BFI and British Consulate-General Toast Oscar Weekend as U.K. Scores 40 Nominations (Exclusive)

The British Film Institute (BFI) and the British Consulate-General Los Angeles are celebrating awards season, and a notable one for U.K. cinema. U.K. productions and co-productions earned five best picture nominees and 40 total nominations at the upcoming Academy Awards.

To mark the occasion, BFI CEO Ben Roberts and His Majesty’s Consul General Paul J.G. Rennie, OBE, will host a pre-Oscars British Film Reception on March 13 at Soho House Holloway in Los Angeles, revealed to Variety exclusively.

Leading the U.K.’s charge this season is Chloé Zhao’s “Hamnet,” the sweeping portrait of grief rooted in the life of William Shakespeare. The film features an almost entirely U.K. cast and creative team, including nominated producers Pippa Harris and Sam Mendes, composer Max Richter and production designer Alice Felton. Casting director Nina Gold makes history as the first British nominee for the newly created Academy Award for best casting.