Awards season is now in full swing, and next up is the BAFTAs, the annual celebration of achievement in British and international cinema. On February 14th, the brightest talents in the film industry will be heading to Covent Garden’s Royal Opera House to learn whether they’ll be decorating their mantelpiece with a prestigious gold mask. Just your average, low-key Valentine’s Day plans, then…
It’s been a stellar year for film, with titles like The Danish Girl, Carol, Bridge of Spies and Brooklyn all earning multiple nominations, and we can’t wait to see what hotly-tipped stars like Alicia Vikander, Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan decide to wear on the red carpet.
To get you up to speed before the main event, we’ve rounded up everything worth knowing about the ceremony.
BAFTAs 2016: Location And Date
**Where: **Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London
**When: **Sunday 14th February 2014
How To Watch The BAFTAs 2016
The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC One on Sunday evening, and you can watch the red carpet arrivals beforehand on BBC Three.
BAFTAs 2016: The Nominations
Continuing perhaps the biggest story of this year’s awards season, Eddie Redmayne and Leonardo DiCaprio will once again go head to head for the Best Actor gong, nominated for their roles in *The Danish Girl *and *The Revenant. *Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and Bryan Cranston are also contenders. Eddie walked away with the award for The Theory of Everything in 2015, but could 2016 be Leo’s year?
Also nominated for her role in *The Danish Girl *is Alicia Vikander, who is joined in the Best Actress category by Cate Blanchett (hotly tipped for her role in Carol), Golden Globes winner Brie Larson, Brooklyn's Saoirse Ronan and everyone's favourite Dowager Countess, Dame Maggie Smith, nominated for The Lady In The Van.
You can see a full list of the nominations here.
BAFTAs 2016: The Host
You guessed it - Stephen Fry will be presenting this year's ceremony, marking the 11th time he has presided over the occasion. A very British awards ceremony needs a very British host, after all.
BAFTAs 2016: The Presenters
The presenters for this year's ceremony are yet to be announced - watch this space!
BAFTAs 2016: Predictions
As ever, each category is hotly contested - and after all, anything could happen on the night - but we've got a feeling that the following films and productions won't be walking away empty handed...
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
With a Golden Globe win and an Oscar nomination already under his belt, it just feels like Leo's year.
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, Carol
BAFTA *loves *Cate - she's already won this category twice (for *Elizabeth *and Blue Jasmine), and has also received the award for Best Supporting Actress.
Best Film: Bridge Of Spies
Steven Spielberg's latest gained rave reviews upon it's release last December, but is yet to win a major award - could the BAFTAs be its big moment?
Best British Film: Ex Machina
It missed out on a nod from the Oscars, but Alex Garland's *Ex Machina *(starring girl of the moment Alicia Vikander along with Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac) would be a deserving winner.
Best Supporting Actor: Idris Elba, Beasts Of No Nation
We're hoping for a first time BAFTA win for Idris, nominated for his role in this feature length Netflix original.
Best Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
We're gearing up for another weepy Winslet acceptance speech - and hopefully another Jack and Rose reunion if she bumps into Leo on the red carpet.
EE Rising Star: John Boyega
The Rising Star category is the only one for which the public can vote - and John has the force (sorry) of the *Star Wars *super fans behind him. He also seems like one of the nicest young actors around, so we'll be happy if he walks away with this.