One day ahead of this afternoon’s Oscar nominations, Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln confirmed its status as favourite by securing 10 nominations at the British Academy Film Awards (Baftas).
The historical epic, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as Abraham Lincoln, led the pack, but – in a strange turn-up – Spielberg failed to secure recognition for best director. The second most nominated films, with nine nods apiece, were Ang Lee’s Life of Pi and Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables. Life of Pi, an adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, has been a word-of-mouth smash. Hooper’s musical opens on Friday.
Irish short film-makers received recognition for their work with Kris Kelly’s Here to Fall and Eamonn O’Neill’s I’m Fine Thanks getting nominations in the best short animation race. London-Irish film-maker Martin McDonagh’s Seven Psychopaths was nominated for best British film.
There were few big surprises in the list. Many observers had, however, expected Skyfall, the latest James Bond film, to receive mentions for best picture and best actor but Sam Mendes’s picture had to settle for a place in the best British film shortlist alongside a further seven nominations. Judi Dench and Javier Bardem were mentioned in the supporting actor categories, but Daniel Craig was absent.
Day-Lewis is strong favourite to take the best actor prize and go on to become the only man to win three best actor Oscars. The race for best actress is harder to call: Jennifer Lawrence, mentioned for Silver Linings Playbook, is strong, but Emmanuelle Riva (85) could win for Amour.
