SS Rajamouli’s period action blockbuster “RRR” and Shaunak Sen’s acclaimed documentary “All That Breathes” have made for an exciting award season for India, organizers said on Friday.
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said in a press release shared on its official website that this is the initial longlist stage and the films will move on to the nominations stage of voting.
“RRR”, India’s biggest global hit of 2022, has already made it to the Best Music (Original Song) Oscar shortlist and has also been nominated for two Golden Globes – Best Picture, Non-English Language and Telugu Best Original Song Track for “Naatu Naatu”. In addition, it has four Critics’ Choice Award nominations – Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film, Best Song and Best Visual Effects.
BAFTA’s long list mentions “RRR” for the category ‘Film not in the English language’. It shared space with “All Quiet on the Western Front”, “Argentina, 1985”, “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth”, “Close”, “Courses”, “Decision to Leave”, “Eo”, ” does. Holly Spider”, and “The Quiet Girl”.
10 films will compete to secure a place in the final five for the BAFTA Awards. Forty-nine films were submitted for consideration in the category.
“RRR”, a pre-independence fictional story, follows two real-life Indian revolutionaries – Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) and Komaram Bheem (Junior NTR) in the 1920s.
Mr. Sen’s acclaimed “All That Breathes”, an internationally co-produced Hindi title, is also vying for a spot in the top five of the Documentary category.
The documentary would advance to the final round of nominations along with “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed”, “A Bunch of Amateurs”, “Fire of Love”, “The Ghost of Richard Harris”, “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey”. A Song”, “Louis Armstrong’s Black and Blues”, “McEnroe”, “Munez Daydream” and “Navalny”.
The Delhi-based film follows the story of two siblings, Mohd Saud and Nadeem Shahzad, who have dedicated their lives to rescuing and treating injured birds, especially black kites.
“All That Breathes” won the first World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, a film gala that promotes independent cinema and filmmakers, and the Golden Eye for Best Documentary at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival earned the award.
“The publication of the BAFTA Film Awards longlist is a very special moment to recognize the extraordinary craft, performances and wide range of productions that make the magic of films a reality.
“Being on the long list is a great achievement among the phenomenal films released last year. Hopefully sharing the list ahead of the nominations will inspire the public to watch more films and join the conversation as the excitement for the awards builds ” Anna Higgs, chair of the BAFTA Film Committee, said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Mr. Rajamouli received the Best Director trophy at the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards.
The final nominations for the BAFTA Film Awards will be announced on 19 January via a global livestream hosted by actors Hayley Atwell and Tohib Jimoh. The awards ceremony will take place on 19 February at the Royal Festival Hall in Southbank Centre.
Organizers on Friday unveiled the long list in 24 categories, including best film, cinematography, casting, documentary, film not in the English language and documentary feature film.