The 2021 BAFTA Awards are taking place this coming Sunday in London. BAFTA is short for British Academy of Film and Television Academy. In other words, the BAFTA Awards are sort of like Great Britain’s answers to the Oscars in America. It’s the preeminent honors given out in the film industry, and you can wager on them at top online gambling websites.
The BAFTA Awards often intersect with the Oscars to a degree, and American film fans will definitely recognize some of the nominees in the lists below. But there is also a stronger international contingent present at the BAFTAs, which means that you have to take that into consideration as you prepare to make your wagers.
When you’re betting on these prestigious awards, the key is to know then to go with the favorites and when to try out a long shot to get some value out of the proceedings.
In the following article, we’ll give you an in-depth look at the BAFTAs from a betting perspective. We’ll take a look at the major categories, and we’ll handicap the chances of the nominees. On top of that, we’ll provide you with our picks for awards in each of the categories.
Understanding These BAFTAs Odds
The odds that we’ve used for this BAFTA betting preview come courtesy of Betway. When you see a nominee listed below, you’ll see a number listed next to them. Those are the odds, and you can read them as being the number-to-one (I.e. 13.00 would be 13 to 1).
That will tell you how much you can expect to win if you wager on that nominee. As an example, you’ll see the number 9.00 listed next to Anthony Hopkins for Best Actor. It indicates that odds on Hopkins winning are 9 to 1, and that you will receive nine units (dollars, pounds, euros) for every unit that you wager if that’s the case.
BAFTA Awards Categories
Best Actor
- Chadwick Boseman – 1.05
- Anthony Hopkins – 9.00
- Riz Ahmed – 13.00
- Gary Oldman – 26.00
- Steven Yeun – 26.00
It’s interesting looking at the odds here to see discrepancies between the BAFTA odds and what you might expect on the Oscars. Gary Oldman is one of the favorites in terms of Academy Award possibilities. But with these awards, his turn in Mank is one of the long shots, which is perhaps a reflection that the British voters aren’t as enamored with Hollywood inside baseball as American voters would be.
But One Constant Is That the Late Chadwick Boseman Is the Heavy Favorite
His standout performance in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom as a talented but tempestuous trumpeter would have been tough to beat anyway. The sentiment will be even stronger to vote for him after his death from cancer at such a young age.
Does anybody have a chance of upsetting Boseman? Well, Hopkins is royalty (figuratively and literally) in Great Britain, so there might be a push behind his chances. And Ahmed has been fast-rising with Sound of Metal, so he could have some backers as well.
The Pick:
You should take your even-money winnings here and thank the BAFTA betting sites because there is no way that Boseman is losing.
Best Actor –Chadwick Boseman (1.05)
Best Actress
- Carey Mulligan – 2.20
- Viola Davis – 3.00
- Francis McDormand – 5.00
- Andra Day – 6.50
- Vanessa Kirby – 9.00
This figures to be one of the closest battles of the whole evening, and Oscar enthusiasts will be watching this closely to see if it indicates which way Best Actress might turn in the Academy Awards. Mulligan is the slight favorite. Hers is a much more irreverent film than the ones of her closest competitors, which will help with daring voters and hurt with stodgy ones.
Davis was an irresistible force as Ma Rainey, and she has a real chance here. The one issue is that she often feels more like a supporting character in the movie, even though it is titled after her character. When she is on the screen though, she more than makes up for lost time.
You can’t count out McDormand either, especially considering her past awards success. The one issue with her candidacy is that voters might see her performance as so natural as to be unspectacular, at least compared to some or her past showier parts. Kirby has also been rising in the awards talk lately, and isn’t completely out of the question at 9 to 1.
The Pick:
It feels like Mulligan’s role is different enough from the others in a way that she’ll stand out to voters and sneak out the victory at a little more than 2 to 1.
Best Actress –Carey Mulligan (2.20)
Best Supporting Actor
- Daniel Kaluuya – 1.14
- Alan Kim – 6.00
- Leslie Odom Jr. – 11.00
- Barry Keoghan – 13.00
- Clarke Peters – 17.00
- Paul Raci – 21.00
Kaluuya has risen to the top of the pack in just about every awards list. As if he needed any help to push him over the top, he is British. Of course, you’d never know that he portrays Fred Hampton Jr. in all his steamrolling charisma in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Minari has a lot of fans and awarding Kim would be a way to honor that film. Odom should get some attention for sliding into Sam Cooke’s golden-voiced shoes and delivering a complex portrait. But One Night In Miami is such an ensemble piece that it’s hard for one guy to stand out above the others.
Further down the list, it’s nice to see Peters get a nomination for Da 5 Bloods, a movie that was largely overlooked by the Oscars. It’s doubtful that will be enough to put him into a winning position. Keoghan’s movie might not be as well-known in the US but his performance is certainly a standout.
