The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will announce the nominations for its 72nd Awards on Wednesday from its London headquarters near Piccadilly Circus. Early birds in the U.K. and Continental Europe and night owls in North America can watch this year’s announcement via live stream on BAFTA’s official Facebook page beginning Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. GMT (Tuesday at 11:30 p.m. PT). Variety will share the stream on Facebook as well.
Actor Will Poulter, fresh off of Netflix’s buzzy interactive show “Bandersnatch,” will present the nominations alongside “I, Daniel Blake” actress Hayley Squires.
The BAFTAs are considered a key indicator ahead of the Academy Awards. They cover all English-language films, not just those from the U.K., although in reality, there is often a British skew to the proceedings.
This year, “The Favourite” (whose star Olivia Colman just won a Golden Globe) and “Mary Queen of Scots,” both period dramas about British royalty, are among those expected to get some love from BAFTA members, who number about 6,500. New members added in the past year include Hugh Grant, Willem Dafoe, Jodie Whittaker and Letitia Wright.
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Other films likely to loom large include “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Vice,” both of which featured lauded lead performances, from Rami Malek and Christian Bale, respectively. Despite its near-shutout at the Golden Globes, “A Star Is Born” is also a contender.
BAFTA members voted in an initial round between Dec. 14 and Jan. 2. The post-nominations second-round voting opens Jan. 9 and closes Feb. 6.
There will be close scrutiny of the nominations after last year’s outcry over the fact that no woman featured among the best director nominees – again – and just two non-white actors were nominated across the board. In a change this year, films in two key categories must adhere to BFI diversity standards to qualify: Outstanding British Film and Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer.
Nominees for the BAFTA Rising Star award, the only prize determined by public vote, were unveiled last week.
Joanna Lumley returns to host for the second year running, having replaced longtime emcee Stephen Fry last year. Cirque de Soleil will perform, for the third year in a row.
The BAFTA Film Awards will be held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday, Feb. 10. BAFTA will live-stream red-carpet coverage ahead of the awards being handed out, and the event will be exclusively broadcast by the BBC in the U.K.
Watch the nominations live here.