British Academy announces most diverse nominations ever after '#BAFTAsSoWhite' firestorm

One year after sparking the #BAFTAsSoWhite firestorm, the "British Oscars" just announced its most diverse list of nominees ever.

The British Academy Film Awards, the British equivalent of the Academy Awards, announced its 2021 nominations on Monday, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, it was "the most diverse nominations list ever seen in the British Academy's history." Of the 24 actors nominated, 16 of them are from under-represented groups, Deadline reports.

Among those who earned nods included stars from Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, One Night in Miami, Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, and Da 5 Bloods. This came a year after the nominees in the BAFTAs' acting categories were all white, prompting outrage and the hashtag "#BAFTAsSoWhite." Since then, the BAFTAs underwent a "wide-ranging seven-month review of its membership and awards voting procedures," according to Variety.

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This year's BAFTA nominations also included four women nominated for best director, which according to Deadline was the most in the show's history. Babyteeth's Shannon Murphy, Nomadland's Chloé Zhao, Quo Vadis, Aida?'s Jasmila Žbanić, and Rocks' Sarah Gavron were all nominated, in addition to Another Round's Thomas Vinterberg and Minari's Lee Isaac Chung. Previously, the Reporter notes, no more than one female director had ever been nominated in a single year.

Nomadland and Rocks scored the most BAFTA nominations with seven, and nominees for Best Film were The Father, The Mauritanian, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, and The Trial Of The Chicago 7. Each of those films receives some more Oscars momentum, as the Academy Award winner for Best Picture is typically at least nominated here.

The 2021 British Academy Film Awards is scheduled for April 10 and April 11, two weeks before this year's Academy Awards.