The Pick:
Kaluuya is the deserving winner here, as the chalk choice will deliver modest winnings to his backers.
Best Supporting Actor –Daniel Kaluuya (1.14)
Best Supporting Actress
- Maria Bakalova -2.50
- Yuh Jung Youn – 3.00
- Dominique Fishback – 5.50
- Kosar Ali – 5.50
- Niamh Algar – 11.00
- Ashley Madekwe – 17.00
Here is a category where things really get interesting. First of all, there is no overlap in this category compared to the Oscars besides the favorite Bakalova. That would indicate a more wide-open race than the other groups.
Bakalova keeps picking up honors, but there is the concern that some voters might find Borat’s antics a bit too controversial to their tastes, which could hurt her chances. That’s where Yuh Jung Youn could easily jump into the fray. Her efforts in Minari certainly deserve recognition in a highly-respected film.
Then, there’s Fishback, whose work opposite Kaluuya gives the film an emotional centerpiece that it might otherwise have lacked. She sits at a very nice price, especially since it feels she has just as good a shot as anybody. And if you’re going to go with long shots, this would be a category to do it, which is what Algar or Madekwe might be worth a try.
Best Supporting Actress –Algar (11.00) or Madekwe (17.00)
Outstanding British Film
- Rocks – 1.60
- Promising Young Woman – 3.00
- The Father – 7.00
- Calm With Horses – 21.00
- His House – 21.00
- The Mauritanian – 21.00
Rocks is a movie largely unknown to American audiences. But when you look at critical reception, you can see that it is nearly universally loved, and those who’ve seen it feel the same. It’s got both a firm grip on reality while also coming across with a hard-earned optimism as well.
Promising Young Woman’s attention-grabbing premise seemed to indicate a high degree of difficulty in keeping the tone just right. When you see the film, you’ll be surprised at how effortless it all seems. That makes it a real threat in here, especially with voters who have more of a rebellious streak.
The Father is more traditional awards fare, but that doesn’t make it any less effective. With Hopkins and Olivia Colman on the screen, you know you’re always getting a master class in acting. Still, it lags a bit behind the other two films when it comes to this award.
The Pick:
Look for Promising Young Woman to just sneak by Rocks for the win as the second choice on the board.
Outstanding British Film –Promising Young Woman (3.00)
Best Director
- Chloe Zhao – 1.28
- Lee Isaac Chung – 5.00
- Sarah Gavron – 7.00
- Jasmila Zbanic – 15.00
- Thomas Vinterberg – 17.00
- Shannon Murphy – 21.00
There are many occasions when you’re watching Nomadland that you feel like you’re watching a painting come to life. That’s in large part down to the skills of Zhao. She is going to be tough to beat, both here and at the Oscars.
Chung and Gavron are coming up from behind, albeit with a long way to go to catch Zhao. Minari has a similar beauty to it as Nomadland, and the performances of the actors show that Chung was a master guide. Gavron’s ability to coax such accomplished work from her young actresses in Rocks was a wonder to behold.
In the latter half of the odds board, Vinterberg is probably the only one of the long shots worth a look. His movie is the one that sort of stands out in every category as being not quite like the others. That will help anytime there is a vote split among the others.
The Pick:
You’re not beating Zhao in this category this year.
Best Director –Chloe Zhao (1.28)
Best Film
- Nomadland – 1.33
- The Trial of The Chicago 7 – 3.50
- Promising Young Woman – 11.00
- The Father – 15.00
- The Mauritanian – 21.00
Nomadland does have some detractors among those who say that, well, not too much happens in the film. There is an abstract quality to it that some people love and some people find dull. That makes it a favorite that could be a bit vulnerable.
The Trial of The Chicago 7 didn’t get any BAFTA love in the acting categories, which might not bode well for it. In some ways, it’s the polar opposite of Nomadland, in that it is plot-heavy and very linear. Some find it a bit formulaic, but most audiences were riveted by the compelling and timely look at an unforgettable moment in history.
Meanwhile, Promising Young Woman is again a great value play. In fact, somebody who were to bet on the film, its performers, and its creators in every category in which they appear should walk away with a profit from top entertainment betting sites on Sunday. Don’t be surprised if it culminates its night with a win in the glamour category.
Best Film –Promising Young Woman (11.00)
Conclusion
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this look at Sunday night’s BAFTA Awards from a betting perspective. Remember that it’s not always about picking your favorite performance or film. It’s about predicting how the BAFTA voters will turn. If you can do it accurately, then it can help you score some nice wagering wins.
Jim Beviglia
Jim Beviglia joined Gamblingsites.org as a staff writer in 2018, parlaying his years of freelance writing into contributions on a number of different topics. He handles the sport of horse racing for GamblingSites.org and the intersection between the worlds of cryptocurrency and online gambling in a weekly blog.
For his full-time job, Jim handles the television and track announcing duties at a h …
