
• Ann Dowd, "Mass"
• Aunjanue Ellis, "King Richard"
• Ruth Negga, "Passing"

Supporting Actor

• Mike Faist, "West Side Story"
• Ciaron Hinds, "Belfast"
• Troy Kotsur, "CODA"
• Woody Norman, "C'mon C'mon"
• Jesse Plemons, "The Power of the Dog"
• Kodi Smitt-McPhee, "The Power of the Dog"

Outstanding British Film

• "After Love"
• "Ali & Ava"
• "Belfast"
• "Boiling Point"
• "Cyrano"
• "Everybody's Talking About Jamie"
• "House of Gucci"
• "Last Night in Soho"
• "No Time to Die"
• "Passing"

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer

• "After Love"
• "Passing"
• "Boiling Point"
• "Keyboard Fantasies"
• "The Harder They Fall"

Film Not in the English Language

• "Drive My Car"
• "The Hand of God"
• "Parallel Mothers"
• "Petite Maman"
• "The Worst Person in the World"

Documentary

• "Summer of Soul (...Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)"
• "Flee"
• "Becoming Costeau"
• "The Rescue"
• "Cow"

Animated Film

• "Luca"
• "Encanto"
• "Flee"
• "The Mitchells and the Machines"

Original Score

• Daniel Pemberton, "Becoming the Ricardos"
• Nicholas Britell, "Don't Look Up"
• Hans Zimmer, "Dune"
• Alexandre Desplat, "The French Dispatch"
• Jonny Greenwood, "The Power of the Dog"

Casting

• Carolyn McLeod, "Boiling Point"
• Francine Maisler, "Dune"
• Massimo Appollo, "The Hand of God"
• Rich Delia, Avy Kaufman, "King Richard"
• Cindy Tolan, "West Side Story"