The King's Speech leads the way with 14 Bafta nominations

Published on Tuesday 18 January 2011 12:39

BRITISH movie The King's Speech is expected to reign at the Baftas after topping the nominations list for the film awards.

• Colin Firth in The King's Speech

The story of King George VI's attempt to overcome his stutter is in the running for the most coveted prizes, including best film and director as well as actor for Colin Firth, at next month's ceremony.

Firth's co-stars, Geoffrey Rush, who plays the monarch's speech therapist, and Helena Bonham Carter as Queen Elizabeth, are nominated in the supporting actor and actress categories.

News of the film's 14 nominations follows disappointment at the Golden Globes, where the royal drama, directed by Briton Tom Hooper, took only one - Firth won best actor - of the seven awards it had been contending for.

Other nominations see Pete Postlethwaite, who died last month at the age of 64 after a battle with cancer, posthumously nominated for supporting actor. The late star is nominated for what was one of his last roles, as an Irish florist in Ben Affleck gangster film The Town.

Black Swan, a psychological thriller set in the world of ballet, is just behind The King's speech with 12 nominations, including best film, best director for Darren Aronofsky and best actress for Natalie Portman.

One of Portman's rivals is 14-year-old former unknown Hailee Steinfeld - the US teenager won the part in the Coen brothers Western, True Grit, following an open casting call.

Annette Bening and Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right), and Swedish actress Noomi Rapace (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) are also up for best actress.

In the best director category, Black Swan and The King's Speech are up against Slumdog Millionaire filmmaker Danny Boyle for rock-climbing drama 127 Hours, Christopher Nolan for his thriller Inception, and David Fincher for The Social Network, about the founding of Facebook.

Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has nine nominations, 127 Hours and True Grit are in eight categories, and The Social Network, which dominated the Golden Globes, is up for six gongs.

The King's Speech and Black Swan are up against Inception, The Social Network and True Grit for best film.

FULL LIST OF BAFTA NOMINEES

BEST FILM

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

True Grit

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

127 Hours

Another Year

Four Lions

The King's Speech

Made In Dagenham

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

The Arbor: Clio Barnard (director), Tracy O'Riordan (producer)

Exit Through The Gift Shop: Banksy (director), Jaimie D'Cruz (producer)

Four Lions: Chris Morris (director/writer)

Monsters: Gareth Edwards (director/writer)

Skeletons: Nick Whitfield (director/writer)

DIRECTOR

127 Hours, Danny Boyle

Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky

Inception, Christopher Nolan

The King's Speech, Tom Hooper

The Social Network, David Fincher

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Black Swan

The Fighter

Inception

The Kids Are All Right

The King's Speech

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

127 Hours

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Social Network

Toy Story 3

True Grit

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Biutiful

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I Am Love

Of Gods And Men

The Secret In Their Eyes

ANIMATED FILM

Despicable Me

How To Train Your Dragon

Toy Story 3

LEADING ACTOR

Javier Bardem, Biutiful

Jeff Bridges, True Grit

Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Colin Firth, The King's Speech

James Franco, 127 Hours

LEADING ACTRESS

Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right

Julianne Moore, The Kids Are All Right

Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Noomi Rapace, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale, The Fighter

Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

Pete Postlethwaite, The Town

Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right

Geoffrey Rush, The King's Speech

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams, The Fighter

Helena Bonham Carter, The King's Speech

Barbara Hershey, Black Swan

Lesley Manville, Another Year

Miranda Richardson, Made in Dagenham

ORIGINAL MUSIC

127 Hours

Alice In Wonderland

How To Train Your Dragon

Inception

The King's Speech

CINEMATOGRAPHY

127 Hours

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

EDITING

127 Hours

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

The Social Network

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Alice In Wonderland

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

COSTUME DESIGN

Alice In Wonderland

Black Swan

The King's Speech

Made In Dagenham

True Grit

SOUND

127 Hours

Black Swan

Inception

The King's Speech

True Grit

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

Alice In Wonderland

Black Swan

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1

Inception

Toy Story 3

MAKE UP AND HAIR

Alice In Wonderland

Black Swan

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1

The King's Speech

Made In Dagenham

SHORT ANIMATION

The Eagleman Stag

Matter Fisher

Thursday

SHORT FILM

Connect

Lin

Rite

Turning

Until The River Runs Red

THE ORANGE WEDNESDAYS RISING STAR AWARD

(voted for by the public)

Gemma Arterton

Andrew Garfield

Tom Hardy

Aaron Johnson

Emma Stone