Conclave' Leads the Pack at Britain's BAFTA Film Awards

'Conclave' is nominated in 12 categories, including best picture, best director for Edward Berger and best actor for Ralph Fiennes, playing a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope

- 

A papal thriller 'Conclave' leads the race for the 78th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, with genre-bending musical 'Emilia Perez' facing a test of whether a multi-pronged backlash has made the former prize favourite an awards-season pariah.

Many movie stars, including Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan, are due on the red carpet at London's Royal Festival Hall. The awards, known as BAFTAs, will be watched for clues about who will triumph at Hollywood's Academy Awards next month.

'Conclave' is nominated in 12 categories, including best picture, best director for Edward Berger and best actor for Ralph Fiennes, playing a cardinal corralling conniving clergy as they elect a new pope. Mexico-set melodrama 'Emilia Perez' has 11 nominations, including best picture and best director for Jacques Audiard.

Best actress nominee Karla Sofía Gascón, who stars as the film's titular transgender ex-cartel boss, isn't expected to attend the ceremony. Gascón has withdrawn from promoting the film, which has 13 Oscar nominations, amid controversy over her social media posts disparaging Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the Oscars.