BAFTA Film Awards 2025 reveals longlist: Emilia Pérez and Conclave lead the way
There were also some surprising omissions for Gladiator II and Angelina Jolie's Maria.
We're just over a month away from this year's BAFTA Film Awards, and the longlist has now been unveiled, with Emilia Pérez and Conclave leading the pack.
Genre-defying musical crime comedy-drama Emilia Pérez has 15 selections on the longlist, closely followed by papal mystery thriller Conclave with 14.
The second round of voting has now opened for BAFTA members, with the longlist set to be shortened down to a list of official nominations. These will be unveiled on Wednesday 15th January, before the third round of voting begins a week later on 22nd January.
The EE BAFTA Film Awards 2025 ceremony will then take place on 16th February at London's Royal Festival Hall, where the winners will be announced.
In the coveted Best Film category, there are 10 films on the longlist for this year, with the line-up featuring Anora, The Apprentice, The Brutalist, A Complete Unknown, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Kneecap, The Substance and Wicked.
Meanwhile, those films longlisted for the Outstanding British Film category include Back to Black, Bird, Blitz, Civil War, Conclave, Gladiator II, Hard Truths, Kneecap, Lee, Love Lies Bleeding, The Outrun, Paddington in Peru, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, We Live in Time and Wicked Little Letters.
This year has also seen the introduction of a new category for the first time in five years, called the Children's and Family Film award. The films longlisted in that category include Flow, Kensuke's Kingdom, Piece by Piece, Spellbound, That Christmas, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, The Wild Robot and Young Woman and the Sea.
Although it secured nine longlist nominations overall, Gladiator II has raised eyebrows with its omission from the Best Film, Best Director (Ridley Scott) and Best Lead Actor (Paul Mescal) categories.
Meanwhile, Luca Guadagnino's Challengers is in contention for only two awards – original screenplay and editing – while Angelina Jolie's buzzy biopic Maria has missed out on any recognition in a surprising blow.
You can see the full rundown of longlisted films in all categories – such as Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress – at the BAFTA website.
Speaking about the list, BAFTA Film Committee Chair Anna Higgs said: "Huge congratulations to the 80 feature films that have been longlisted today, it is an incredible achievement to progress from 235 movies under consideration in this year's EE BAFTA Film Awards.
"It's been an exceptional year for filmmaking featuring bold creative voices and inspiring stories from independent films to global blockbusters, highlighting the incredible breadth of talent working in our industry today.
"What I love about the Film Awards season is that it generates real excitement and passion for film and filmmaking. From BAFTA's research, we know that this buzz directly impacts cinema-going, so that film fans feel part of the Awards conversation.
"Our BAFTA voters now have the unenviable task of deciding which of these films will make it onto the nominations list."
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This year's BAFTA Film Awards will once again be hosted by David Tennant, who presided over the 2024 ceremony in which Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Yorgos Lanthimos's Poor Things came out as the big winners.
On Tennant's return, BAFTA CEO Jane Millichip said: "We couldn’t be happier that David Tennant is returning to host the EE BAFTA Film Awards in 2025.
"He is an absolute pleasure to work with, and his performance [in 2024] was simply outstanding – warm, witty, whip-smart, and with a delightful touch of mischief. It is a privilege to share Britain’s biggest celebration of film with TV audiences worldwide, and to recognise the extraordinary creativity of those who power the British and global film industry."
The EE BAFTA Film Awards will take place on 16th February 2025.
Check out more of our Film coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
