Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning 'Conclave': a very timely film

The British film ‘Conclave’, a gripping papal thriller starring Ralph Fiennes, was the big winner at the BAFTA Film Awards. It won both the award for Best British Film and for Best Picture overall.

Now, it's on to the Oscars, where the movie has generated a total of 8 nominations.

The film was already a remarkable, contemporary critique of the power structures of the Catholic Church, but in February 2025 it became even more timely. The current pope, Franciscus, is severely ill and may resign from his post. This means there could be a real-life conclave soon.

In the meantime, ‘Conclave’ has already won several awards in the run-up to the Oscars. Among its stars are Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini.

Director Edward Berger is an old acquaintance on the red carpet. His successful title, ‘Nothing New in the West’, a remake of Erich Maria Remarque's novel of the same name from 2022, was honoured with four Oscars.

The Robert Harris book adaptation is a gripping thriller about power structures in the Vatican, which is increasingly falling into disrepute among the faithful because women are still treated like servants there. Isabella Rossellini, now 74 years old, visualises her frustration as one of the ‘head nuns’, Sister Agnes.

Image: Focus Features

Part of the drama could explain why an outsider like the rather left-wing Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio made it into the papacy. He was the first native non-European to hold the papal office since Gregory III in the 8th century. Francis was succeeded by Pope Benedict, who was very different from him. The film hints as to what may be going on behind the scenes of his office.

'Conclave’ was nominated several times at the Golden Globes, but came away empty-handed - even the German film composer Volker Bertelmann. In any case, those in power in Rome are unlikely to have liked the critically acclaimed film. Filming on their own premises is strictly forbidden.

Because Berger was not allowed to film in the Vatican, he had to film at other locations in Rome, such as the Roman Villa Giulia, which he used from January to March 2023. However, the film was also shot in the Cinecitta Studios, as reported on katholisch.de. Stéphane Fontaine was responsible for the photography of the impressive thriller.

Villa Giulia actually belonged to the popes from 1553 until the end of the Papal States. In 1870 it reverted to the Kingdom of Italy, which had not provided a pope for some time - and also the subject of the film. Berger and his team used outstanding camera work to create the impression of vastness, as if ‘Conclave’ had been filmed directly under the arcades of the Vatican.

Berger says in the Kronenzeitung newspaper about the church and his work: "The film is set in the oldest patriarchy in the world, in which men try to hold on to the traditional structures that guarantee them power."

The director is married to the actress Nele Mueller-Stöfen and lives in Berlin with their two children, as confirmed on IMDB.

At the Spanish film festival in San Sebastián, Berger explained the preparation that went into the film to make it realistic for the Catholics, "I had a spiritual teacher, basically a religion teacher, by mine and Ralph's side. Because we really wanted to get it right in terms of what is known. Because Catholics around the world, priests around the world, they take what they do seriously".

The end of ‘Conclave’ is a revolution... but we can't give anything away as the whole film waits for this moment. However, this theme depicted in the film is also likely to affect the Church in the coming years. A new pope, who will be coming soon, will also have to give women a new role. Rossellini only makes a few small appearances in the film, but they are quite something.

"The relationship between femininity, masculinity, doubt — which is maybe seen as weakness, maybe seen as a feminine quality. So that femininity versus masculinity, it does have a big role in this film", he said to the Hollywood Reporter.

Conclave received an astounding 8 nominations at the 2025 Oscars including the big ones: actor, picture, editing, and screenplay. Peter Straughan already won several awards for his screenplay and may be an Oscar favourite. In addition, it seems Ralph Fiennes was the right actor for the job and the film has made much more of an impact than Berger ever realized.

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