The Shape of Water leads the race for British Academy Awards with 12 nominations
Other front runners include Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Darkest Hour with nine nominations, and Dunkirk and Blade Runner 2049 with eight nominations at the awards that often indicate likely Oscar winners
Cold war monster film The Shape of Water leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, the British equivalent of the Oscars. Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical thriller scored nominations in 12 categories, including best picture and best director.
Other multiple nominees include sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049 and second world war drama Dunkirk , with eight each. Figure-skating showdown I, Tonya has five.
Oscars 2018: the main contenders in Academy Awards race that looks to be the most open in years
Best picture nominees are The Shape of Water, Three Billboards, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk and Call Me by Your Name.
Best actress nominees are Annette Bening for Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Frances McDormand for Three Billboards, Margot Robbie for I, Tonya, Sally Hawkins for The Shape of Water and Saoirse Ronan for Lady Bird.
Best actor contenders are Daniel Day-Lewis for Phantom Thread, Gary Oldman for Darkest Hour, Daniel Kaluuya for Get Out , Jamie Bell for Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool and Timothee Chalamet for Call Me By Your Name.
Winners of the British prizes will be announced at London’s Royal Albert Hall on February 18, two weeks before the Oscars.
The ceremony will be hosted by Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley, who is taking over from long-time master of ceremonies Stephen Fry.
