Conclave and Emilia Perez lead the race.

Conclave, about a gossipy and scheming group of cardinals who gather in Rome to elect a new pope, leads this year’s Bafta Film Awards nominations with 12 nods.

A recent follow-up to Netflix’s Spanish musical, Emilia Perez, tells the story of a Mexican cartel leader who abandons the underworld and leads a new life as a transgender woman.

Leading actors in the BAFTA acting category include Cynthia Erivo and Demi Moore for lead actress and Adrien Brody and Timothee Chalamet for lead actor.

But Denzel Washington and Daniel Craig failed to make the shortlist for Gladiator 2 and Queer.

Among the surprises are Hugh Grant’s casting as the lead actor for the horror film Hertic and Saoirse Ronan’s casting as the lead actor for The Outrun.

Jamie Lee Curtis is nominated in the supporting actress category for The Last Showgirl , but the film’s lead actress Pamela Anderson, who plays an aging Las Vegas actress, was left out.

Leading films in the Bafta nominations

12 Candidates – Conclave

11 – Emilia Perez

9 – Cruel

7 – Anora, Dun: part two and evil

6 – completely unknown and energetic

5 – The nosferatu and its substance

Another film tipped for success in the current awards season is Anora, which has seven Bafta nominations, including Best Picture.

It follows the whirlwind romance between a New York sex worker and the son of a wealthy Russian oligarch.

Mikey Madison is nominated for Best Actor and is up for the People’s Choice Star Award.

Star actress Yura Borisov is nominated for Best Supporting Actress, and director Sean Baker has his first Bafta Best Director nomination.

Half of the nominees in the Best Director category are first-time nominees, including The Brutalist’s Brady Corbett, who won the same award at the Golden Globes.

The film, about a Hungarian architect hired by a wealthy American after World War II, has a total of nine nods and is said to be a major Oscar contender.

Substance director Coralie Fargate is another first-time director nominee and the only woman nominated in the category.

Demi Moore has been nominated for best actress for the film just weeks after winning at the Golden Globes – putting her in a strong position for the Oscars.

British actress Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s nomination in the same category for her portrayal of a woman struggling with depression in Hard Truths boosted her Oscar nomination.

The Bafta nominations list is usually a strong indicator for the Oscars, and last year’s top six category winners matched up perfectly at the two ceremonies.

Another Oscar-nominated film is the 1960s film that followed Bob Dylan’s rise to fame.

It has six BAFTA nominations, including Best Picture, with Timothée Chalamet and Edward Norton nominated in the acting category.

Kneepcap, which tells the story of an Irish-speaking hip-hop trio, earned six nominations, including Outstanding British Film and Film Not in the English Language.

Blockbuster films fared relatively well, with Dune: Part Two and Wicked getting seven nods each.

Gladiator II has three nominations – but none in the acting category, with Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Washington all missing out. Director Sir Ridley Scott was also overlooked.

Erivo and Evil co-star Ariana Grande have their first Bafta nominations – but Wick missed out on a Best Film nomination.

Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana and Carla Sofia Gascón received their first Bafta nominations for Emilia Perez.

For the first time, children’s and family films have their own category at the award.

Wallace and Gromit: Revenge Most Birds and a Wild Robot are nominated for adaptations of Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke Kingdom and Flow, about animals who must work together to survive a flood.

The dialogue-free film was a surprise winner at the Golden Globes in the animated feature category.

The BAFTA Film Awards, hosted by David Tennant, will take place on February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Read more about this year’s shortlisted films: