Jessie Buckley nominated for Bafta as Hamnet makes history

By Laura Harding, Press Association Deputy Entertainment Editor

Irish actress Jessie Buckley has continued her awards season streak with a Bafta nomination for her role in Hamnet.

The film, helmed by Chloe Zhao, has broken the record for the most nominations for a female-directed film in Bafta history, with 11.

Buckley has proved unbeatable through the awards season so far for her performance as Shakespeare’s wife Agnes Hathaway – historically known as Anne – in the big-screen adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s award-winning novel about the family life of William Shakespeare and the death of their young son.

The Irish actress has also been nominated for an Oscar and secured a string of trophies including the Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice awards.

The film is nominated for 11 Baftas – including best film, outstanding British film and best director for Zhao.

Paul Mescal, who plays Shakespeare, is nominated for best supporting actor, just days after he was snubbed by the Oscars, while co-star Emily Watson is nominated for best supporting actress.

One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson’s film about a washed-up revolutionary searching for his missing teenage daughter, leads the nominations with 14 nods, including best film, best director and best actor for Leonardo DiCaprio.

Chase Infiniti is nominated for best actress in the same film, despite her snub by the Academy, while Teyana Taylor is nominated for best supporting actress and both Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro are nominated for best supporting actor.

Sinners, Ryan Coogler’s historical crime drama turned horror, is the second-most nominated film with 13 nods.

Starring Michael B Jordan as twins, it made history as the first film to have 16 Oscar nominations.

Jordan is nominated in the best actor category for his performance as Smoke and Stack Moore, twins who return to 1930s Mississippi to start a juke joint.

The film is also recognised in the best film category, as well as best director, and best supporting actress for British-Nigerian star Wunmi Mosaku.

Marty Supreme, starring Timothee Chalamet as an ambitious table tennis player, ties with Hamnet with 11 nominations, including best actor, best film and best director for Josh Safdie.

There is also recognition for British films including I Swear, the real story of a man with Tourette’s growing up in 1980s Scotland, which landed five nominations including outstanding British film, best actor for Robert Aramayo and best supporting actor for Peter Mullan.

Jane Millichip, chief executive of Bafta, told the PA news agency the nominations reflect “an incredible breadth of storytelling”, with “bold, unique takes and styles on display”.

“There are some big subjects tackled, whether it’s the ambiguity of activism, black identity, corruption, some really big subjects being tackled in very different ways… then films that are exquisite personal films, like Hamnet and I Swear.”

Emily Stillman, chairwoman of the Bafta film committee, added: “It feels so much of this year’s films are around human connectivity and human stories and particularly at a time like this, it promotes kindness and thought about the human relationship, and that is particularly important with what is going on in the world right now.”

The Bafta film awards will be presented at the Royal Festival Hall on February 22nd.