BAFTA Suspends Bryan Singer’s Nomination for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
By Stewart Clarke
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The British Academy has suspended Bryan Singer’s BAFTA nomination for “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The director faces accusations of sexual assault, which he denies. BAFTA said the suspension would remain in place while these allegations are resolved.
“” received seven BAFTA film nominations in all. Those noms all remain in place, but Singer’s name, who stood alongside Graham King and Anthony McCarten in the nod for best British film, has been removed.
“In light of recent very serious allegations, BAFTA has informed that his nomination for ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ has been suspended, effective immediately,” the British Academy said in a statement.
“BAFTA considers the alleged behavior completely unacceptable and incompatible with its values,” it added. “This has led to Mr. Singer’s suspended nomination. BAFTA notes Mr. Singer’s denial of the allegations. The suspension of his nomination will therefore remain in place until the outcome of the allegations has been resolved.”
Fox also issued a brief statement, saying: “We fully support BAFTA’s decision.”
BAFTA’s announcement Wednesday evening will not impact the “Bohemian Rhapsody’s” chances in the outstanding British film or other categories because, in what appeared clearly to be deliberate timing, the statement was issued about 90 minutes after voting for the awards had closed in the U.K. The winners will be revealed during a ceremony at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Sunday. The organization said it wouldn’t comment further on Singer’s suspension while it remained in force.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” has already had its best original film nomination removed from the GLAAD Media Awards in the wake of the allegations against him.
Singer did not direct all of the film after disputes about his absences from the set. It fared well in the 2019 BAFTA nominations, landing a nod for Rami Malek as best actor and others in categories including cinematography, sound and costume design.
BAFTA has taken action against alleged Hollywood wrongdoers previously. In late 2017 it suspended Harvey Weinstein’s membership before officially terminating it several months later.
