British Academy Film Awards

The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTAs or BAFTA Awards, is an annual film award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to honour the best British and international film contributions. The ceremony was first held at the flagship Odeon Cinema in Leicester Square in London, then the Royal Opera House from 2007 to 2016. The event was held at the Royal Albert Hall from 2017 to 2022, before moving to the Royal Festival Hall for 2023. The statue awarded to recipients depicts a theatrical mask. The BAFTA Awards are recognised internationally as the highest honour in British cinema, equivalent to the BAFTA TV Awards for television, Laurence Olivier Awards for theatre, and the BRIT Awards for music. The BAFTA Film Awards are considered equivalent to the Academy Awards.
The first BAFTA Awards ceremony was held in 1949, and the ceremony was first broadcast on the BBC in 1956 with Vivien Leigh as the host. The ceremony was initially held in April or May; since 2001, it typically takes place in February.

History

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts was founded in 1947 as The British Film Academy, by David Lean, Alexander Korda, Carol Reed, Charles Laughton, Roger Manvell, Laurence Olivier, Emeric Pressburger, Michael Powell, Michael Balcon, and other major figures of the British film industry. In 1958, the Academy merged with The Guild of Television Producers and Directors to form The Society of Film and Television, which eventually became The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 1976.
The stated charitable purpose of BAFTA is to "support, develop and promote the art forms of the moving image, by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners, and benefiting the public". In addition to high-profile awards ceremonies, BAFTA runs a year-round programme of educational events, including film screenings and tribute evenings. BAFTA is supported by a membership of about 6,000 people from the film, television, and video game industries.
The Academy's awards are in the form of a theatrical mask designed by American sculptor Mitzi Cunliffe, in response to a commission from the Guild of Television Producers in 1955.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was the host of the ceremony as the first president of BAFTA in 1960,1963, and 1965.
Princess Anne presented the first Fellowship Award to Alfred Hitchcock in 1971, and subsequently attended the ceremony several times as President of BAFTA between 1973 and 2001.

Annual ceremony

The ceremony previously took place in April or May, but since 2001 it has been held in February in order to precede the Academy Awards. Most of the awards are open to all nationalities, though there are awards for Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Producer or Director. Only UK films are eligible for the categories of The British Short Film and British Short Animation awards.
During each annual ceremony, BAFTA pauses in memoriam to pay tribute to those in the industry who have died over the past 12 months, showcasing a montage of images accompanied by music.
William, Prince of Wales attended the ceremony for the first time in 2010 after being named president of BAFTA, and has attended frequently since, including together with Catherine, Princess of Wales. He presented the BAFTA Fellowship award to Mel Brooks in 2017 and Kathleen Kennedy in 2020.

Broadcast

Historically, the Awards ceremony was broadcast on British television on a same-day delay, and later distributed internationally. The first broadcast was on the BBC in 1956, with Vivien Leigh as the host. It has been broadcast in colour since 1970. In the US the show was previously broadcast with a delay on BBC America until 2021, after which it has broadcast on streaming service BritBox. In 2023, the BAFTA Film Awards included a live telecast for its major award categories during the culmination of the ceremony.

Location

The award ceremony is held in London. From 2000 to 2007, the ceremonies took place at the flagship Odeon cinema in Leicester Square. Between 2008 and 2016, the ceremonies took place at the Royal Opera House. The 70th Awards in 2017, and subsequent ceremonies up to the 75th Awards in 2022, were held at the Royal Albert Hall.
For the 76th British Academy Film Awards in 2023, it was announced that the ceremony would be moved to the Royal Festival Hall as part of a new multi-year deal between BAFTA and the Southbank Centre, bringing the Film Awards in-line with the British Academy Television Awards and British Academy Games Awards, which were already held there.

Sponsorship

Until 2012, the mobile telephone network Orange sponsored the awards. Orange's parent company, EE, took over the sponsorship of the event from 2013.

