London, England – As the BAFTA and Oscars season heats up, major wins at the British Academy Film Awards are setting the stage for what we can expect at the Academy Awards. The front-runner film “Oppenheimer” continues to dominate, adding seven BAFTA wins to its previous triumphs at other major award shows. It seems that this year’s streak of the two events failing to match Best Picture winners will finally be broken.
On the other hand, streaming giants like Netflix and Apple Original Films suffered major losses at the BAFTAs, despite multiple nominations. Even Amazon, with its acquired MGM studios label, came up empty-handed. However, a surprise win for Orion/Amazon MGM Studios/Curson’s “American Fiction” for Adapted Screenplay shook things up at the BAFTAs, particularly since the film only had a single nomination. This unexpected victory could indicate a shift in the industry’s recognition of films centered around the Black experience.
The surprise win for “American Fiction” suggests that it may have a strong foothold in the Adapted Screenplay category at the Oscars. With the momentum gained at the BAFTAs, the film is now in a better position to compete at the Academy Awards, especially since it is also nominated for Best Picture and has two acting nominations.
Cillian Murphy’s Best Actor win for “Oppenheimer” was crucial given the competition’s momentum in other award shows. Similarly, Paul Giamatti, his competitor, will have another shot at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.
Overall, the influence of the BAFTAs on Oscar voting seems to be gaining strength, positioning “Oppenheimer” as the film to beat in this year’s awards season.