Conclave leads the pack, struggling Emilia Pérez faces a test at Britain’s BAFTA film awards

Papal thriller Conclave leads the race for the 78th British Academy Film Awards on Sunday, with genre-bending musical Emilia Pérez facing a test of whether a multi-pronged backlash has made the former prize favourite an awards-season pariah.
A plethora of 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 Roya 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 Pérez 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, is not 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Gascón has withdrawn from promoting the film, which has 13 Oscar nominations, amid controversy over her social media posts disparaging Muslims, George Floyd and diversity at the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.
Audiard has called the remarks “absolutely hateful.”
The musical, shot in France with a largely non-Mexican cast, has also faced criticism from Mexicans for what some see as its cliched and exploitative depiction of the country.
Some LGBTQ+ groups have derided its portrayal of trans people. (PTI)