Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Conclave.Following its October 2024 release, the political dramaConclavehas garnered plenty of critical acclaim, including eight Oscar nominations. The movie centers on the College of Cardinals as they select the new pope following the unexpected death of the previous pope, but not everything is what it seems, as many of the top candidates have their own best interests at heart and are willing to sabotage others to win. By the time ofConclave’s surprising ending, many of those frontrunners are no longer in the race, and a better option ultimately saves the day.
Conclave’s impressive castis led by Ralph Fiennes as the dean of the College of Cardinals, but the entire supporting cast gives great performances; both Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini received Oscar nominations. Alongside these actors,Conclavereceived six othernominations for the 2025 Oscars, including the highly coveted Best Picture nomination. While all the races are still unknown, with each precursor awards ceremony, the field for the Best Picture winner narrows down. Following last night’s BAFTA awards,Conclavemay have just gotten the Best Picture push it needed.
Conclave’s BAFTA Best Picture Win Could Help Its Chances At The Oscars
Conclave Won Several Awards At The BAFTAs
WhileConclavehas been nominated at all the major Oscars precursors that have happened so far, it has had by far the most success at the BAFTAs, which occurred on August 03, 2025, in London.Conclavereceived an impressive 12 nominations at the ceremony and won four: Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Editing. This roundup of nominations and wins made it one of the most awarded films of the night and putConclavein its best position so far going into the final stretch of the Oscars Best Picture race.
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The BAFTAs cannot be considered a direct correlation to which film will win at the Academy Awards, but in recent years, the British Academy has become more similar in its picks to the American Academy.The 2025 Oscars Best Picture racehas been heavily contested so far with several controversies and no clear winner between all the precursor ceremonies. This means thatConclave’s major BAFTA win allows it to rivalAnoraandThe Brutalist. Additionally,Conclave’s multiple wins mean that it may rank highly in voters' minds going into the Oscars.
Anora And The Brutalist Are Still Its Biggest Competitors
Each Movie Has Won Its Share Of Precursors
Conclave’s BAFTA wins should certainly be celebrated, but that does not mean that the Best Picture race is over. Instead,Anoraand TheBrutalistare still massive competition in the categorybecause they have each also won many precursor awards.Anorahas secured the DGA, PGA, WGA, and Critics' Choice Awards, making it the overall predicted winner. Meanwhile,The Brutalistwon the Golden Globe for Best Picture - Drama, making it another very strong contender. What’s more, the BAFTAs do not always align with the Oscars.
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WhileConclave’s win may have significantly boosted its chances and brought more attention to the film ahed of the Oscars, it is also interesting to consider the ceremony’s history of awarding primarily British films. The winners for Best Film and Best Picture do sometimes overlap, but there are often differences, with the BAFTAs more likely to favor British productions. This makes it difficult to definitively say what the Oscars will look like. If anything,Conclave’s BAFTA win proves just how many great films came out in 2024, and that the Oscars Best Picture race continues to be interesting.
