By Ray Bennett
US crime thriller “Drive” and UK espionage mystery “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’ claimed six spots to top the nominations for the 32nd London Film Critics’ Circle Awards.
Nominations for “Drive”, released in the UK by Icon, included best film and best director for Denmark’s Nicolas Winding Refn plus best actor for star Ryan Gosling (pictured), best supporting actor for Albert Brooks, technical achievement for composer Cliff Martinez, and best British actress for Carey Mulligan, who also was cited for “Shame”.
Nominations for “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”, released here by StudioCanal, were for film, British film, actor and British actor for Gary Oldman, screenwriter for Peter Staughan and the late Bridget O’Connor, and technical achievement for production designer Maria Djurkovic.
Artificial Eye had two films with five nominations apiece. Iran drama “A Separation” picked up five nominations: film, foreign-language film, director and screenwriter for Asghar Farhadi, and supporting actress for Sareh Bayat.
Domestic drama “We Need To Talk About Kevin” received nods for British film, director for Lynn Ramsay, actress and British actress for Tilda Swinton, and technical achievement for sound designer Paul Davies.
Entertainment’s silent black-and-white comedy “The Artist” earned four nominations: film, director and screenwriter for Michael Hazanavicius, and actor for Jean Dujardin.
Momentum’s story of sex addiction in New York, “Shame”, also picked up four: British film, actor and British actor for Michael Fassbender, plus Mulligan.
George Clooney rounded out the best actor category for “The Descendants” while Kirsten Dunst (“Melancholia”), Anna Paquin (“Margaret”), Meryl Streep (“The Iron Lady”) and Michelle Williams (“My Week With Marilyn’) also were nominated for best actress.
London Film Critics’ Circle Chairman Jason Solomons praised what he termed “the breadth, intelligence and style” of the choices: “This is the surely classiest set of nominations around this year with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories.”
The winners will be named at a ceremony at BFI Southbank on Jan. 19. A complete list of nominees follows:
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 (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: EXCELLENCE IN FILM
Nicolas Roeg
NB. The British categories refer to the British Isles, and therefore films, filmmakers, actors and actresses from both the UK and Ireland are eligible.
This story appeared in Cue Entertainment.