Karla Sofía Gascón makes history as first trans woman nominated at BAFTAs

After making history at the Golden Globes, Karla Sofía Gascón has achieved a new milestone as the first openly trans actress to receive a BAFTA Film Award nomination.

According to ‘Yahoo! Entertainment’, the Spanish actress is nominated in the Leading Actress category for her performance in ‘Emilia Pérez’, where she portrays a Mexican drug kingpin who undergoes a transition into a woman. Gascón is set to compete for the BAFTA against five other nominees: Saoirse Ronan (The Outrun), Demi Moore (The Substance), Mikey Madison (Anora), Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths), and Cynthia Erivo (Wicked).

BAFTA previously recognised Elliot Page as a trans film nominee for his role in ‘Juno’, although this was before his transition. Additionally, trans actress Annie Wallace was nominated for a Scottish BAFTA Award in 2016 for her part in the soap ‘Hollyoaks’.

Gascón had also been nominated for a Golden Globe as Best Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy, but the award went to Moore. Nonetheless, she was among four actresses who jointly won the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival.

‘Emilia Pérez’ secured 11 BAFTA Film Award nominations, second only to ‘Conclave’. Gascón’s co-stars Selena Gomez and Zoe Saldaña received nominations in the Supporting Actress category. Jacques Audiard is in the running for the director award, and the film is also a contender for Best Film.

The BAFTA Film Awards are scheduled for February 16 at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC1 and available for streaming on BritBox in North America, with David Tennant returning as the host.