The 32nd annual London Critics’ Circle Film Awards nominations list, which is voted for by 120 UK film critics, broadcasters and writers, has been released.
Tomas Alfredson's adaptation of the Cold War spy thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is the only British film among the five titles nominated for Best Film. Despite being snubbed by the Golden Globes, the film will compete against the year's other award favourites, which include The Artist and Drive.
Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life, which strongly divided critics when it was first shown in Cannes earlier this year, is also up for the big award, as is the Iranian film 'A Separation', which grossed less than £200,000 at the UK box office. Asghar Farhadi’s family drama, which has received five nominations, won the 2011 Golden Bear award, the lead honours at the Berlin Film Festival.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy star Gary Oldman has two acting nominations, Actor of the Year and British Actor of the Year. The film has three other nominations, including British Film of the Year, Screenwriter of the Year, and The Sky 3D Award for Technical Achievement.
Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, is nominated for Director of the Year, Actor of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year, The Moët & Chandon Award for British Actress of the Year and The Sky 3D Award for Technical Achievement.
Lynne Ramsay’s We Need to Talk About Kevin has received five nominations each whilst Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist and Steve McQueen’s Shame have received four each.
Chairman of the London Critics’ Circle, Jason Solomons, commented: “I am proud of the breadth, intelligence and style of the choices the London critics have made, honouring the richness of world cinema and the fresh, cool takes on classic movie genres seen in films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive and The Artist.
"This is the surely classiest set of nominations around this year, with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories.”
“I’m also thrilled that a London movie such as Tinker Tailor and the magnetism of its central performance by London icon Gary Oldman has been rightfully recognised with so many nominations across different categories."
Veteran British director Nicolas Roeg will receive the Circle’s special honours, The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film to veteran film maker, joining the illustrious company of Dirk Bogarde, Richard Attenborough, Julie Walters, Judi Dench, Quentin Tarantino and Kristin Scott Thomas.
The London Critics' Circle Film Awards, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, will take place on Thursday 19 January at BFI Southbank.
FILM OF THE YEAR
The Artist (Entertainment)
Drive (Icon)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
The Tree of Life (Fox)
The Attenborough Award: BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
The Guard (StudioCanal)
Kill List (StudioCanal)
Shame (Momentum)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Mysteries of Lisbon (New Wave)
Poetry (ICO/Arrow)
Le Quattro Volte (New Wave)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse)
Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof)
Pina (Artificial Eye)
Project Nim (Icon)
Senna (Universal)
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (Fox)
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive (Icon)
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)
Kenneth Lonergan – Margaret (Fox)
Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash – The Descendants (Fox)
The Virgin Atlantic Award: BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILM-MAKER
Richard Ayoade – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)
Joe Cornish – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)
Andrew Haigh – Weekend (Peccadillo)
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard (StudioCanal)
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
George Clooney – The Descendants (Fox)
Jean Dujardin – The Artist (Entertainment)
Michael Fassbender – Shame (Momentum)
Ryan Gosling – Drive (Icon)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)
Anna Paquin – Margaret (Fox)
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Simon Russell Beale – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)
Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)
Albert Brooks – Drive (Icon)
Christopher Plummer – Beginners (Universal)
Michael Smiley – Kill List (StudioCanal)
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Sareh Bayat – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Jessica Chastain – The Help (Disney)
Vanessa Redgrave – Coriolanus (Lionsgate)
Octavia Spencer – The Help (Disney)
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom (StudioCanal)
BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Cullen – Weekend (Peccadillo)
Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method (Lionsgate), Shame (Momentum)
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard (StudioCanal)
Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal), War Horse (Disney)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
The Moët & Chandon Award: BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)
Carey Mulligan – Drive (Icon), Shame (Momentum)
Vanessa Redgrave – Anonymous (Sony), Coriolanus (Lionsgate)
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)
YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER OF THE YEAR
John Boyega – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)
Jeremy Irvine – War Horse (Disney)
Yasmin Paige – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Craig Roberts – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Saoirse Ronan – Hanna (Universal)
The Sky 3D Award: TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematography – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)
Paul Davies, sound design – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Maria Djurkovic, production design – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
Dante Ferretti, production design – Hugo (Entertainment)
Alberto Iglesias, original score – The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)
Chris King & Gregers Sall, editing – Senna (Universal)
Joe Letteri, visual effects – Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Fox)
Cliff Martinez, original score – Drive (Icon)
Robert Richardson, cinematography – Hugo (Entertainment)
Robbie Ryan, cinematography – Wuthering Heights (Artificial Eye)
The Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film
Nicolas Roeg
