BAFTA 2011: sense and insensibility

The King’s Speech: 14 BAFTA nominations from 15 longlist noms. The Social Network: 6 noms from 13 longlist noms. As ever, BAFTA goes its own way: in the wake of the Golden Globes, that ceremony’s big winner, the Facebook movie, is not friends with BAFTA.

The King’s Speech enters the BAFTAs as the outstanding favourite for the Best Film and Best Actor, propelled by its status as a genuine box-office hit (already just weekends into its run its overtaken expensive summer action fodder like The A-Team), beloved by the people and the critics alike. And at this stage, Best Supporting Actress is clearly a battle royale between HBC and Lesley Manville in Another Year.

The Facebook movie is headed by Black Swan (12 from 15), Inception (nine from 14), and 127 Hours and True Grit (with eight each, from eight in the latter’s case). More controversial than The Social Network’s relative failure are the following shock lock-outs and surprising omissions:
• The Coens are not nominated for Best Director for True Grit
• Danny Boyle is nominated for Best Director for 127 Hours, but the film is only up for Best British Film
• Never Let Me Go has no noms
• The Fighter – only three noms from 12 and Golden Globe winner Melissa Leo falling at the first handle
• Made In Dagenham – only four from 14
• Jennifer Lawrence – no nom for Winter’s Bone
• Neither Ryan Gosling nor Michelle Williams, the outstanding stars of Blue Valentine, are shortlisted
• Tilda Swinton ignored for I Am Love
• Nicole Kidman ignored for Rabbit Hole
• Jeremy Renner passed by for The Town, but his deceased partner in crime Pete Postlethwaite does pass muster
• The Town – 11 mentions on the longlist, just one on the shortlist

The good surprises are few:
• Gareth Edwards, the writer/director of Monsters, shortlisted for Outstanding Debut
• Noomi Rapace, Best Actress for her Dragon Tattoo
• Miranda Richardson, Best Supporting Actress for Made In Dagenham

The winners will be revealed on 13 February.

The key categories in full are:

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

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 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

ANIMATED FILM

DESPICABLE ME
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON
TOY STORY 3