BAFTA Film Nominees Announced Today

Eddie Redmayne with his 2015 BAFTA Award

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts, commonly known as BAFTA, announced its nominees for film awards this morning in London, with Stephen Fry and Gugu Mbatha-Raw doing the honors.

So who's up for a BAFTA? Alicia Vikander nabbed nominations in both the leading and supporting actress categories for her work in The Danish Girl and Ex Machina, while Bridge of Spies, a Cold War spy and diplomacy drama starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg, emerged as a front-runner with nine nominations, matching the total for Carol, also a historical drama, but of a very different kind. Cate Blanchett stars as a woman in the midst of a difficult divorce in 1952 who meets a beautiful young shopgirl (Rooney Mara), changing her life and threatening custody of her child. Alejandro Innarritu's The Revenant, a story of Old West survival against overwhelming odds (and a bear) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, scored eight nominations, with female-centric futuristic dystopia Mad Max: Fury Road right behind with seven.

One interesting note: Director Ridley Scott was nominated for The Martian, even though the film itself didn't get a Best Film nod. Scott edged out Spotlight director Tom McCarthy. That film made the grade with a Best Film nomination, but McCarthy's direction was not chosen for the spotlight. (Sorry for the pun -- I couldn't help myself.) Spotlight, The Big Short and Trumbo have not been released in Britain yet, so Academy voters are presumably looking at screeners rather than seeing them on the big screen. That could make a difference in how those films are received.

It's also interesting that none of the British Academy's Outstanding British Film nominees cracked the overall Best Film list.

Here are the nominees in BAFTA's major awards categories:

BEST FILM
The Big Short
Bridge Of Spies
The Revenant
Carol
Spotlight

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
45 Years
Amy
Brooklyn
The Danish Girl
Ex Machina
The Lobster

DIRECTOR
Adam McKay, The Big Short
Steven Spielberg, Bridge Of Spies
Todd Haynes, Carol
 Ridley Scott, The Martian
Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant

LEADING ACTRESS
Brie Larson, Room
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Maggie Smith, The Lady In The Van

LEADING ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Matt Damon, The Martian
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Rooney Mara, Carol
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Julie Walters, Brooklyn

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Idris Elba, Beasts Of No Nation
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The Assassin
Force Majeure
Theeb
Timbuktu;
Wild Tales

DOCUMENTARY
Amy
Cartel Land
He Named Me Malala
Listen To Me Marlon
Sherpa

ANIMATED FILM
Inside Out
Minions
Shaun The Sheep

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bridge Of Spies
Ex Machina
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Spotlight

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
Room
Steve Jobs

The British Academy will present its awards on Sunday, February 14 at the Royal Opera House in London. Stephen Fry is set to host the ceremony, which is broadcast in England on BBC One. In the US, you should be able to find it on BBC America, with red carpet coverage streaming on the BAFTA website.