Awards Season Heats Up: Who's Leading the BAFTA Race?

The BAFTA Film Awards are heating up, and some big names are already making waves. Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is leading the pack with a whopping 16 nominations. This political satire has been making noise for a while, and it looks like it's not slowing down anytime soon. The film's strong showing in categories like best film, director, and adapted screenplay is no surprise, but it's also dominating the performance categories. Chase Infiniti, Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benicio Del Toro, and Sean Penn are all in the running for awards. But "One Battle After Another" isn't the only film making waves. Chloe Zhao's "Hamnet" and Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" are hot on its heels with 14 nods each. Josh Safdie's "Marty Supreme" isn't far behind with 13, and Yorgos Lanthimos' "Bugonia" and Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" both scored 12. It's clear that this year's awards season is shaping up to be a fierce competition.British films are also getting some love. "I Swear" and "Pillion" landed on six lists, and "The Ballad of Wallis Island" scored five. Robert Aramayo, Peter Mullan, Harry Melling, Alexander Skarsgård, and Carey Mulligan are all moving on to the next round. "Wallis Island" and "I Swear" even made it onto the best film longlist, along with "Nuremberg, " which earned six slots overall. But not everyone is walking away a winner. Some big names are facing snubs. Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" only got two mentions, and "The Secret Agent" didn't get any love for its lead star, Wagner Moura. "Sirāt" also only managed two nods, and "The Smashing Machine, " "Jay Kelly, " and "Hedda" all came away with just one. And for all its buzz, "After the Hunt" and "The Testament of Ann Lee" were completely shut out. Of course, this is just the first round of voting. The full list of nominations will be announced on Jan. 27, and the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will take place on Feb. 22 at London's Royal Festival Hall. With Alan Cumming hosting for the first time, it's sure to be a night to remember.