What impact do BAFTA Awards have on the Oscars?

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards date back to 1948, but they traditionally didn’t have any relevant influence on the Oscars because they were held afterward, in April or May, often rubber-stamping the results.

But in 2000, the BAFTA ceremony jumped in front of the Academy Awards, and now it may influence them, especially since there is a significant overlap in membership (reportedly more than 500 out of 5,700 Oscar academy members).

Last year ‘The Hurt Locker,’ ‘Avatar’ and ‘An Education’ led with eight BAFTA nominations. ‘The Hurt Locker’ won six trophies, ‘Avatar’ two and ‘An Education’ one (lead actress for hot new British star Carey Mulligan). BAFTA voters also opted for a native star in the lead actor contest: Colin Firth (‘A Single Man’) over eventual Oscar champ Jeff Bridges (‘Crazy Heart’), who was nominated. Oscar lead actress contender Sandra Bullock wasn’t in that BAFTA competition because ‘The Blind Side’ had not been released in Britain in time to qualify.

Two years ago, BAFTA voters agreed with Oscar voters on ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ as best picture plus three acting champs: Kate Winslet (‘The Reader’), Heath Ledger (‘The Dark Knight’) and Penelope Cruz (‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’). BAFTA preferred Mickey Rourke (‘The Wrestler’) as lead actor over Sean Penn (‘Milk’).

— Tom O’Neil