The nominations for the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards have been announced, and leading the race is Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi "Gravity" with 11 nods, including Best Film, Best Director and Leading Actress (Sandra Bullock).
In the nominations list "Gravity" is closely followed by "12 Years a Slave" and "American Hustle"; both with 10 nominations each across the major categories. The selected movies are already seen as close contenders for the Oscars as well.
Captain Phillips has nine nominations, while both Behind the Candelabra and Saving Mr. Banks have been nominated in five categories. Philomena, Rush and The Wolf of Wall Street have four nominations, while Blue Jasmine, The Great Gatsby, Inside Llewyn Davis and Nebraska have each been nominated in three categories. The Act of Killing, The Butler and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug have two nominations apiece.
While there was much expectation from Idris Elba for his role as the late Nelson Mandela in "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom", the actor failed to receive the nomination, as has his co-star Naomie Harris. However, the Brit has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance.
Often the BAFTA Awards seem to pre-announce some of the best movies for Oscars as it has happened in the past. The BAFTA winner always end up finding its place in Oscars as well. In the past, the BAFTAs had foreseen seven of the 12 Best Picture Oscar winners: "Gladiator" (2000), "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003), "Slumdog Millionaire" (2008), "The Hurt Locker" (2009), "The King's Speech" (2010), "The Artist" (2011) and "Argo" (2012). Will this year be any different? But for that and much more, there is a small wait.
The 67th British Academy Film Awards will take place on Sunday 16 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One and BBC One HD, preceded by a red carpet show on BBC Three. The ceremony is also broadcast in all major territories around the world.
In the meantime, the voting for Oscar nominations will close today, 8 January, at 5 pm. The 86th Academy Awards' nominations will be announced on Thursday, 16 January, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Los Angeles.
Watch nomination announcement below:
See the full list of 2014 BAFTA nominations here:
