BAFTAs 2018 nominations: 7 snubs and surprises from the film awards

The 2018 BAFTA nominations have been announced, Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water leading the pack with 12.

As always, there were some surprises and snubs as some critical darlings failed to pick up nominations while others outperformed expectations. Below are seven of the biggest talking points from the nominations, ranging from adoration over Paddington 2 to Get Out falling short.

Steven Spielberg directs a political thriller about the importance of journalism, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks — you would think awards would naturally shower The Post. However, despite the stellar cast, timely message, and universally adored director, BAFTA nominated the film for zero awards. Considering The Post also failed to win any Golden Globes despite being nominated for six, the film’s Oscar prospects are looking slimmer every day.

Natalie Portman made headlines at the Golden Globes after making a sly dig at the ceremony’s all-male directing line-up. At the BAFTAs, women were once again missing from the Best Director category, which featured Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049), Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk), Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), and Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Women who were expected to possibly pick up nominations included Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman), and Kathryn Bigelow (Detroit).

Anyone who has seen Paddington 2 can testify to the film’s utter charm, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson and Julie Walters all gin brilliant performances. The highlight, of course, was Hugh Grant as the many costumed villain Phoenix Buchanan, a devious antagonist played to hilarious perfection. While children’s films are often overlooked at major awards, Grant has picked up a Best Supporting Actor nomination, while the film has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Outstanding British Film.

There’s been a huge amount of talk surrounding’s Get Out and’s Lady Bird, both film’s tackling timely subjects and winning critical praise. However, both America-centric films failed to scoop the wide-array of nominations many people predicted, the former landing Best Actor for Brit Daniel Kaluuya and Best Original Screenplay, while Gerwig’s coming-of-age story managed three: Best Actress (Saoirse Ronan), Best Supporting Actress (Laurie Metcalf) and Best Original Screenplay.

Gary Oldman’s performance in Darkest Hour won the actor a Golden Globe, while the Churchill biopic failed to pick up any other nominations. The BAFTAs have instead decided to right those wrongs, the British film taking nine nominations, only behind del Toro’s The Shape of Water, which managed 12, and on par with Three Billboards. Meanwhile, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool — which also failed to pick up steam across the pond — managed three nominations, both Jamie Bell and Annette Bening being named in the Best Actor categories. Lady MacBeth also picked up two, while God’s Own Country and The Death of Stalin were nominated for Outstanding British Film.

Following on from four wins at the Golden Globes, Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards has been nominated for nine BAFTAs, including Outstanding British Film and Best Picture, while Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson are all nominated in the acting categories. Considering the mass adoration and significant wins Three Billboards has already received, many are considering the black comedy this year’s Oscars frontrunner. Sorry, Spielberg.

Critics sung Denis Villeneuve’s praises when the Blade Runner sequel reached cinemas earlier this year. However, multiple awards have ignored the science-fiction picture, including the Golden Globes where Blade Runner 2049 failed to pick up a single nomination. At the BAFTAs, though, Villeneuve’s visual masterpiece managed eight nominations — on par with Nolan’s Dunkirk — including Best Director, Cinematography, and Production Design.