“Conclave,” about a group of gossipy and scheming cardinals who gather in Rome to elect a new pope, leads this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards nominations with 12 nominations.

It will be followed by Netflix’s Spanish-language musical “Emilia Pérez,” which tells the story of a Mexican drug cartel leader who leaves the world of crime to start a new life as a transgender woman.

The BAFTA acting category leaders include leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Demi Moore, and leading men Adrien Brody and Timothée Chalamet.

However, Denzel Washington and Daniel Craig were not shortlisted for “Gladiator 2” and “Queer” respectively.

Hugh Grant was nominated for Best Actor for the horror film “Heresy” and Saoirse Ronan was nominated for Best Actress for “Get Out”, which were some of the surprises.

Jamie Lee Curtis received a supporting actress nomination for “The Last Showgirl,” but the film’s lead actress, Pamela Anderson, who played an aging Las Vegas actor, missed out.

Major films nominated by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)

12 nominations – Conclave

11 – Emilia Perez

9 – Fauvism

7 – Anora, “Dune: Part 2” and “Wicked”

6 – Total unknown and kneecap

5 – Nosferatu and Matter

Another film poised for success during the current awards season is Anora, which received seven BAFTA nominations, including Best Picture.

It tells the story of a whirlwind romance between a New York sex worker and the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

Maggie Madison was nominated for the Lead Actress award and competed for the Rising Star Award, which was voted for by the public.

Her co-star Yura Borisov was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and director Sean Baker received his first BAFTA nomination for Best Director.

Half of the Best Director nominees are first-time nominees, including The Beast’s Brady Corbet, who won the same award at the Golden Globes.

The film, about a Hungarian architect who is hired by a wealthy American after World War II, is also expected to be a strong Oscar contender with nine nominations in total.

“Material” director Coralie Fudget is another first-time director nominee and the only woman nominated in the category.

Demi Moore was nominated for Best Actress for the film just weeks after winning a Golden Globe, putting her in a strong position to win an Oscar.

British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste was nominated in the same category for her performance as an irritable woman battling depression in “The Hard Truth,” which provided her with an Oscar nomination.

The BAFTA shortlist is often a strong indicator of the Oscars, and the performances of the top six winners at last year’s two ceremonies were perfectly matched.

Another Oscar-winning film was “Unknown,” which tells the story of Bob Dylan’s rise to fame in the 1960s.

It received six BAFTA nominations, including Best Picture, with acting nods for Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton.

“Kneepcap,” which tells the story of an Irish hip-hop trio, also received six nominations, including Outstanding British Film and Non-English Film.

Blockbusters fared relatively well in the nominations, with “Dune 2” and “Wicked” each receiving seven nods.

“Gladiator II” received three nominations, but none in the acting category, with Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Washington all missing out. Director Sir Ridley Scott was also overlooked.

Erivo and “Wicked” co-star Ariana Grande were nominated for their first BAFTA awards, but “Wicked” missed out on a Best Picture nod.

Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña and Karla Sofía Gascón with Emilia Pérez The work was nominated for the British Academy Film Awards for the first time.

For the first time, children’s and family films have their own dedicated categories in the awards.

“Wallace and Gromit” and “Robo” are nominated alongside adaptations of Michael Morpurgo’s “Kensuke’s Kingdom,” about animals who must work together after a flood, and “Flow.” The story of survival.

The dialogue-less film was a surprise winner in the animated feature category at the Golden Globes.

The BAFTA Film Awards, hosted by David Tennant, will take place on 16 February at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

Learn more about this year’s nominated films: