Empire Magazine, the world’s biggest film and entertainment brand, has unveiled the nominations for the Empire Awards, which will take place on Sunday 18 March, returning to London’s Camden Roundhouse.

The iconic awards show will celebrate the best in film and TV, voted for by genuine film fans, held at a star-studded event attended by some of the biggest and best-loved names in entertainment.

Box office smash Star Wars: The Last Jedi leads the pack this year with nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Director.

Up against The Last Jedi and battling it out for the coveted Best Film award are Get Out, Call Me By Your Name, Thor: Ragnarok and Wonder Woman.

The awards continue to celebrate the diverse and rich talent within the film industry and this year’s shortlist is no exception. Unlike the Golden Globes, the Empire Awards feature a woman in the Best Director category – Patty Jenkins is nominated for the female-fronted commercial and critical success that was Wonder Woman. The film also picks up a nomination in the Best Film category and its star, Gal Gadot, is nominated for Best Actress. Girls Trip, the first live-action comedy to break $100 million in 2017, is recognised in the Best Comedy category, while Tiffany Haddish is also nominated for Best Actress.

Edgar Wright’s critically acclaimed thriller Baby Driver receives five nominations including: Best Director, Best Male Newcomer and Best Thriller, meanwhile, Jordan Peele’s monster hit Get Out (Empire’s best film of 2017) also continues its awards run with five nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Horror and Best Male Newcomer.

God’s Own Country, this year’s surprise British hit championed by Empire magazine, is up for three gongs in the Best Male Newcomer, Best British Film and Best Screenplay categories.

Golden Globe winner Gary Oldman is nominated in the coveted Best Actor category for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. He takes on Hugh Jackman (Logan), John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Andy Serkis (War For The Planet Of The Apes) and Armie Hammer (Call Me By Your Name).

In the Best Actress category Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot takes on Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Frances McDormand (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) and Emma Watson (Beauty And The Beast).

Other nominated films include: Logan, Thor: Ragnarok, Call Me By Your Name, Dunkirk, War For The Planet Of The Apes and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

In the Best TV Series category The Crown takes on Big Little Lies and Stranger Things 2, while the shows’ stars, Claire Foy, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon and Millie Bobby Brown, will fight it out to be crowned Best TV Actress.

Commenting on the nominations, Empire’s Editor-In-Chief Terri White said: “Once again, the Empire Awards is democracy in action! From Star Wars: The Last Jedi to Wonder Woman, Thor: Ragnarok, Call Me By Your Name and Get Out, the films duking it out for the top gongs are those that packed out cinemas in 2017. We’re proud to be the voice of film fans the world over.”

 

THE 2018 EMPIRE AWARDS SHORTLIST

 

Best Film, presented by Sky Cinema

Get Out

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Call Me By Your Name

Thor: Ragnarok

Wonder Woman

 

Best Director, presented by Vue Entertainment

Rian Johnson – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Edgar Wright – Baby Driver

Jordan Peele – Get Out

Patty Jenkins – Wonder Woman

Taika Waititi – Thor: Ragnarok

 

Best Male Newcomer

Josh O’Connor — God’s Own Country

Fionn Whitehead – Dunkirk

Ansel Elgort – Baby Driver Daniel Kaluuya – Get Out

Timothée Chalamet – Call Me By Your Name

 

Best Female Newcomer

Dafne Keen – Logan

Emily Beecham – Daphne Florence Pugh – Lady Macbeth

Tessa Thompson – Thor: Ragnarok

Kelly Marie Tran – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

Best Actress

Gal Gadot – Wonder Woman

Daisy Ridley – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Frances McDormand – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Tiffany Haddish – Girls Trip

Emma Watson – Beauty And The Beast

 

Best Actor

John Boyega – Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Hugh Jackman – Logan

Andy Serkis — War For The Planet Of The Apes

Armie Hammer – Call Me By Your Name

Gary Oldman – Darkest Hour

 

Best Screenplay

God’s Own Country

Call Me By Your Name

The Death Of Stalin

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Get Out

 

Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Logan

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Wonder Woman

Thor: Ragnarok

Blade Runner 2049

 

Best British Film, presented by The Hollywood Reporter

God’s Own Country

The Death Of Stalin

Dunkirk

The Darkest Hour

Paddington 2

 

Best Horror

Mother!

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe

Get Out

It

Split

 

Best Documentary

I Called Him Morgan

City Of Ghosts

An Inconvenient Sequel

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond

I Am Not Your Negro

 

Best Comedy, presented by Monkey Shoulder

Toni Erdmann

The Death Of Stalin

The Big Sick

The Disaster Artist

Girls Trip

 

Best Thriller, presented by Absolute Radio

Baby Driver

John Wick: Chapter 2

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

The Handmaiden

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

 

Best Animated Film

The Lego Batman Movie

My Life As A Courgette

The Red Turtle

Coco

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie

 

Best Soundtrack

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Baby Driver

Logan Lucky

Beauty And The Beast

Call Me By Your Name

 

Best Costume Design

The Greatest Showman

The Death Of Stalin

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Thor: Ragnarok

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

Best Production Design

Baby Driver

Dunkirk

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

Thor: Ragnarok

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

 

Best Visual Effects, presented by Vue Entertainment

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

War For The Planet Of The Apes

Thor: Ragnarok

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Ghost In The Shell

 

Best Make-up And Hairstyling

Murder On The Orient Express

The Greatest Showman

Beauty And The Beast

Thor: Ragnarok

Ghost In The Shell

 

Best TV Series

The Handmaid’s Tale

Big Little Lies

Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series

The Crown  

Stranger Things 2

 

Best Actress in a TV Series

Claire Foy (The Crown)

Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies)

Reese Witherspoon (Big Little Lies)

Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)

Millie Bobby Brown (Stranger Things 2)

 

Best Actor in a TV Series

Alexander Skarsgård (Big Little Lies)

Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks: A Limited Event Series)

Matt Smith (The Crown)

Jason Isaacs (Star Trek: Discovery)

Dan Stevens (Legion)

The nominations for this year’s Empire Awards cover films released within the period 31 January 2017 to 31 January 2018. Please note that Lady Bird is released later in the UK and therefore falls outside of the Empire Awards entry window.

Voting closes on 2 February, and the Empire Awards 2018 winners will be announced at a ceremony at The Roundhouse, Camden on Sunday 18 March.

 

Ends

 

For further information, please contact:

Jess Blake at Bauer Media

E: jess.blake@bauermedia.co.uk

T: +44 (0) 07739 516345

 

About Empire:

Empire is the world’s biggest movie magazine brand. Constantly evolving, it has expanded its breadth of content to cover every cinematic form, from movies and TV to streaming and mobile. Connecting with three million fans across its multiple touchpoints, Empire continues to deliver compelling entertainment content and unique creative cover treatments, with world-first reveals.

 

About Bauer Media:

Bauer Media UK reaches over 25 million UK consumers through a portfolio of world-class, multi-platform media and entertainment brands including heat, Kiss, Grazia, Empire, TV Choice, Take A Break, Bella, Magic and Absolute Radio. It creates and curates entertaining media content that audiences love whenever, wherever and however they want through a multi-channel strategy and a focus on product excellence and audience insight. The result is an exciting array of influential brands, content and talent which provide compelling and engaging advertising opportunities with valuable audiences for UK commercial partners. Bauer Media UK is part of the Bauer Media Group, one of the world’s largest privately owned media businesses with media assets all over the globe.