\n
This weekend marks the 73rd annual BAFTA Film Awards, which will be handed out at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of a glittering ceremony. The BAFTAs bring together the brightest stars of Hollywood with some of the UK\u2019s most exciting homegrown talent.<\/p>\n
Read more: <\/strong>BAFTA to honour Andy Serkis for \u2018Outstanding Contribution\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\nIn recent years, the BAFTAs have become a key precursor ceremony to the Oscars and so observers will be watching carefully to see which movies gain momentum and which ones fall away. The deadline for Academy members to submit their Oscar ballots is 4 February \u2014 just 48 hours after the BAFTAs \u2014 meaning that these will be the awards sitting freshest in many members\u2019 minds when they cast their final votes.<\/p>\n
So, with that in mind, here are some predictions for the BAFTAs, including the big winners and some of the things that are likely to happen on the night.<\/p>\n
1917<\/em> will win big<\/h2>\n\nGeorge MacKay stars in Oscar-tipped First World War movie ‘1917’. (Credit: eOne)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nDespite the presence of both Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese in this year\u2019s race for Best Film, it feels as if the clear frontrunner for the Oscar is now 1917<\/em>, from its terrific night at the Golden Globes to its slew of guild awards. With this much momentum building behind a genuinely British movie, there seems to be no chance of BAFTA passing up the opportunity to give it the big prize. The same is true of Best Director, where Sam Mendes\u2019 victory on Oscar night now seems almost certain.<\/p>\nRead more: <\/strong>Most ambitious long takes in movie history<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat\u2019s less certain is precisely how many awards 1917<\/em> will win. It\u2019s nominated in nine categories and, if it wins in every single one, it will draw level with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid<\/em> as the most successful film in BAFTA history. It would be foolish to bet against it.<\/p>\nActing frontrunners will gain more ground<\/h2>\n\nJoaquin Phoenix after winning the award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama during the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nThe four acting Oscars are more or less sewn up at this point, with the same performers seemingly stepping up to collect their gongs at all of the precursor ceremonies. BAFTA success will be a final chance for these frontrunners to extend their leads in the race, and there don\u2019t seem to be too many banana skins along their path.<\/p>\n
Read more: <\/strong>Can <\/strong>Joker<\/strong><\/em> win at the Oscars?<\/strong><\/p>\nJoaquin Phoenix has been picking up awards left, right and centre for Joker<\/em>, while Ren\u00e9e Zellweger has seemingly been the favourite for Best Actress since the first critics saw Judy<\/em> in August. Meanwhile, the supporting prizes look likely to go to Brad Pitt for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood<\/em> and Laura Dern for Marriage Story<\/em> \u2014 both movies which are set for major snubs in other categories.<\/p>\nHowever, there\u2019s just one thing standing in their way…<\/p>\n
There will be a surprise British\/Irish win<\/h2>\n\nTaron Egerton wins Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) at the 77th Golden Globes Awards on January 05, 2020. (Photo by David Crotty\/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nThe BAFTAs likes to be close to the Oscars, of course, but they also like to celebrate British talent when the opportunity arises. Recent BAFTA ceremonies are littered with moments in which the awards have thrown in a curveball with an unexpected honour for a Brit. Rachel Weisz won for The Favourite<\/em> last year, Steve Jobs<\/em> star Kate Winslet pipped The Danish Girl<\/em> Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in 2016 and Dev Patel surprised just about everybody when he picked up Best Supporting Actor for Lion<\/em> in 2017.<\/p>\nStory continues<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n\n
Read more: <\/strong>Egerton says <\/strong>Rocketman<\/strong><\/em> first day was terrible<\/strong><\/p>\nThis year, there\u2019s an opportunity for a similar surprise in just about every acting category. Taron Egerton could add a BAFTA to the Golden Globe he won for playing Elton John in Rocketman<\/em> and fellow Welshman Jonathan Pryce is also competing in that category. Florence Pugh could emerge victorious for Little Women<\/em> and either member of the Irish duo of Little Women<\/em>\u2019s Saoirse Ronan and Jessie Buckley \u2014 recognised for the terrific Wild Rose<\/em> \u2014 stands a real chance at topping Zellweger for Best Actress.<\/p>\nThere\u2019s no way that all of these surprises come off, but one of them at least almost certainly will. Egerton seems the likely pick but, as he\u2019s not even nominated for the equivalent Oscar, this will be where his awards season ends.<\/p>\n
Norton will skewer Lumley \u2014 and probably Laurence Fox too<\/h2>\n\nGraham Norton at the Daily Front Row’s 2019 Fashion Media Awards at the Rainbow Room in New York City. (Photo: John Nacion\/STAR MAX)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nJoanna Lumley\u2019s disastrous monologue from last year\u2019s ceremony is now the stuff of BAFTA legend, so there\u2019s no way that incoming host Graham Norton won\u2019t have a word or two to say about it. Norton will likely drop in a sweetly scathing jibe at Lumley when he takes to the stage, otherwise last year\u2019s debacle will feel like an elephant in the room.<\/p>\n
Norton also has an irresistible target in the shape of the newest British media shock merchant Laurence Fox. From his Question Time<\/em> appearance to his comments about Sikh soldiers appearing in 1917<\/em>, he is staking a claim to replacing Katie Hopkins and Piers Morgan as the offence-courter in chief. He\u2019s an easy target, and Norton won\u2019t ignore him.<\/p>\nA really interesting winner won\u2019t make the televised broadcast<\/h2>\n\nThe ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ team won for Best Animated Film at the 2019 BAFTAs. (Photo by David M. Benett\/Dave Benett\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>More<\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/figure>\nThe BAFTA ceremony is one of the few major awards events in the film world not to be broadcast live on television. Instead, the ceremony is edited down into a two-hour package and aired on the BBC later in the evening. This inevitably means that some of the less star-packed categories end up on the cutting room floor, with snippets of their acceptance speeches shown in a montage during the BBC broadcast.<\/p>\n
Last year, social media was upset that the team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse<\/em> had their shock victory over Incredibles 2<\/em> cut from the show and relegated to the snippet package. This year, there\u2019s every chance that category will deliver another pleasant surprise, but there\u2019s no way of knowing whether it will make the broadcast.<\/p>\nRead more: <\/strong>Spider-Verse<\/strong><\/em> sequel confirmed<\/strong><\/p>\nIt also seems likely that movie legend Roger Deakins will win his fifth BAFTA for Best Cinematography as a result of his ambitious lensing of 1917<\/em>, but that is also a contender for the chop as his victory for Blade Runner 2049<\/em> in 2018 didn\u2019t make the main show. It would be a shame to rob such a beloved figure of a big TV moment.<\/p>\n
![\"George](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Joaquin](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601338_668_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Joaquin](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601338_668_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Taron](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601339_115_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Taron](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601339_115_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Graham](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601339_677_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Graham](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601339_677_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"The](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601340_544_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"The](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601340_544_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Letitia](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601341_385_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Letitia](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601341_385_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Robert](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601341_598_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Robert](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601341_598_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")
![\"Prince](\"background-image:url(http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601342_416_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg);\")
![\"Prince](\"http:\/\/ww-vb.mine.nu\/w108\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/1580601342_416_2020-BAFTAs-Predictions-for-the-winners-losers-and-most-memorable.jpeg\")