Netflix's The Wonder nominated for the 76th BAFTA Awards

The Wonder, a Netflix psychological thriller filmed in Ireland, has been nominated for the Outstanding British Film category in the 76th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA).

Adapted from Emma Donoghue's bestseller, Room, it was co-written by Sebastian Lelio and Donoghue along with Alice Birch. It was produced by Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell for UK-based House Productions, and Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Ireland-based Element Pictures. Lelio also directed the film.

The Wonder is the first UK & Ireland production commissioned by Netflix’s Director of UK Film, Fiona Lamptey.

The premise takes inspiration from fasting girls, a phenomenon after the Great Famine where young girls would supposedly abstain from eating and were regarded as miracles. Sometimes, they supposedly were rewarded with mystical powers. The movie itself is set in 1862, 13 years after the Great Famine.

The Wonder. (L to R) K’la Lord Cassidy as Anna OÕDonnell, Tom Burke as Will Byrne, Florence Pugh as Lib Wright in The Wonder. Cr. Aidan Monaghan/Netflix © 2022

Anna O'Donnell, played by Kíla Lord Cassidy, is one such girl, who comes under the scrutiny of English nurse, Elizabeth "Lib" Wright, played by Florence Pugh. Lib is called to the Irish Midlands to assess Anna's condition.

Anna has, reportedly, not eaten in over four months and surviving on "manna from heaven." It's a race against the clock as Anna's health begins to fail, with Lib trying to figure out the reason behind the fast at great conflict with the local community's preferred interpretation of the situation.

Florence Pugh congratulated the team from The Wonder on her Instagram once the nomination was announced.

"Hurrah and congratulations to everyone who worked so Bloomin hard on this movie. I'm so proud of it and how far we've come. Well done well done."

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The British Academy Film Awards honours British contributions to film. The 2023 BAFTA Awards will be held at Southbank Centre, London, on February 19th, at 7:00pm.

Also nominated for the category of Outstanding British Film were Aftersun, The Banshees of Inisherin, Brian And Charles, Empire of Light, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande, Living, Roald Dahl's Matilda The Musical, See How They Run, and The Swimmers.