Stars descend on the BAFTA film awards, with 'One Battle' and 'Sinners' leading the race

Politically charged thriller One Battle After Another and blues-steeped epic Sinners lead the race for Sunday’s British Academy Film Awards as the two movies jostle for awards-season supremacy.

Oddsmakers suggest Shakespearean family tragedy Hamnet could beat them to best picture if British film industry voters respond to the emotionally rich story, earthy English setting and intense performances of Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s historical novel.

Stars including Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Glenn Close and Ethan Hawke are expected on the red carpet outside London’s Royal Festival Hall before a black-tie ceremony hosted by Scottish actor Alan Cumming.

One of the most anticipated guests was Paddington, the puppet bear who stars in a musical stage adaption of the beloved children's classic.

“I was honestly star-struck by Paddington," Cumming said.

Cumming, who hosts the US version of devious TV reality show The Traitors, pledged to strike a “balance between celebration and mischief.”

Oscars bellwether

One Battle has 14 nominations, including best picture and acting nods for five of its cast. Sinners is just behind with 13, while Hamnet and the ping-pong odyssey Marty Supreme each have 11 nominations.

Guillermo del Toro’s reimagining of Frankenstein and Norwegian family drama Sentimental Value each got eight nominations.

The British prizes, officially called the EE BAFTA Film Awards, often provide hints about who will win at Hollywood’s Academy Awards, held this year on March 15.

Most BAFTA winners are chosen by 8,500 members of the U.K. academy of industry professionals. Contenders for the Rising Star award – the only prize decided by public vote and a reliable picker of future A-listers – are Infiniti, Aramayo, “Sinners” star Miles Caton and British actors Archie Madekwe and Posy Sterling.

Donna Langley, the U.K.-born chairwoman of NBCUniversal Entertainment, will be awarded the British Academy’s highest honor, the BAFTA fellowship.