Nomadland Sweeps BAFTAs As Women Filmmakers Triumph

The socially distanced and largely remote awards ceremony in London saw a strong showing by women directors in the run-up to this month's Oscars.

The US road movie "Nomadland" triumphed at the Bafta film awards on Sunday, with Chinese director Chloe Zhao's intimate portrayal of marginalised Americans winning in four categories including best film, best actress and best director. The socially distanced and largely remote awards ceremony in London saw a strong showing by women directors in the run-up to this month's Oscars. The British academy has sought to improve diversity and Zhao was one of four women nominated for "best director". "We brought in changes to the awards to level the playing field", said Krishnendu Majumdar, chair of the academy, following criticism over last year's awards ceremony which had no women directors and an all-white shortlist.