UNITED KINGDOM: Director Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" leads the pack with ten nods at this year's BAFTAs, followed by "Life of Pi" and "Les Miserables" with 9 nominations each

Record ID: 342941

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Director Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" leads the pack with ten nods at this year's BAFTAs, followed by "Life of Pi" and "Les Miserables" with 9 nominations each
  • Date: 9th January 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JANUARY 9, 2012) (REUTERS) CLOSE OF BAFTA MASK ACTORS ALICE EVE AND JEREMY IRVINE WALKING ON TO STAGE IRVINE ANNOUNCING BAFTA NOMINATIONS FOR "BEST FILM"
  • Embargoed: 24th January 2013 12:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVAD64GHU4X235C4G9822GCYE9S1
  • Story Text: Critics say the race in this year's BAFTA top categories will be difficult to predict, with both Steven Spielberg and Tom Hooper missing out on best director nods, whilst both their works were shortlisted in the best film category.

    "Lincoln", the story of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, took in a total of 10 BAFTA nominations on Wednesday (January 9), putting it ahead of the pack at Britain's top film honours.
    Added to its domination of the Golden Globe contenders going into Sunday (January 13) night's awards ceremony, British critics said the film appeared to be in a good position to equally do well at the Oscar nominations, which are announced on January 10.
    But whilst the biopic was shortlisted in categories including best film, actor, supporting actor (Tommy Lee Jones) and supporting actress (Sally Field), director Steven Spielberg missed out on a director's nod.
    Traditionally, many of the top contended films going into the awards season get shortlisted in both the best film and best director's categories, which is not the case in this year's BAFTA shortlist.

    "As far as ... 'Lincoln' is concerned, several nominations but Steven Spielberg hasn't been nominated best director. Same with 'Les Miserables'. Tom Hooper hasn't been nominated best director", film critic Mark Kermode told Reuters Television.

    "The best film and best director categories don't match up, so for example there are nominations for best director for Quentin Tarantino, who directed 'Django Unchained' and for Michael Haneke, who directed 'Amour'. So that gives you a very interesting spread, the best film and best director categories do not marry up," he said.
    But Wednesday's co-host, actor Jeremy Irvine, who shot to fame in Spielberg's "War Horse" film, said he thinks the multi-award winning director will survive the snub.

    "He's a wonderful director and he's got a wonderful way of make you feel comfortable and getting the best out of everyone," he said.

    "It's no surprise that he's up for the nomination that he is and it's a shame that we don't see him as best director, but he's a, I'm sure he's had that a few times," he added.
    Following with nine BAFTA nominations each are "Les Miserables", the movie version of the global hit stage musical, and shipwreck saga "Life of Pi".
    Critic Kermode said he was pleased to see the latest James Bond feature, "Skyfall", to be recognized in some major categories this year.
    Judi Dench is up for best supporting actress as Bond's spymaster M and Spanish actor Javier Bardem was nominated for best supporting actor as the villain Silva.
    And while director Sam Mendes' 007 adventure might have managed to get a nod in the outstanding British film category, there is likely to be disappointment, that the most successful film in British box office history, was not included on the most coveted shortlist - best film.
    That award will be contested by Argo, Lincoln, Life of Pi, Les Miserables and Zero Dark Thirty.

    "I mean I think 'Skyfall' is a terrific piece of work, I think eight nominations is a very good showing. Supporting actor and supporting actress are significant nominations, I think in both those categories Dame Judi Dench and Javier Bardem have a very good chance of being potential winners. So I think it has done well, the question was simply whether it was gonna show up in the best film category, but as you can see the best film category is extremely hotly contested, and I think this year has been a particularly difficult year," Kermode said.
    Despite that, Kermode suggested that "Skyfall" might have a real chance to be shortlisted for best film at the Oscars.

    "There's only five nominations, bear in mind the Oscars have more nominations as far as the best film category is concerned. So it is still possible that 'Skyfall' could get an Academy Award best film nod," he said.
    Other notable nominees include Iranian hostage thriller "Argo", which won seven nominations and "Anna Karenina", an adaptation of the Russian novel, which earned six.
    Quentin Tarantino's quirky slavery-era Western "Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty", about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, were just behind with five nominations apiece.

    "Amour", Austrian director Michael Haneke's moving portrayal of death, bagged four nominations, an unusually high number for a film in a foreign language.
    The EE British Academy Film Awards will be handed out in a ceremony, which takes place in London on February 10.
    The full BAFTA nominations list: BEST FILM Argo Les Mis�ables Life of Pi Lincoln Zero Dark Thirty OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM Anna Karenina The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Les Mis�ables Seven Psychopaths Skyfall OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER Bart Layton (Director), Dimitri Doganis (Producer) - The Imposter David Morris (Director), Jacqui Morris (Director/Producer) - McCullin Dexter Fletcher (Director/Writer), Danny King (Writer) - Wild Bill James Bobin (Director) - The Muppets Tina Gharavi (Director/Writer) - I Am Nasrine DOCUMENTARY The Imposter Marley McCullin Searching for Sugar Man West Of Memphis ANIMATED FILM Brave Frankenweenie Paranorman DIRECTOR Michael Haneke (Amour) Ben Affleck (Argo) Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained) Ang Lee (Life of Pi) Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Amour Django Unchained The Master Moonrise Kingdom Zero Dark Thirty ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Argo Beasts of the Southern Wild Life of Pi Lincoln Silver Linings Playbook LEADING ACTOR Ben Affleck (Argo) Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook) Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) Hugh Jackman (Les Mis�ables) Joaquin Phoenix (The Master) LEADING ACTRESS Emmanuelle Riva (Amour) Helen Mirren (Hitchcock) Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) Marion Cotillard (Rust And Bone) SUPPORTING ACTOR Alan Arkin (Argo) Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained) Javier Bardem (Skyfall) Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master) Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln) SUPPORTING ACTRESS Amy Adams (The Master) Anne Hathaway (Les Mis�ables) Helen Hunt (The Sessions) Judi Dench (Skyfall) Sally Field (Lincoln) ORIGINAL MUSIC Anna Karenina Argo Life Of Pi Lincoln Skyfall CINEMATOGRAPHY Anna Karenina Les Mis�ables Life Of Pi Lincoln Skyfall EDITING Argo Django Unchained Life Of Pi Skyfall Zero Dark Thirty PRODUCTION DESIGN Anna Karenina Les Mis�ables Life Of Pi Lincoln Skyfall COSTUME DESIGN Anna Karenina Great Expectations Les Mis�ables Lincoln Snow White and the Huntsman MAKE UP & HAIR Anna Karenina Hitchcock The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Les Mis�ables Lincoln SOUND Django Unchained The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Les Mis�ables Life Of Pi Skyfall SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS The Dark Knight Rises The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Life Of Pi Marvel Avengers Assemble Prometheus SHORT ANIMATION Here to Fall I'm Fine Thanks The Making of Longbird SHORT FILM The Curse Good Night Swimmer Tumult The Voorman Problem THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public) Elizabeth Olsen Andrea Riseborough Suraj Sharma Juno Temple Alicia Vikander
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