‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ Leads BAFTA Awards Nominations

The Grand Budapest Hotel emerged as the top contender for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards on Friday.

The oddball comedy, starring Ralph Fiennes, lead the charge with 11 nominations as the shortlist was announced by the ceremony’s host Stephen Fry and Hunger Games star Sam Claflin in London.

The Theory of Everything and Birdman closely followed with ten nominations, and all three movies will go head-to-head for the coveted Best Film prize, alongside The Imitation Game and Boyhood, which both received a host of nods.

The Grand Budapest Hotel also picked up a Leading Actor nomination for Fiennes, Director and Original Screenplay nods for Wes Anderson, and mentions in multiple technical categories including Music, Costume Design and Cinematography.

The Theory of Everything will also compete in the Best Leading Actor category for Eddie Redmayne, leading actress for Felicity Jones, Best British Film, Best Director for James Marsh, and Best Adapted Screenplay, while Birdman’s Michael Keaton received another awards season nomination. The film’s director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu earned a nod, as did supporting actors Edward Norton and Emma Stone.

The lead actor category is completed by Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler) and Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), while other contenders for the female counterpart include Reese Witherspoon (Wild), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Julianne Moore (Still Alice) and Amy Adams (Big Eyes).

Further nominees for best director are Richard Linklater for Boyhood and Damien Chazelle for Whiplash.

Pride, Paddington, The Imitation Game, ’71 and Under the Skin will compete for the Outstanding British Film title.

The winners will be announced at London’s Royal Opera House on February 08. The show will be hosted by Fry.

The main nominees are as follows:

Best Film:
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Boyhood

Best Leading Actor:
Michael Keaton – Birdman
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler
Eddie Redmayne – The Theory of Everything
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest Hotel

Best Leading Actress:
Felicity Jones – The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore – Still Alice
Rosamund Pike – Gone Girl
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Amy Adams – Big Eyes

Best Supporting Actor:
Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
Ethan Hawke – Boyhood
Edward Norton – Birdman
Mark Ruffalo – Foxcatcher
J.K. Simmons – Whiplash

Best Supporting Actress:
Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
Keira Knightley – The Imitation Game
Emma Stone – Birdman
Rene Russo – Nightcrawler
Imelda Staunton – Pride

EE Rising Star Award:
Jack O’Connell
Margot Robbie
Shailene Woodley
Miles Teller
Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Outstanding British Film:
The Theory of Everything
The Imitation Game
’71
Paddington
Pride
Under the Skin

Best Director:
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu – Birdman
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
James Marsh – The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash

Best Original Screenplay:
Richard Linklater – Boyhood
Wes Anderson – The Grand Budapest Hotel
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr. and Armando Bo – Birdman
Damien Chazelle – Whiplash
Dan Gilroy – Nightcrawler

Best Adapted Screenplay:
Gillian Flynn – Gone Girl
Graham Moore – The Imitation Game
Jason Hall – American Sniper
Paul King – Paddington
Anthony McCarten – The Theory of Everything

Best Animated Film:
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie

Photo Credit: FOX Searchlight Pictures