The British Academy has made many changes to the voting rules and eligibility criteria for the 2023 BAFTA Film Awards. All of this is described as a continuous evolution after the overhaul after a major review in 2020.
BAFTA also confirmed the dates of the announcement of the first longlist and nominations prior to the February 19th ceremony (moved from the date of April of this year). The long list will be announced on January 6, 2023, followed by nominations on January 19.
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Some of the most noticeable changes for BAFTA voters were introduced due to their early dates. Fewer movies are on longlists in multiple categories to give people more time to watch. The long list of the best movies and all craft categories has been reduced from 15 titles to 10 titles. Outstanding British films are now 15 instead of 20, and the director's category has dropped from 20 to 16 (fiction of 8 women and 8 men). However, the longlists for Outstanding Debut, British Short Film, and British Animated Short Film remain 10, 10, and 6, respectively.
"We're really excited to be back in February and back to normal for the season, but with this third [long list] round, there's a handy side to seeing everyone to vote for. Yes-Members and local chapters have time to work on all films, whether it's a jury or not, "said Emma Baehr, Executive Director of Awards and Content of BAFTA.
Elsewhere, the following rule changes have been made:
Performance: The top three performances in all four performance categories in the round one chapter voting will be automatically nominated, up from two in 2022. The longlisting and nominating jury process remains the same as last year, with the nominating jury selecting the remaining three places on the nominations list (down from four last year) — with the total nominations staying the same at a total of six per category.
Director: The top two directors (regardless of gender) from the round one chapter vote will automatically be nominated. The top five female and top five male directors will be longlisted. The longlisting jury will select the remaining three female and three male directors to create a longlist of 16 (equal gender split). In round two, the nominating jury will select four directors to join the two automatically nominated in Round One, creating a nominations list of six.
Make Up & Hair: Eligible candidates for nomination will remain at head of department-level. Additional candidates may be submitted — up to a strict maximum of four nominees.
Producers: Producers eligible for nomination in the best film and outstanding British film categories are as determined by the PGA. From 2023, the PGA will also determine eligible producers in the animated film, documentary, and film not in the English language categories. In these three categories, if the PGA has not determined the eligible producers, the maximum number of eligible producers will remain at one (along with the director), without appeal.
Given BAFTAs new dates for 2023, the eligibility period during which films must be released theatrically in the U.K. for the first time, will run from Jan. 1, 2022 to Feb. 17, 2023 for all films, except for those eligible for documentary and film not in the English language. These can be released up to and including March 10, 2023. While day and date releases are eligible, VOD-only releases, as per usual, are not.
BAFTA is also once again insisting that all films screen on its BAFTA View streaming platform, introduced in 2021 as part of its ambition to give titles an even chance among voters and phase out DVDs. Last year, this resulted in Spider-Man: No Way Home not being eligible, with Sony failing to make the film available on BAFTA View.
“I know the studios are committed to BAFTA View,” said Baehr. “It’s mandatory, and that’s part of leveling the playing so everything’s available, including the smaller, independent films.”
