The BAFTA is the British Oscar, just like its American cousin, prioritizing works spoken in English, and, little by little, opening up to other cultures. Because the nominees are similar in many categories, it has a weight in the Academy Award voting, after all, the voting is still open, and seeing the winners on stage reinforces the influence of the “final” decision. With that, let’s just look at the details that can bring “surprises” to the party on March 12th.

The massive victory of All’s Quiet On the Western Front as well as The Banshees of Inisherin could bring news. So far, the favorites have been The Fabelbaums, Top Gun-Maverick or the small production, Everything Everywhere All at Once, but the German production, a remake of a classic that recounts the horrors of war, has many admirers and is gaining momentum in time that matters. Yes, you can repeat the feat at the American party, because it won twice the biggest award of the night: Best Foreign Film and Best Film of the Year.

In the actor categories, there is less chance of changes, but they cannot exactly be ignored. As it is a “local” prize, the wins of Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, from The Banshees of Inisherin were “expected, but that may take Ke Huy Quan and even Angela Bassett out of open favoritism. I would say that it will be difficult to remove from Angela, one of the few black representatives of the Oscar night, but watch it.

Where the BAFTA signaled a certain “zebra” in the air is in the Best Actor category. Cate Blanchett has been winning all the Actress awards, and the SAG Awards should be hers too, and confirm that in 2023 she will take her third Oscar (second as Best Actress), leaving open only the “fight” between Austin Butler and Brendan Fraser. The SAG Awards should also remove any doubt, but in addition to having come out ahead of everyone with an impressive performance as Elvis Presley, Austin is the boy of the moment in Hollywood, and with the recent death of Lisa Marie Presley, sad as it may be, he rescued the memory that could have been forgotten of a perfect performance. The film The Whale did not get the unanimity of an Elvis, so it looks like we might see a different result than what I bet a few weeks ago right here on the blog.

And let’s talk about fashion before closing. What was the BAFTAS red carpet? Black and White Ball? Starting with Kate Middleton, rescuing the model she wore in 2019 and completing the look with black gloves, passing through half the actresses in white and the others in black, with some wearing both colors… only exceptions dared to leave the box, and, still, thus, they kept the lilac or pink pastel. Who stood out? Florence Pugh in orange. Life at the party!

If you want Oscar 2023 spoilers, you can’t miss the SAG Awards. It will take place on Sunday, the 26th. At the directors’ award, the duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert won recognition for Everything Everywhere All At Once, being now the favorites, even more than Steven Spielberg. Less left to find out!