BAFTAs Nominate Only White Actors, Only Male Directors

Film fans have been voicing their concerns on social media after it was revealed that all 20 of this year’s acting Bafta nominations have gone to white stars, and no women were nominated for Best Director.

On Tuesday morning, it was revealed that stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Scarlett Johansson and Renée Zellweger had all been recognized for their acting work in the last year, with Margot Robbie even bagging two nominations in the same category.

However, many quickly pointed out that actors of color have been completely snubbed at this year’s ceremony, despite many receiving critical acclaim for their performances, including Lupita Nyong’o for her dual role in the horror film Us and The Farewell star Awkwafina .

Many also pointed out the absence of Eddie Murphy, Cynthia Erivo and Jennifer Lopez, all of whom had been nominated for Golden Globes for their roles in Dolemite Is My Name, Harriet and Hustlers, respectively.

Seen as the British equivalent of the Oscars, the Baftas, which will be held on Feb. 2, are the last major awards show before the Oscars on Feb. 9, and are a somewhat reliable predictor of the Oscars.

Many have also lamented the fact that, much like the recent Golden Globes , no women have been nominated in the Best Director category, despite critically-acclaimed efforts from filmmakers Lulu Wang, Greta Gerwig and Lorene Scafaria, among many others.

Earlier in the week, Bafta announced the contenders for the Rising Star award which included a much more diverse list of people, including Micheal Ward – of Top Boy and Blue Story fame – and the aforementioned Awkwafina.

Also competing for the Rising Star title are Jack Lowden, Awkwafina and Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Past winners of the title include Black Panther star Letitia Wright, Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya and Spider-Man’s Tom Holland.

This year’s Baftas will take place on Sunday 2 February and will air on BBC One.