BAFTA widens British film longlist and updates AI rules
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BAFTA has confirmed a set of modest changes to its film awards eligibility and voting rules ahead of the 2027 ceremony, opting for a more cautious approach than the sweeping overhaul the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently made to the Oscars. The changes are designed to widen member engagement with British cinema, strengthen expertise in judging the acting categories, and sharpen the organisation's stance on the use of artificial intelligence in eligible work.
The most notable change expands the Outstanding British Film longlist from 15 to 20 titles after the first voting round, though the category will still produce 10 nominees, split evenly between membership and jury selection. BAFTA's casting chapter will now vote alongside the acting chapter during longlisting and nominations, reflecting more than 700 performance candidates across four categories. Unlike the Oscars, BAFTA continues to bar multiple nominations for the same performer in a single category, a practice it banned after Margot Robbie received two supporting actress nominations in 2020. On AI, BAFTA has added rulebook language reaffirming that awards recognise "human achievement" and giving it the right to request further information on any generative AI use, with executive director of awards and content Emma Baehr stating that "it would always be a human that picks up a BAFTA."
- BAFTA expands Outstanding British Film longlist from 15 to 20 films
- Casting chapter members will now vote in acting categories
- Rulebook updated to clarify human authorship amid rising AI use
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BAFTA is the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, the organisation behind the annual film awards often seen as a British counterpart to the Oscars. It sets its own rules each year for which films and performances can be considered, how members vote, and how nominees are chosen, ahead of its ceremony held early the following year.
The Oscars, run by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recently made significant changes to its own voting and eligibility rules, and BAFTA's announcement is being made against that backdrop, though its changes are smaller in scale. Categories under discussion include Outstanding British Film, which recognises homegrown cinema, and the acting awards, where casting professionals and performers are involved in deciding who gets nominated.
The rules also touch on artificial intelligence, reflecting a wider debate across the film and creative industries about how AI tools are used in making films and whether that should affect a work's eligibility for awards. BAFTA's film committee remains responsible for making final judgement calls on such matters.
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Originally published by Variety as “BAFTA Tweaks Film Awards Rules, Expands Outstanding British Film Longlist and Updates AI Guidance”.