BAFTA Awards 2025 predictions: Emilia Perez or Conclave, Demi Moore or Karla Sofía Gascón; who will win the top prize?

BAFTA Awards 2025 predictions: A breakdown of who is the favourite to win in each major category of the prestigious British film awards.

The BAFTAs are here! The who’s who of Hollywood and world cinema will congregate in London this weekend for one of the most glamorous nights of the season. The charming David Tennant returns to host a second time after a stellar job last year. (

BAFTA Awards 2025 predictions: Conclave and Emilia Perez are the frontrunners with most nominations.

This year’s frontrunner is Edward Berger’s papal drama Conclave, which leads the pack with 12 nominations. But don’t count out the controversy-stricken Emilia Pérez at 11 noms or The Brutalist at 9 noms. Other award-season favourites like Anora, Dune: Part Two, Wicked, A Complete Unknown and Irish entry Kneecap are also in the mix.

But here’s where things get spicy - normally, the BAFTAs are just a warm-up for the Oscars with no real impact on the voting. However, because of the LA wildfires earlier this year, the Oscars have moved their voting deadline to February 18th. This means the BAFTAs can actually influence what happens at the Oscars. Conclave and The Brutalist need major wins tomorrow to keep their hopes alive. Let’s dive in to see who might take home the night's biggest awards.

Supporting Actress

Until a month ago, this would have been the easiest award to predict. Zoe Saldaña was a lock for this category at every awards ceremony until the Emilia Pérez tweet controversy erupted a few weeks ago. This will be the first real test of how much the movie’s campaign has been affected by the numerous controversies surrounding the film. A sneak win for Isabella Rossellini in Conclave could signal a big night for that movie at the BAFTAs.

Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin in the family drama A Real Pain is the only other lock of the season. Culkin’s work as a free-spirited man who feels everything just a little too much is textbook awards fodder, and he should have a smooth run all the way to the Oscars. In a different year, Guy Pearce would have been a strong contender for his patron-of-the-arts capitalist malevolent force in The Brutalist.

Leading Actress

This is where things get interesting. With the titular Emilia Pérez suicide bombing her own campaign, the field is now wide open. Demi Moore has the best narrative going in - an older star who had her heyday in the 90s, her role in The Substance bears an uncomfortable parallel to her own life. Voters love to award that kind of story. Don’t count out the brilliant Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Mike Leigh’s Hard Truths, a British actress in a British film who was unexpectedly snubbed in the Oscar race. This is the only major opportunity for Jean Baptiste’s performance to be rewarded.

Leading Actor

Adrien Brody’s suffering architect from The Brutalist is this category's easy and lazy choice. Chalamet’s turn as Bob Dylan is an amazing performance, but not the one he’s going to be recognised for, especially in a field this crowded. Looking at BAFTAs past, my bet is on Ralph Fiennes squeaking in with a win for his frustrated and beleaguered Cardinal Lawrence, a man who is just trying to get through organising a not-so-simple papal election while everything explodes around him. A loss for Fiennes here, in his home territory, would mean he should start practising his “I’m just happy to be nominated” face for the Oscars.

Director

Now, this category is wide open, with the BAFTAs recognizing Denis Villeneuve for the Dune sequel, where the Oscars didn’t. This is another test for Conclave’s Edward Berger - his biggest chance to stay a contender is here at the BAFTAs, where he won for All Quiet on the Western Front two years ago. On the other hand, The Brutalist’s Brady Corbet hasn’t had much success after his Globes win last month, and he needs this win. The dark horse who got counted out too early is Sean Baker, who surprisingly cleaned up at both the Producers Guild Awards and the Directors Guild Awards last weekend, signalling a massive comeback for Anora’s chances.

Best Film

And that brings us to the big prize of the night. On the one hand, Conclave has the highest number of nominations and could potentially repeat All Quiet’s performance from 2023, which won seven out of its 14 nominations. Everything hinges on Leading Actor and Director, Conclave needs at least one if not both of those to make a run for Best Film. On the other hand, Anora’s late surge at the PGAs and DGAs coincided with the end of voting for the BAFTAs, which could mean a surprise win for the Cinderella story with a twist.

There it is, between Leading Actor, Director, and Best Film, the BAFTAs have the power to shape what happens at the Oscars this year - making Sunday’s ceremony a must-watch. The most exciting thing that can happen tomorrow is a split between Conclave and The Brutalist, ensuring that there’s some suspense going into the Oscars.

The 78th BAFTA Awards will be streaming live in India on Lionsgate Play on Sunday from 11:30 pm IST.