THE BAFTA Film Awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars, followed the pattern of their Holywood counterparts in the nominations announced in London yesterday. The English Patient again swept the board, while the Irish film, Michael Collins, received two nominations, and Madonna was overlooked again for Evita.
English actor Alan Rickman, was nominated as best supporting actor for his performance as Eamon de Valera in Michael Collins. The Neil Jordan film received a second nomination for Chris Menges in the best cinematography category. The film also received two Oscar nominations this month: best cinematography and original dramatic music.
Having received 12 Oscar nominations two weeks ago, The English Patient, based on the Booker prize-winning novel by Michael Ondaatje, received 13 BAFTA nominations out of 16 categories for which it was eligible.
The Australian film Shine took nine BAFTA nominations, while the musical Evita received eight, but none for its star, Madonna. Two films received six nominations each: Fargo and Secrets and Lies.
The BAFTA Film Awards, presented annually by the British Academy for Film and Television Arts, will be presented at two separate ceremonies in London in April.