Starting from the 2025 awards, contenders vying for the best film category at the BAFTAs will need to meet a new criterion mandating an expanded theatrical release.
Under the updated guidelines set to take effect in 2025, films aspiring for recognition must have their initial public theatrical exhibition on at least 50 commercial screens across the U.K. for a minimum of seven days or the equivalent of 350 screenings at the broadest point of release. This marks a shift from the existing rules that necessitate a minimum of 10 screenings per day for seven days or 70 screenings in total.
In a statement, BAFTA emphasized that this update aims to synchronize its regulations with the evolving release patterns in the U.K., ensuring that British cinema audiences have ample access to the best film contenders on the grand scale of the big screen. The alteration comes after extensive consultations with various stakeholders, including U.K. distributors, studio heads, exhibitors, streamers, programmers, industry representative bodies, and British production funding entities.
This adjustment brings BAFTA’s standards in line with the expanded theatrical exhibition prerequisites set by the Oscars, which were unveiled earlier in the year. Previously, BAFTA had indicated its consideration of such changes after the Oscars’ announcement.
The revised criteria address concerns raised by critics of the existing BAFTA rules, particularly regarding the absence of definitive guidelines to ensure that qualifying screenings encompass a wider geographical reach beyond London. Notably, an example was highlighted, citing Netflix’s BAFTA win for “All Quiet on the Western Front,” where the film had limited screenings mainly in London. Data indicated that the film had a minimal average show count before its release on Netflix.
Despite its initial limited screenings, the film eventually reached over 200 individual cinemas across the U.K. and Ireland, with a significant increase post-BAFTA nominations, a common practice for films seeking additional screenings during the awards season.
BAFTA’s film committee chair, Anna Higgs, affirmed the rationale behind the expanded theatrical screenings, emphasizing the objective to offer film enthusiasts across the country more opportunities to experience the best film contenders on the grandeur of cinema screens. She highlighted that this modification, devised in consultation with diverse industry stakeholders, is confirmed well ahead of the eligibility window for the 2025 BAFTAs, commencing on January 1, 2024.
