“Bridge Of Spies”, “Carol” Lead BAFTA nods

The nominations for this year's BAFTA Film Awards were announced in London on Friday, with Steven Spielberg's “Bridge Of Spies” and Todd Haynes' “Carol” leading the field with nine nods each. Alejandro G. Iñárritu's “The Revenant” follows with eight. In the Best Film category, they are joined by “The Big Short” and “Spotlight”. Ridley Scott's Matt Damon-starrer “The Martian” also has a six-nod presence. “Mad Max: Fury Road” picked up seven mentions while Box Office juggernaut “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has four nominations: Production Design, Sound, Original Music and Special Visual Effects.

The Best British Film category includes Asif Kapadia's documentary “Amy”, Andrew Haigh's Berlin entry “45 Years”, John Crowley's Irish immigrant drama “Brooklyn”, Tom Hooper's drama “The Danish Girl”, Alex Garland's big BIFA winner “Ex Machina” and Yorgos Lanthimos' Cannes pic “The Lobster”. Although the James Bond franchise has not traditionally been a major winner here, it's surprising to see “Spectre” come up entirely empty-handed across the nominations board, particularly since its predecessor “Skyfall” won the Best British Film prize in 2013.

While “Room”, Lenny Abrahamson's critically lauded drama, was not eligible in the British category, it has only two nominations: Best Actress for Brie Larson and Adapted Screenplay for Emma Donoghue. The film has not yet been released in the UK, though it had a spot at the London Film Festival in October.

The acting categories largely match the Golden Globe races this weekend. Alicia Vikander is a standout with nominations in Lead and Supporting for “The Danish Girl” and “Ex Machina”. In the leading actress category, she will fight for the spot with Brie Larson (“The Room”), Cate Blanchett (“Carol”), Dame Maggie Smith (“The Lady in The Van”) and Saoirse Ronan (“Brooklyn”).

The actors in contention in leading roles are Bryan Cranston (“Trumbo”), Eddie Redmayne (“The Danish Girl”), Leonardo DiCaprio (“The Revenant”), Matt Damon (“The Martian”) and Michael Fassbender for his portrayal of Steve Jobs in the eponymous film.

The Animated Film had expected nominees in “Inside Out” and “Minions” being joined by “Shaun the Sheep Movie”.

The Oscar nominations are next on January 14. The BAFTAs take place a month later on February 14, hosted by Stephen Fry in London.

Source: Variety