Caitríona Balfe, Jessie Buckley, Ruth Negga among BAFTA nominees while Belfast lands 6

Irish actors are firmly on the map at this year's BAFTA Film Awards, with nominees announced today for the March 13th event at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The film nominations were announced by AJ Odudu and Tom Allen from Bafta’s London headquarters. In the running for the country's premier gongs are Ruth Negga for her role in Passing, Caitriona Balfe and Ciaran Hinds for their supporting roles in Belfast and Jessie Buckley for her part in The Lost Daughter.

Belfast, Northern director Kenneth Branagh's home-grown tale of childhood amid civil turbulence, is nominated for Best Film and Outstanding British Film, pitted against some of the biggest films of the year, Denis Villeneuve's Dune remake, enviro-comedy Don't Look Up, and '70-themed Los Angeles comedy Licorice Pizza.

Belfast scooped the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay on January 9th. Branagh is also in the running for Best Screenplay for the film, but lead actor Jamie Dornan was snubbed in the Best Supporting Actor category for his performance as the father of young protagonist Buddy in the film. Co. Down actor Dornan, best known for starring in the Fifty Shades of Gray film series, has previously only been nominated at the Bafta TV awards for his role as serial killer Paul Spector in The Fall.

Another Hollywood name missing from the Bafta list is Kirsten Dunst, who had been tipped for a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her turn as widow and inn owner Rose Gordon in The Power Of The Dog.

Passing, a period tale of race and identity featuring Irish actor Ruth Negga, has also garnered an Outstanding British Film nomination, in the running with the latest Bond film, No Time to Die, and Lady Gaga-starring crime-drama House of Gucci.

Negga has landed a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her stunning performance, while writer Rebecca Hall has earned an Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer nomination.

Kerry actress Jessie Buckley also snagged a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her performance in Netflix psycho-drama The Lost Daughter alongside Olivia Coleman, Dakota Johnson and Kildare's Paul Mescal. Olivia Colman has missed out on a Bafta nomination for her performance in Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut in a major snub. The film was adapted from the book by Italian writer Elena Ferrante.

Colman previously won both the Bafta and Oscar for best actress in 2019 for her performance as Queen Anne in Yorgos Lanthimos’ period black comedy The Favourite.

The 48-year-old does not feature among the nominees for best leading actress, with Lady Gaga, Alana Haim and Tessa Thompson among those receiving nods.
Bafta chair Krishnendu Majumdar said: “This year’s nominations showcase a remarkable range of creative work in front of and behind the camera.

Kristen Stewart is also notably absent from the leading actress nominations for her performance as Diana, Princess of Wales, in Spencer.

Bafta chair Krishnendu Majumdar said: “This year’s nominations showcase a remarkable range of creative work in front of and behind the camera.

“We know that by celebrating outstanding achievement today, we are inspiring future generations for years to come. Two years ago, we launched a wide-ranging review into our voting, membership and campaigning processes and I want to thank the Bafta members and the wider industry for embracing these changes.

“Our goal is to level the playing field for awards entries so that more films and the true diverse range of exceptional creative talent in the UK and internationally is represented and celebrated.”

The prize-giving event, hosted by Rebel Wilson, will take place on March 13 at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Take a look at the main runners below:

Best Film:

Belfast
Don’t Look Up
Dune
Licorice Pizza
The Power Of The Dog

Outstanding British Film

After Love
Ali & Ava
Belfast
Boiling Point
Cyrano
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
House Of Gucci
Last Night In Soho
No Time To Die
Passing

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer

After Love – Aleem Khan (writer/director)
Boiling Point – James Cummings (writer), Hester Ruoff (producer) (also written by Philip Barantini and produced by Bart Ruspoli)
The Harder They Fall – Jeymes Samuel (writer/director) (also written by Boaz Yakin)
Keyboard Fantasies – Posy Dixon (writer/director), Liv Proctor (producer)
Passing – Rebecca Hall (writer/director)

Film Not In The English Language

Drive My Car
The Hand Of God
Parallel Mothers
Petite Maman
The Worst Person In The World

Documentary

Becoming Cousteau
Cow
Flee
The Rescue
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Animated Film

Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Director

After Love – Aleem Khan
Drive My Car – Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Happening – Audrey Diwan
Licorice Pizza – Paul Thomas Anderson
The Power Of The Dog – Jane Campion
Titane – Julia Ducournau

Original Screenplay

Being the Ricardos – Aaron Sorkin
Belfast – Kenneth Branagh
Don’t Look Up – Adam McKay
King Richard – Zach Baylin
Licorice Pizza – Paul Thomas Anderson

Adapted Screenplay

Coda – Sian Heder
Drive My Car – Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Dune – Denis Villeneuve
The Lost Daughter – Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Power Of The Dog – Jane Campion

Leading Actress

Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – Coda
Renate Reinsve – The Worst Person in the World
Joanna Scanlan – After Love
Tessa Thompson – Passing

Leading Actor

Adeel Akhtar – Ali & Ava
Mahershala Ali – Swan Song
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Leonardo DiCaprio – Don’t Look Up
Stephen Graham – Boiling Point
Will Smith – King Richard

Supporting Actress

Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Jessie Buckley – The Lost Daughter
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Ruth Negga – Passing

Supporting Actor

Mike Faist – West Side Story
Ciaran Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – Coda
Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon
Jesse Plemons – The Power of the Dog
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

Original Score

Being the Ricardos – Daniel Pemberton
Don’t Look Up – Nicholas Britell
Dune – Hans Zimmer
The French Dispatch – Alexandre Desplat
The Power Of The Dog – Jonny Greenwood

Rising Star Award

Ariana DeBose
Harris Dickinson
Lashana Lynch
Millicent Simmonds
Kodi Smit-McPhee