`The Artist` gets 12 nods, leads BAFTA nominations

Los Angeles: After picking up the maximum awards at the 69th Golden Globes, Silent French film ‘The Artist’ is leading the nomination pack of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) with 12 nominations, including best film.

Tomas Alfredson`s ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ is close behind with 10 nominations and Martin Scorsese`s "Hugo" follows with nine nominations. Apart from the best film, "The Artist" has won nomination for best director, best original screenplay for Michel Hazanavicius, lead actor for Jean Dujardin, lead actress for Berenice Bejo, best original music for Ludovic Bource. The film has also been nominated in the best cinematography, best editing, production design, costume design, sound and make up and hair. Set in 1927, "The Artist" is about a silent movie star George Valentin who fears whether the arrival of talking pictures will cause him to fade into oblivion. "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" has been nominated in the best film, outstanding British film, best director, adapted screenplay, leading actor, original music, cinematography, production design, costume design and sound categories. Other films nominated in the best film category are "The Descendants", "Drive" and "The Help". Martin Socersese is vying for the best director award for "Hugo" along with Nicolas Winding Refn for "Drive", Tomas Alfredson for "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", Lynne Ramsay for "We Need To Talk About Kevin". "Hugo" has also been nominated for original music, cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, sound, special visual effects and make up and hair. George Clooney, who won the best actor Golden Globe award for "The Descendents", has been nominated for the same in BAFTA. Others nominated in the leading actor category are Brad Pitt for "Moneyball", Michael Fastbender for "Shame" and Gary Oldman "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy". In the best actress category Meryl Steep for "The Iron Lady", Michelle Williams for "My Week With Marilyn", Viola Davis for "The Help", and Tilda Swinton for "We Need To Talk About Kevin" have been nominated. The actresses vying for the best supporting actress category are Carey Mulligan for "Shame", Jessica Chastain for "The Help", Judi Dench for "My Week With Marilyn", Melissa McCarthy for "Bridesmaids" and Octavia Spencer again for "The Help", the nominations for best supporting actors are Christopher Plummer for "Beginners", Jim Broadbent for "The Iron Lady", Jonah Hill for "Moneyball", Kenneth Branagh for "My Week With Marilyn", Philip Seymour Hoffman for "The Ides Of March". In the Outstanding British Film "My Week With Marilyn", "Senna", "Shame", "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy", "We Need To Talk About Kevin" have been nominated. Steven Spielberg`s "The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn" has been nominated in the best animated film category alongside "Arthur Christmas" and "Rango". IANS