BAFTA today confirms the categories, eligibility, voting rules and timeline for the 2027 EE BAFTA Film Awards. Entries open today, marking the start of the countdown to one of the most highly anticipated nights in the global film calendar.
BAFTA reviews all aspects of its Awards rules annually with BAFTA’s Film Committee and film sector peers. The guiding principles are to celebrate creative excellence, level the playing field, provide a fair and robust process, encourage positive industry change, and promote this year’s best films to public audiences.
The 80th edition of the Awards will take place on Sunday 21 February 2027 in London.
Several updates have been introduced:
Recognising the national and international significance of Outstanding British Film, BAFTA is expanding the category’s longlist from 15 to 20 films to better showcase the depth and range of British filmmaking and create a wider pool of British titles for consideration. The category will retain 10 nominations, with five chosen by the membership vote and five by the nominating jury.
With over 700 performances entered across the four acting categories, the combined volume of entries to consider in these categories is higher than for other Chapters. For that reason, BAFTA is broadening participation in the performance categories’ voting process by inviting Casting Chapter members to vote alongside the Acting Chapter in the longlisting and nominations rounds. As part of the update, the longlisting jury will now select five performers on the longlist. These changes will bring additional industry expertise to these categories and support wider recognition of acting talent.
Following industry consultation, BAFTA has updated its rulebook to clarify its approach to AI, reaffirming that the Awards recognise and reward outstanding human creative achievement. The Film Awards rulebook states:
The Awards are presented annually to recognise, honour and reward individuals for outstanding human achievement in originating, shaping and realising the final artistic outcome, regardless of the tools used to bring this work to life. Where the use of Generative AI or other digital tools is relevant to the consideration of the work, BAFTA reserves the right to request additional information regarding the nature of such use and the extent of human creative involvement.
The AI clause will also be updated across the other BAFTA Awards in 2027 Rulebooks.
The Children’s & Family Film category will be renamed Family Film, bringing the category title into closer alignment with its focus on films that appeal across generations. The new name better reflects the types of films eligible for consideration and provides greater clarity for entrants, voters, and jurors, while the eligibility criteria and voting process remain unchanged.
BAFTA is extending its measures to strengthen industry standards and accessibility. Reflecting BAFTA’s commitment to levelling the playing field, bullying and harassment policies will continue to be mandatory for British productions. This will be extended in 2027, as BAFTA aligns with the work of CIISA (Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority). Entrants will be expected to commit to consistently safe and inclusive working environments. The expectation is that this will become a requirement in future years.
Separately, films will be required to provide descriptive subtitled versions before going live on BAFTA View, replacing the previous 10-day grace period and improving accessibility for members.
Emily Stillman, BAFTA Film Committee chair, said: “The changes introduced for the 2027 EE BAFTA Film Awards reflect BAFTA’s ongoing commitment to celebrating creative excellence, broadening recognition, and evolving alongside the industry. From expanding the Outstanding British Film longlist and enhancing participation in our acting categories, to clarifying our approach to Generative AI and strengthening accessibility and industry standards, these updates are designed to ensure our Awards remain fair, rigorous and representative of the exceptional talent working in film today.”
The full 2027 EE BAFTA Film Awards rulebook can be found here.
KEY CHANGES
Outstanding British Film
The longlist in this category will be increased from 15 to 20 films. If fewer than 60 entries are received in the category, a maximum of one third will be longlisted. The number of nominated titles will remain at 10, with five chosen by the membership vote and five by the nominating jury.
There are no changes to the points system eligibility criteria, but entrants will now be required to complete an interactive points tracker to assess eligibility for each entered film. General information about how a film has qualified as British in the category will now be provided to voters.
Performance Categories
The Casting Chapter will be registered to vote alongside the Acting Chapter in the four performance categories in Rounds One and Two (longlists and nominations).
Their vote will determine the first five in the longlists for Leading Actor, Leading Actress, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress. The final five places of 10 in each category will be determined by a longlisting jury, selected from those ranked 6-15 in the chapter vote. The number of nominations (six) remains the same.
Family Film
The Children’s & Family Film category will be renamed Family Film. This will bring the name of the category more in line with its criteria “For films of any genre with a specific inter-generational appeal to children, young people and adults”. The eligibility criteria and voting process is unchanged.
Updated statement on AI
BAFTA has updated its AI guidance to reaffirm that the Awards recognise and reward outstanding human creative achievement, regardless of the tools used. Where Generative AI or other digital tools have contributed to a project, BAFTA may request further information on their use and the extent of human creative involvement:
The Awards are presented annually to recognise, honour and reward individuals for outstanding human achievement in originating, shaping and realising the final artistic outcome, regardless of the tools used to bring this work to life. Where the use of Generative AI or other digital tools is relevant to the consideration of the work, BAFTA reserves the right to request additional information regarding the nature of such use and the extent of human creative involvement.
General
BAFTA View
Previously given a 10-day delivery extension, all films on BAFTA View must have a descriptive subtitled version available on the day of publishing. Appeals will be considered.
Bullying and Harassment
Entrants are required to declare if productions were committed to consistently safe and inclusive working environments in alignment with the industry-endorsed CIISA Standards. Whilst it is not mandatory to be aligned with the CIISA Standards for the 2027 Awards, the expectation is that this will become a requirement in future years.
TIMELINE
Wednesday 22 July 2026 – Entries open
Friday 4 December 2026 – Round One voting opens
Thursday 7 January 2027 – Longlists published
Thursday 7 January 2027 – Round Two voting opens
Tuesday 19 January 2027 – Nominations announcement
Tuesday 26 January 2027 – Round Three voting opens
Sunday 21 February 2027 – EE BAFTA Film Awards
