The British Academy Film Award nominations were announced today, and it's a list with some surprises. Leading the pack with 11 nominations each were **Slumdog Millionaire **and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, but close behind are The Dark Knight with nine nods (mostly in the technical categories) and Changeling, with eight.
After that comes Frost/Nixon with six, **The Reader **with five and, with four apiece, Milk, In Bruges and Revolutionary Road.
Slumdog's nominations include Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Best Director, Leading Actor for Dev Patel and Supporting Actress for Freida Pinto. Benjamin Button is nominated, amongst other things, for Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor for Brad Pitt, who's also got a Supporting Actor nod for Burn After Reading.
Kate Winslet also lands a double nomination, with Leading Actress nods for The Reader and Revolutionary Road, BAFTA obviously deciding that the first one counts as a lead role even at the risk of splitting the Winslet vote.
Among the other surprises, In Bruges picked up four nominations, including one for Brendan Gleeson but none for Globe winner Colin Farrell, and is up for Outstanding British Film despite those involved being mostly Irish.
BAFTA clearly liked Changeling and The Reader more than most awards shows to date, but in general there's a decent spread among the nominees, and a list that we can be proud of. And take note, Academy voters: BAFTA nominated Gomorrah for Best Film Not In The English Language. See, it's not that difficult.
The full list of nominees is below, meanwhile voting is open for the Orange Rising Star award and you can cast your vote here. The British Academy Film Awards will take place on February 8 in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
FROST/NIXON
MILK
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER
IN BRUGES
MAMMA MIA!
MAN ON WIRE
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN Milk
BRAD PITT The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE The Wrestler
LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP Doubt
KATE WINSLET The Reader
KATE WINSLET Revolutionary Road
SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN Doubt
HEATH LEDGER The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT Burn After Reading
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI The Wrestler
THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
SIMON CHINN Producer – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER Producer – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS Writer – Son of Rambow
STEVE McQUEEN Director/Writer – Hunger
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS / ROY BOULTER Producers – Of Time And The City
DIRECTOR
CHANGELING Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON David Fincher
FROST/NIXON Ron Howard
THE READER Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Danny Boyle
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING Joel Coen / Ethan Coen
CHANGELING J. Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG Philippe Claudel
IN BRUGES Martin McDonagh
MILK Dustin Lance Black
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON Peter Morgan
THE READER David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE Simon Beaufoy
**FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE **
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX
GOMORRAH
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
PERSEPOLIS
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS
WALL•E
WALTZ WITH BASHIR
MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON Alexandre Desplat THE DARK KNIGHT Hans Zimmer / James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! Benny Andersson / Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE A. R. Rahman
WALL•E Thomas Newman
CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE READER
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
**EDITING **
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
IN BRUGES
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
COSTUME DESIGN
CHANGELING
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
SOUND
CHANGELING
THE DARK KNIGHT
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
SLUMDOG MILLIONARE
WALL•E
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
IRON MAN
QUANTUM OF SOLACE
MAKE UP & HAIR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
THE DUCHESS
FROST/NIXON
MILK
**SHORT ANIMATION **
CODSWALLOP
VARMINTS
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH
SHORT FILM
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER
LOVE YOU MORE
RALPH
SEPTEMBER
VOYAGES D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP)