BAFTA Snubs: Voters Shut Out Princess Diana Biopic ‘Spencer’ Despite Venice Raves

Perhaps the most glaring omission from Thursday morning’s BAFTA nominations was the Princess Diana biopic Spencer.

While Kristen Stewart had not been nominated at the recent SAG Awards, the actress garnered raves at the Venice Film Festival late last year where many critics swooned over the movie. As of this morning, Stewart was still considered a live Oscar contender.

Despite its royal theme, the film didn’t connect with voters, pitching an entire shutout. Cue howls from affronted Twitterati that even the less than 5-star Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Matrix Resurrections garnered more nominations than Pablo Larraín’s feature.

Stewart wasn’t the only high-profile actress absence. Nicole Kidman is considered by many to be a likely thing for an Oscar nomination after her SAG nod for Being the Ricardos. But the Australian actress got the cold shoulder this morning.

Brit favorite Olivia Colman also missed out for her widely tipped performance in The Lost Daughter. Colman picked up the BAFTA and Oscar prize two years ago for The Favourite.

Other notable heavyweight actor omissions included Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand for The Tragedy of Macbeth, which surprisingly only mustered one nomination among voters (“Fair is foul and foul is fair.”).

Another movie to pitch an entire shutout was Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical tick, tick…Boom! starring Andrew Garfield. Despite a Golden Globe win and a SAG nomination, the Brit star didn’t make the cut this morning.

Indeed, the acting categories have a distinctly fresh feel to them with 19 of the 24 actors first-time nominees.

In the directing category, it was a surprise to awards watchers not to see Kenneth Branagh for the lauded Belfast. BAFTA’s most nominated man ever did manage three nominations in other categories, however, including Best Film. The Brit now has 13 nominations total across his storied career.

Despite leading the field with 11 nominations, Dune director Denis Villeneuve didn’t add to his two previous BAFTA Best Director nominations this morning.

Were the five nominations for Steven Spielberg’s musical reboot West Side Story fewer than expected? Perhaps not. But there was a moment not so long ago when it felt like the movie had the potential to go even bigger. And it still might at the Oscars.

BAFTA Analysis: Film Noms Offer Up Diverse Field, More Women Than Ever & Will Smith’s First Nod, Also Directing Category Surprises