BAFTA noms: Slumdog rollercoaster continues

BAFTA continued its mild eccentricity and desire to buck the trend with eclectic nominations. Slumdog Millionaire and Benjamin Button lead with 11 noms each - but some of those noms are surprising. For instance, Dev Patel and Freida Pinto have been recognised by the Academy in Slumdog, but Cate Blanchett in Button has not. At the moment, Slumdog must be the hot favourite for Film, Director, Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography.

Next most-nominated is The Dark Knight with 9 nods - but only one major, inevitably for the late Heath Ledger. Changeling picked up 8, including Best Director for Clint Eastwood, Leading Actress for Angelina Jolie and JMS's script, plus a slew of technical and craft nods; however, it was not nominated for Best Film, effectively losing out to Milk, which is otherwise recognised only for Sean Penn (Leading Actor) and the script.

Frost/Nixon picked up 6 nods - but Michael Sheen failed to secure a nod. The Reader followed on 5. Doubt's powerhouse cast all secured nods, while Brit-flicks In Bruges (4) and Hunger (2) both did well. Burn After Reading secured a surprise 3.

The Wrestler only garnered 2 noms (for Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei). Thankfully Woody Allen's awful VCB only got 1 nod.

The Kate Winslet steamroller continued - but she can't win 2 BAFTAs as she's up against herself in the Leading Actress category (whereas at the Globes she was in two different categories). Brad Pitt also picked up 2 nods for Button and Burn After Reading.

Aside from the Slumdog-favoured categories, look to In Bruges of Hunger taking British Film, Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler, a Heath Ledger v Philip Seymour Hoffman battle for Supporting Actor, and Tilda Swinton to take Supporting Actress. Leading Actress is tough to call: Kate could cancel herself out, leaving the way open...

The BAFTAs are announced on 8 February. For the record, the Oscar noms are Thursday 22 January.

Best Film
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

Best British Film
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Man On Wire
Slumdog Millionaire

Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Milllionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Leading Actor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Leading Actress
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Kristen Scott Thomas - I've Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Supporting Actor
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Brad Pitt - Burn After Reading
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton - Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Original screenplay
Burn After Reading
In Bruges
I've Loved You So Long
Milk
Changeling

Adapted Screenplay
The Curious case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

The Carl Foreman award for special achievement by a British director, writer or producer for their first feature film
Simon Chinn (producer) - Man On Wire
Judy Craymer (producer) - Mamma Mia!
Garth Jennings (writer) - Son of Rambow
Steve McQueen (director/writer) - Hunger
Solon Papadopoulos, Roy Boulter (producers) - Of Time And The City

Film not in the English language
The Baader Meinhof Complex
Gomorrah
I've Loved You So Long
Persepolis
Waltz With Bashir

Animated Film
Persepolis
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir

Music
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Mamma Mia!
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E

Cinematography
Tom Stern - Changeling
Claudio Miranda = The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
Chris Menges, Roger Deakins - The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

Editing
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixo
In Bruges
Slumdog Millionaire

Production design
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Costume design
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

Sound
Changeling
The Dark Knight
Quantum Of Solace
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall E

Special visual effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Quantum Of Solace

Make-up and hair
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Frost/Nixon
Milk