LONDON
Sci-fi epic blockbuster “Dune” and Jane Campion’s dark Western “The Power Of The Dog” lead the nominations for this year’s British Academy Film Awards, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga among those up for leading actor awards.
‘Dune,’ ‘Power of the Dog’ poised for Oscar nomination hauls
“Dune,” starring Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya, received eleven nominations Thursday including best film, cinematography and original score. “The Power of the Dog,” set in 1920s Montana and starring Cumberbatch as a ranch owner, follows close behind with eight nominations, including best director and best film.
Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical “Belfast,” which tells of a childhood in Northern Ireland during the bloody conflict known as The Troubles, was also nominated for best film and five other categories.
Branagh did not make it onto the best director list, but he said Thursday that the nominations were “an amazing tribute to a remarkable part of the world.” He said: “We are humbly and delightfully gobsmacked!”
The other two contenders for best film are “Don’t Look Up,” the disaster comedy starring DiCaprio, and coming-of-age drama “Licorice Pizza.”
DiCaprio and Cumberbatch are among those nominated in the leading actor category, along with Will Smith, who received his first BAFTA nomination for his role as the father of Serena and Venus Williams in “King Richard.”
