There are four major bellwethers for the Academy Awards. The SAG Awards, the PGA Awards, the DGA Awards, and, increasingly, the BAFTA Awards. The Academy, which governs the Oscars, is made up primarily of the aforementioned guilds. Over the past decade, however, there has been more overlap in membership between AMPAS and its British counterpart than decades past. That’s why today’s announcement of the 2021 BAFTA Film Awards was so provocative.

READ MORE: “Nomadland,” “Minari” and “I May Destroy You” among 2021 PGA Awards nominees [Full List]

“Nomadland” and “Rocks” led all films with seven nominations.

Continue reading ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Rocks’ & ‘Promising Young Woman’ Lead 2021 BAFTA Nominations at The Playlist.

Sometimes, you watch a trailer and you don’t even need to see more than 15 seconds and understand that it’s tailor-made for Oscar voting. That’s the case with the upcoming political/courtroom drama, “The Mauritanian.”

With its cast of big names and a timely story involving a relatively recent political controversy, “The Mauritanian” is exactly the type of film that fits that “Oscar Bait” category. The film is based on the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a detainee in Guantánamo Bay, that is imprisoned without charges by the US Government for years.

Continue reading ‘The Mauritanian’ Trailer: Jodie Foster Defends An Accused Terrorist In A New Political Drama at The Playlist.

Featuring a standout, awards-worthy performance by Tahir Rahim, Kevin Macdonald’s “The Mauritanian,” adapted from Mohamedou Ould Salahi’s memoir “Guantanamo Diary,” about his prolonged imprisonment at the titular base, is a staggering work of docudrama, that highlights the horrors that the American government inflicted on terrorist suspects post-9/11. 

READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021

Rahim plays Salahi, a Mauritanian who lives in Germany and, post-9/11, is arrested and renditioned to Guantanamo Bay for three years on vague accusations of orchestrating the attacks.

Continue reading ‘The Mauritanian’ Is A Harrowing Condemnation of Bush-Era Torture [Review] at The Playlist.