LONDON // Wes Anderson's stylish comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel led the pack with 11 nominations on Friday for the Baftas, the British film gongs that often signal Oscar success.
One of the nominations is in the best film category, where it is up against Birdman, Boyhood, The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game.
Dark comedy Birdman, which is tipped for glory at the Golden Globes this weekend, and Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything both received 10 nominations.
Anderson was nominated in the best director and original screenplay categories for The Grand Budapest Hotel , a touching story of a concierge and his employee for which Ralph Fiennes also receives a best actor nod.
Birdman was also nominated for best director for Alejandro G Inarritu, best actor for Michael Keaton as a washed-up movie actor, and best supporting actor and actress for Edward Norton and Emma Stone.
Eddie Redmayne gets his first Bafta nod for playing the disabled astrophysicist Hawking in The Theory of Everything, while his co-star Felicity Jones is nominated in the leading actress category.
He is up against Benedict Cumberbatch for his role as another troubled British genius, mathematician Alan Turing in The Imitation Game, while his co-star Keira Knightley, is nominated for best supporting actress.
Redmayne and Cumberbatch are up against Nightcrawler Jake Gyllenhaal, Keaton and Fiennes for leading actor.
In the leading actress category, Jones is competing against Reece Witherspoon in Wild, Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl, Amy Adams in Big Eyes and Julianne Moore in Still Alice.
The main nominations:
Best film:
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Outstanding British film
71
The Imitation Game
Paddington
Pride
The Theory of Everything
Under the Skin
Best director
Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman
Richard Linklater for Boyhood
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
James Marsh for The Theory of Everything
Damien Chazelle for Whiplash
Leading actor
Benedict Cumberbatch for The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything
Jake Gyllenhaal for Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton for Birdman
Ralph Fiennes for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Leading actress
Amy Adams for Big Eyes
Felicity Jones for The Theory of Everything
Julianne Moore for Still Alice
Reece Witherspoon for Wild
Rosamund Pike for Gone Girl
Supporting actor
Edward Norton for Birdman
Ethan Hawke for Boyhood
JK Simmons for Whiplash
Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher
Steve Carell for Foxcatcher
Supporting actress
Emma Stone for Birdman
Imelda Staunton for Pride
Keira Knightley for The Imitation Game
Patricia Arquette for Boyhood
Rene Russo for Nightcrawler
* Agence France-Presse
