The BAFTAs are once again being criticised for lack of diversity after the film award nominations were announced this morning, with the most nominations going to Joker, The Irishman, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Among the nominations, there was one thing that stood out in particular — the fact that every single person nominated in the major acting categories is white.
People online were quick to point out the huge snubs for films like Us and Harriet, which were highly critically acclaimed and have been recognised at several other major awards ceremonies.
No nominations for Queen & Slim No nominations for Harriet No nominations for Blue Story No nominations for Us Appalling. #BAFTASSoWhite
While others called for recognition of Jennifer Lopez's performance in Hustlers or for the cast of South Korean film Parasite which, despite receiving four nominations, was not represented in any of the acting categories.
justice should be served for these outstanding performances that were snubbed. #BAFTAsSoWhite
This ain't about some forced diversity, but when you see the work that was done by people like Lupita Nyong'o, Alfre Woodard, Cynthia Enrivo, Awkwafina, the cast of Parasite, and these are the nominations you end up with, something is clearly wrong. #EEBAFTAS #BaftasSoWhite
Other suggestions included Zhao Shuzhen and Awkwafina for their roles in The Farewell, Eddie Murphy for his work in Dolomite Is My Name, and Antonio Banderas for Pain and Glory.
Not a SINGLE person of colour was nominated at the BAFTA's this year. They could have nominated Lupita, Awkafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Jennifer Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, Antonio Banderas, Eddie Murphy, or any one of the Parasite actors, they didn't. #BAFTAS #BaftasSoWhite
The whole thing has led to the hashtag #BAFTAsSoWhite trending on Twitter.
#BAFTASSoWhite they nominated the same white woman twice in the same category so they wouldn’t have to give a slot to a deserving actor of color.
Not a single person of color nominated despite plenty of contenders. No Lopez. No Nyong'o. No Erivo. No Shuzhen. No Awkwafina. No Parasite actors. No Murphy. #BAFTASsowhite
But it's not just lack of racial diversity in the acting categories that's being called out — because, once again, every person nominated for Best Director is male, despite the fact that many of the most highly acclaimed films of the last year were directed by women.
Greta Gerwig wasn't nominated for a BAFTA for Little Women, aka the most perfect film I have ever seen, and the nominees are ALL MALE
I've already heard so many "Well, actually" comments on this hell-site from people insisting that the Globes/BAFTAs/Oscars just didn't have any women to choose from for the Best Director category. Bless. You want to play that game? Okay, I'm in. I've got time.
While films like Little Women and Booksmart were acknowledged in the Adapted and Original Screenplay categories, both Greta Gerwig and Olivia Wilde were snubbed for Best Director (and those films are also the only examples of women nominees in the screenplay categories).
Hey @BAFTA, I fixed it for you... 🎥 Booksmart - Olivia Wilde 🎥 The Farewell - Lulu Wang 🎥 Hustlers - Lorene Scafaria 🎥 Little Women - Greta Gerwig 🎥 The Souvenir - Joanna Hogg #EEBAFTAs https://t.co/OshaRlzqu9
Meanwhile Lulu Wang's The Farewell was only nominated for Film Not in the English Language, and Lorene Scafaria was entirely overlooked for Hustlers.
And while BAFTA deputy chair Krishnendu Majumdar acknowledged the lack of women nominees for directing, he told Press Association that it's "worth pointing out" the recognition of films by women directors in other categories.
It's safe to say, though, that people were of the same mind when it comes to this year's nominations: excuses for a lack of diversity are not enough.
Those BAFTA nominations are beyond a joke. It’s not funny to ignore the creative efforts of women and PoC artists. It’s not a hashtag. It’s another reminder that this industry does not welcome or want us and does not think we are good enough.
BAFTA saying they're "fustrated" at the lack of diversity in their award show nominations.
Jesus christ it’s not that people are surprised about the Bafta nominations, we’re past that, it’s anger now. This is unacceptable. You cannot call yourselves The British Academy of Television and Film Arts - inferring authority - and then pull this shit every year
Below are the nominees for the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards. You can find the full list on the BAFTA website.
BEST FILM
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
LEADING ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy
LEADING ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Margot Robbie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
SUPPORTING ACTOR
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The Farewell
For Sama
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
ANIMATED FILM
Frozen 2
Klaus
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
Toy Story 4
DOCUMENTARY
American Factory
Apollo 11
Diego Maradona
For Sama
The Great Hack
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
1917
Bait
For Sama
Rocketman
Sorry We Missed You
The Two Popes
DIRECTOR
Sam Mendes, 1917
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Booksmart
Knives Out
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
ORIGINAL SCORE
1917
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
CINEMATOGRAPHY
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Le Mans '66
The Lighthouse
EE RISING STAR AWARD
Awkwafina
Jack Lowden
Kaitlyn Dever
Kelvin Harrison Jr
Micheal Ward