Award categories

Retired awards

BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
BAFTA Award for Best British Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best British Actor
BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actor
BAFTA Award for Best British Actress
BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress
BAFTA Award for Best Original Song
BAFTA Award for Best Factual Film
BAFTA Award for Best Fictional Film
BAFTA Award for Best Short Factual Film
BAFTA Award for Best Specialised Film
BAFTA Award for Best Animation
BAFTA John Grierson Award
BAFTA United Nations Award
Special awards
BAFTA Fellowship
Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award
Britannia Awards
Superlatives

Acting

Superlative	Male Actor	#	Female Actor	#
Most Nominations	Albert Finney	9	Judi Dench Meryl Streep	15
Most Wins	Peter Finch	5	Judi Dench	6

Note: Dench and Finney's tally of wins and nominations includes those received in the Most Promising Newcomer category.

Actors nominated twice in the same category in the same year

Nine actors have received dual nominations in the same category in a single year at the BAFTA Film Awards.

Year	Actor/Actress	Category	Film	Result
1983	Michael Caine	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Educating Rita	Won
1983	Michael Caine	Best Actor in a Leading Role	The Honorary Consul	Nomitated
1992	Miranda Richardson	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Damage	Won
1992	Miranda Richardson	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	The Crying Game	Nomitated
1993	Anthony Hopkins	Best Actor in a Leading Role	The Remains of the Day	Won
1993	Anthony Hopkins	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Shadowlands	Nomitated
1998	Geoffrey Rush	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Shakespeare in Love	Won
1998	Geoffrey Rush	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Elizabeth	Nomitated
2003	Scarlett Johansson	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Lost in Translation	Won
2003	Scarlett Johansson	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Girl with a Pearl Earring	Nomitated
2003	Sean Penn	Best Actor in a Leading Role	21 Grams	Nomitated
2003	Sean Penn	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Mystic River	Nomitated
2004	Kate Winslet	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind	Nomitated
2004	Kate Winslet	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Finding Neverland	Nomitated
2005	George Clooney	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Good Night, and Good Luck	Nomitated
2005	George Clooney	Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Syriana	Nomitated
2008	Kate Winslet	Best Actress in a Leading Role	The Reader	Won
2008	Kate Winslet	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Revolutionary Road	Nomitated
2019	Margot Robbie	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Bombshell	Nomitated
2019	Margot Robbie	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Once Upon a Time in Hollywood	Nomitated

; Notes

Michael Caine was the first actor to receive dual nominations in the same category in a single year.
The only ceremony with multiple actors double nominated in the same category was the 57th, with Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson. Penn became the first actor to win neither nomination, while Johansson became the first to have neither performance nominated for the corresponding Oscar.
Kate Winslet is the only actor to receive dual nominations twice.
Actors nominated in two different categories for the same performance in the same year

Nine actors have received two nominations for the same performance in a single year at the BAFTA Film Awards.

Year	Actor/Actress	Category	Film	Result
1960	Albert Finney	Best British Actor	Saturday Night and Sunday Morning	Nomitated
1960	Albert Finney	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Saturday Night and Sunday Morning	Won
1975	Valerie Perrine	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Lenny	Nomitated
1975	Valerie Perrine	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Lenny	Won
1976	Jodie Foster	Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Bugsy Malone / Taxi Driver	Won
1976	Jodie Foster	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Bugsy Malone / Taxi Driver	Won
1978	Brad Davis	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Midnight Express	Nomitated
1978	Brad Davis	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Midnight Express	Nomitated
1980	Judy Davis	Best Actress in a Leading Role	My Brilliant Career	Won
1980	Judy Davis	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	My Brilliant Career	Won
1982	Ben Kingsley	Best Actor in a Leading Role	Gandhi	Won
1982	Ben Kingsley	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Gandhi	Won
1983	Phyllis Logan	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Another Time, Another Place	Nomitated
1983	Phyllis Logan	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Another Time, Another Place	Won
1983	Julie Walters	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Educating Rita	Won
1983	Julie Walters	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	Educating Rita	Nomitated
1984	Haing S. Ngor	Best Actor in a Leading Role	The Killing Fields	Won
1984	Haing S. Ngor	Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles	The Killing Fields	Won