A record number of female directors are nominated for next month’s BAFTA Film Awards in what’s a far more diverse lineup of finalists than last year.
Chloe Zhao for “Nomadland,” Sarah Gavron for “Rocks,” Jasmila Zbanic for “Quo Vadis, Aida?” and Shannon Murphy for “Babyteeth” were each named nominees for best director on Tuesday after no women were nominated the previous year.
The four female filmmakers up for best director at the BAFTAs mark the most in one year in the British award show’s history, according to Variety.
“Nomadland,” which centers on a women traveling the western U.S. after losing her job, and “Rocks,” about a Black British teen dealing with the disappearance of her mother, tied for the most nominations overall with seven apiece.
This year’s more-diverse nominations follow the #BaftasSoWhite controversy in 2020, when each of the acting nominees was white.
Bukky Bakra, the lead in “Rocks,” is among the 2021 nominees for leading actress, as are Frances McDormand for “Nomadland,” Radha Blank for “The Forty Year Old Version,” Wunmi Mosaku for “His House,” Alfre Woodard for “Clemency” and Vanessa Kirby for “Pieces of a Woman.”
Chadwick Boseman, the recipient of numerous posthumous honors already for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” is nominated for leading actor, as are Tahar Rahim for “The Mauritanian,” Adarsh Gourav for “The White Tiger,” Riz Ahmed for “Sound of Metal,” Anthony Hopkins for “The Father” and Mads Mikkelsen for “Another Round.”
“Minari,” about a Korean American family attempting to make a new life for itself in rural Arkansas, is also among the most-nominated films this year, receiving six nods.
The contenders for best film are “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman,” “The Father,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7″ and “The Mauritanian.”
“Rocks,” meanwhile, is a finalist in the outstanding British film category.
