'Carol' and 'Bridge of Spies' have nine nominations apiece, as Redmayne picks up his second nomination for Best Actor in consecutive years.
Last year’s Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne has received his second BAFTA nod in as many years for his star turn in The Danish Girl, with Bridge of Spies and Carol leading the 2016 BAFTA nominations with appearances in nine categories each.
Todd Haynes’ 1950s-set lesbian romance Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, is jockeying with Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama that features Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in the most categories. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who missed out on the Best Film last year for Birdman, is back in contention with The Revenant which has eight nominations.
Mad Max: Fury Road, which saw director George Miller return after a lengthy absence, has seven nominations, while Ridley Scott’s The Martian and British film Brooklyn received six. All with five nods were The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex-Machina. Alicia Vikander, who features in both of the latter two movies, is up for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her respective roles.
'Carol' picked up 9 nominations for the 2016 BAFTAs
Also included in the Best Actress stakes are Maggie Smith for The Lady in the Van, Cate Blanchett for Carol and Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn. In the Best Actor category, British star Redmayne has scooped another nomination following his triumph last year in The Theory of Everything, and his competitors include Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant, Michael Fassbender for Steve Jobs, and some more unexpected nods in the shape of Matt Damon (The Martian) and Bryan Cranston (Trumbo).
As for the much sought-after Best Film, the five nominations this year are The Big Short, Bridge of Spies, Carol, The Revenant and Spotlight. Two hotly-tipped Oscar contenders in the shape of Son of Saul and Anomalisa, however, are not eligible for the BAFTAs because of their March release dates in the UK.
'Bridge of Spies' also has 9 nominations
Some surprising omissions included Jennifer Lawrence’s latest David O. Russell collaboration Joy, which failed to secure any nominations at all, and Charlotte Rampling’s universally praised performance in 45 Years which was overlooked.
That movie does, however, feature in the Outstanding British Film category, alongside Asif Kapadia’s Winehouse documentary Amy, plus Brooklyn, The Danish Girl, Ex-Machina and the surreal comedy The Lobster.
The announcement was made in London on Friday morning (January 8th) by Stephen Fry, who is returning to host once again. The awards themselves take place on February 14th.
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