BAFTA Awards 2022: Dune gets 11 nods, Lady Gaga and Leonardo also nominated

Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi epic Dune on Thursday amassed the most nominations for the 2022 BAFTA Awards, closely followed by Jane Campion's Western film The Power of the Dog.

The nominations were unveiled by British TV personalities AJ Odudu and Tom Allen and Dune, based on author Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, earned 11 nominations, including best film, adapted screenplay, original score, and all eight technical categories.

Belfast, a period drama directed by Kenneth Branagh, was the third-most-nominated title overall with six nods, followed by Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, James Bond movie No Time To Die and Steven Spielberg-directed musical West Side Story, with each securing five nods.

Starting with Dune doing exceedingly well, there were surprises aplenty during the nominations as films like Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter, Nicole Kidman-starrer Being The Ricardos, Andrew Garfield's musical Tick Tick … Boom! and Ethan Coen's Macbeth were snubbed in major categories.

In the best film race, Dune is joined by Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, Belfast, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog. Lady Gaga (House Of Gucci) leads the best actress category, where Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person In The World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love) and Tessa Thompson (Passing) are also vying for the trophy.

In the best actor category, Benedict will go up against Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point), Will Smith (King Richard) and Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava).

According to the British Academy, the nominations include 48 films, just slightly down from the 50 titles in 2021. In the performance categories, 19 of 24 nominees are receiving their first BAFTA film nomination, whereas, in the directing category, there's an equal split between female and male directors.

Overall, there's an increase in the number of female directors nominated in total across all categories, up to 12 versus the eight in 2021. Rebel Wilson will be hosting the 2022 ceremony, which will take place at the Royal Albert Hall on 13 March.