BAFTA’s annual Film Awards have shifted to an earlier date in 2020 to stay in their usual slot ahead of the Academy Awards. The BAFTA ceremony will be held Sunday, Feb. 2, 2020, one week before the Oscars, which themselves were moved up a few months ago from Feb. 23, 2020.
The new BAFTA date likely avoids the ceremony taking place during the Berlin Film Festival, which has happened in recent years and can cause scheduling headaches for executives and talent. But now it’s possible that the Oscar ceremony could clash with the Berlinale, which has yet to set its 2020 dates.
Next year’s BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out as planned on Feb. 10, with the Rising Star and full nominations unveiled in early January. The 2019 Oscars will take place Feb. 24.
BAFTA had previously indicated its intention to keep its Film Awards, which are second only to the Oscars in prestige, ahead of the Academy Awards in the calendar, as has been the case since 2001. However, in 2020, the gap between the two ceremonies will be reduced from its usual two weeks to just one week.
As the timelines shift, there will be an impact on the voting deadlines and nominations announcement. In a short statement, BAFTA said that “the full timeline for the Film Awards 2019/20 will be announced in due course.”