Shannon Murphy’s Babyteeth, Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man and Daniel Gordon’s Adam Goodes documentary The Australian Dream may all end up in contention at this year’s BAFTA Awards.
The British Academy announced the longlist for its annual film awards on Friday, ahead of the nominations to be announced on March 9.
Babyteeth has been longlisted in the direction, adapted screenplay and casting categories, which means potential nods for Murphy, writer Rita Kalnejais and casting director Kirsty McGregor respectively.
Starring Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis, Babyteeth was Murphy’s debut feature, with Kalnejais adapting her 2012 Belvoir St stageplay for the screen. Dubbed a “bittersweet comedy”, the film produced by Alex White and EP’d by Jan Chapman premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, going on to win acclaim and a slew of awards, including nine AACTAs.
Australian Kitty Green, who helmed #MeToo drama The Assistant, is up for direction and original screenplay nominations. The film’s star Julia Garner is also longlisted for the leading actress award.
Whannell is up for an adapted screenplay nomination for The Invisible Man, with his thriller based on characters and concepts created by H. G. Wells. The Elisabeth Moss-starrer may also score a nod in the Special Visual Effects category, recognising the work of Australia’s Cutting Edge, and a nomination in sound.
Gordon is in the running for Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director or Producer. The Australian Dream is a UK-Australian co-production between Good Thing Productions and Passion Pictures, written by Stan Grant.
The 15 features in contention for best film nominations are: Another Round; Da 5 Bloods; The Dig; The Father; Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Mank; The Mauritanian; News of the World; Nomadland; One Night in Miami…; Promising Young Woman; Soul; Sound of Metal; The Trail of the Chicago 7; and The White Tiger.
Second round voting to determine the nominations opens on February 19, with voting for the winners to then take place March 25 to April 7. The BAFTA Film Awards ceremony will be held Sunday 11 April. View the full longlist here.