'The Shape Of Water' leads BAFTA nominations

"The Shape Of Water", an American dark fantasy drama film directed by Guillermo del Toro, leads the nominations for the British Academy Film Awards 2018, to be hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) with 12 nods.

The nominations were announced here on Tuesday, according to a statement on the official BAFTA website.

"Darkest Hour" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" have both received nine nominations while "Blade Runner 2049" and "Dunkirk" have tied at eight.

"I, Tonya" has received five nominations, "Call Me by Your Name" and "Phantom Thread" have four each and "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", "Lady Bird" and "Paddington 2" have been nominated in three categories each.

Four other feature films have received one nomination each: "Molly's Game" for Adapted Screenplay, "War for the Planet of the Apes" for Special Visual Effects and "Victoria & Abdul" and "Wonder" both for Make-up and Hair.

"The Shape of Water" is nominated for Best Film, Original Music, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Sound, Editing and Special Visual Effects.

Toro, who won Best Director at the 75th Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, is nominated for both Director and Original Screenplay while Sally Hawkins is running for Leading Actress and Octavia Spencer for Supporting Actress.

The nominations for Film Not in the English Language are "Elle", "First They Killed My Father", "The Handmaiden", "Loveless" and "The Salesman".

In the Animated Film category, competitors are "Coco", "Loving Vincent" and "My Life as a Courgette". The nominations in the Documentary category are "City of Ghosts", "I Am Not Your Negro", "Icarus", "An Inconvenient Sequel" and "Jane".

Daniel Kaluuya and Timothee Chalamet, both of whom are competing in the Leading Actor category, are also nominated for the EE Rising Star Award.

Their fellow nominees are Tessa Thompson, Florence Pugh, and Josh O'Connor.

This audience award is voted for by the British public and presented to an actress or actor who has demonstrated exceptional talent and has begun to capture the imagination of the public.

The BAFTA Awards will be held on February 18 at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Joanna Lumley.

--IANS

rb/mr