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BAFTAs 2013: Who is going to win? – part 1

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BAFTAs 2013: Who is going to win? – part 1

2013 Baftas

With awards season truly underway, it is time to dust off the gowns and practice the speeches (not to mention the he-deserved-it-more look) and make out predictions for the BAFTAs.

Part 1 will cover the following categories:

– Best Documentary
– Best Animated Feature
– Best Film not in the English Language
– Best Adapted Screenplay
– Best Original Screenplay
– Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

Best Documentary

  • The Imposter
  • Marley
  • McCullin
  • Searching for Sugarman
  • West of Memphis

Searching for Sugarman

After the cruel snub of Chasing Ice, the Academy has played it safe with their choices.  It is good to see British films The Imposter and Marley in the running, not to mention hard-hitting documentary West of Memphis.  My hopes are with Searching For Sugarman for being more than an almost-biographical documentary.

 

Best Animated Film

  • Brave
  • Frankenweenie
  • Paranorman

Brave

Hopes of a British nominee in the shape of Aardman’s Pirates! In an adventure with Scientists being cruelly dashed, we rely on Disney, Dreamworks and our token Pixar feature to compile the shortlist.  All three are not bad features; they have stunning animation with fun plots and quality-wise, are equal.  I think Brave might edge it though, just because historical is safer to side with than reanimated dogs and zombies.


Best Film Not in the English Language

  • Amour
  • Headhunters
  • The Hunt
  • Rust and Bone
  • Untouchable

Amour

As much as I would have liked to have seen The Raid amongst the nominees, it is easy to forget that it is not normal BAFTA fodder so it can only seem to win awards in the eyes of the fans.  A drama-heavy category (though I am pleased that crowd-pleaser Untouchable has been nominated) with France prevailing with three nominees, with Denmark and Norway in with a shot of the award.  Considering the high praise of each film over the course of the year, I think Amour will walk away with the prize.

Best Adapted Screenplay

  • Argo – Chris Terrio
  • Beasts of the Southern Wild – Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
  • Life of Pi – David Magee
  • Lincoln – Tony Kushner
  • Silver Linings Playbook – David O Russell

Argo

A strong category this year with contenders with multiple nominees included for the adaptations.  Silver Linings Playbook and Lincoln are safe bets, but Argo wins it for me for being witty, smart and more importantly, faithful to the source material.

 

Best Original Screenplay

  • Amour – Michael Haneke
  • Django Unchained – Quentin Tarantino
  • The Master – Paul Thomas Anderson
  • Moonrise Kingdom – Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
  • Zero Dark Thirty – Mark Boal

The Master (directed by Paul Thomas Anderson)Paralleling the strength of its partner category, Best Original Screenplay looks tricky.  Featuring the only nomination from SOS’s 2nd Best Film of 2012, Moonrise Kingdom, it is competing against the heavyweights of the awards season.  As much as I would like Mr. W. Anderson to win the award, it is likely that it will go to Mr. P. T Anderson for The Master…SOS’s Best Film of 2012.

 

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

  • James Bobin (director) – The Muppets
  • Dexter Fletcher (director/writer) and Danny King (writer) – Wild Bill
  • Tina Gharavi (director/writer) – I Am Nasrine
  • Bart Layton (director) and Dmitri Doganis (producer) – The Imposter
  • David Morris (director) and Jaqui Morris (director/producer) – McCullin

The Imposter

 

This category is a bit…abstract.  Dark comedy Sightseers is notably missing and some film fans may not even recognise half of the nominees, as Wild Bill, I am Nasrine and McCullin had mildly quiet releases compared to the two big players of the category.  My money is on The Imposter, as the intrigue and tension effectively builds due to Layton’s careful direction.