BAFTA longlists, foreign film and Rising Star nominations announced

Following a somewhat weird but deeply-rooted custom, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced the longlist of entries after the first round of members' voting for the BAFTA. The longlist (see below) is the list of 15 names from which members of the British Academy will pick the final nominees that will be announced next Tuesday, January 18.

Apart from killing a good deal of the suspense and excitement, I don't see the point in the announcement, especially because the top five selections in each category are marked with an asterisk in the longlist. The final nominees are not likely to differ largely from that selection from round one.

Just a couple of comments on the longlist selections. I was surprised to see the ubiquitous presence of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Members of the British Academy have included the Swedish film in virtually every main and technical category, including best film, director, screenplay and actress. None of them, admittedly, makes the top five so it might well end up being totally snubbed. However, I have the feeling Noomi Rapace might pull off a surprise nomination over Julianne Moore or Carey Mulligan, who appear in the list with an asterisk.

It is also striking that the British Academy may solve the Lesley Manville category placement problem with the inclusion of the actress in the supporting category. It could be an indication of what AMPAS members might do, come Oscar time.

There are also a couple of simply hilarious selections. Ellen Page appears in the longlist for best supporting actress for her performance in Inception, maybe the unluckiest casting decision of the year. There have been worse turns in 2010, like Johny Depp's and Helena Bonham-Carter in Alice in Wonderland, and yet both have been longlisted as best actor and supporting actress, respectively.

The British Academy has also announced the final nominees in the Foreign Film category ahead of the announcement of nominations in all other categories. In the official press release, the Academy justifies its choice noting that "early announcement allows the members a longer period to view the five films in contention and gives a greater profile to this year's foreign language films".

The five nominees are:

Biutiful

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I Am Love

Of Gods and Men

The Secret in Their Eyes

Taking into account the love Academy members have shown for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in other categories, one might think the Swedish thriller is a shoo-in for this category, but I really hope reason will prevail and either Of Gods and Men or The Secret in Their Eyes, by far the two best films of the group, will get the trophy.

Finally, the Academy has also announced the nominees of the Rising Star Award, the only category where the public decides the winner. Emma Stone, who gives one of the most appealing performances of the year in Easy A, should win, but I guess any of the other nominees have better chances on account of their nationality.

Here is the list of nominees for the Rising Star Award:

Gemma Arterton

Andrew Garfield

Tom Hardy

Aaron Johnson

Emma Stone

And here is the longlist in the main categories:

Best Film
127 Hours
Another Year
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

Director
127 Hours *
Alice In Wonderland
Another Year
Black Swan *
The Fighter
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Inception *
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech *
Made In Dagenham
Shutter Island
The Social Network *
The Town
Toy Story 3
True Grit

Leading Actor
Aaron Eckhart (Howie) – Rabbit Hole
Ben Affleck (Doug MacRay) – The Town
Colin Firth (King George VI) – The King’s Speech *
James Franco (Aron Ralston) – 127 Hours *
Javier Bardem (Uxbal) – Biutiful *
Jeff Bridges (Marshal Reuben J Cogburn) – True Grit *
Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) – The Social Network *
Jim Broadbent (Tom) – Another Year
Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter) – Alice In Wonderland
Leonardo DiCaprio (Cobb) – Inception
Leonardo DiCaprio (Teddy Daniels) – Shutter Island
Mark Wahlberg (Micky Ward) – The Fighter
Paul Giamatti (Barney Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Robert Duvall (Felix Bush) – Get Low
Ryan Gosling (Dean) – Blue Valentine

Leading Actress
Andrea Riseborough (Rose) – Brighton Rock
Annette Bening (Nic) – The Kids Are All Right *
Carey Mulligan (Kathy) – Never Let Me Go *
Gemma Arterton (Alice) – The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
Gemma Arterton (Tamara Drewe) – Tamara Drewe
Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross) – True Grit
Jennifer Lawrence (Ree) – Winter’s Bone
Julianne Moore (Jules) – The Kids Are All Right *
Michelle Williams (Cindy) – Blue Valentine *
Natalie Portman (Nina Sayers / The Swan Queen) – Black Swan *
Nicole Kidman (Becca) – Rabbit Hole
Noomi Rapace (Lisbeth Salander) – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Rosamund Pike (Miriam Grant-Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Sally Hawkins (Rita O’Grady) – Made In Dagenham
Tilda Swinton (Emma Recchi) – I Am Love

Supporting Actor
Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) – The Social Network *
Andrew Garfield (Tommy) – Never Let Me Go
Ben Kingsley (Dr Cawley) – Shutter Island
Bill Murray (Frank Quinn) – Get Low
Bob Hoskins (Albert) – Made In Dagenham*
Christian Bale (Dicky Eklund) – The Fighter *
Dustin Hoffman (Izzy Panofsky) – Barney’s Version
Geoffrey Rush (Lionel Logue) – The King’s Speech *
Guy Pearce (King Edward VIII) – The King’s Speech
Jeremy Renner (James Coughlin) – The Town
Justin Timberlake (Sean Parker) – The Social Network
Mark Ruffalo (Paul) – The Kids Are All Right *
Matt Damon (La Boeuf) – True Grit
Pete Postlethwaite (Fergus ‘Fergie’ Colm) – The Town
Vincent Cassel (Thomas Leroy / The Gentleman) – Black Swan

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams (Charlene Fleming) – The Fighter *
Barbara Hershey (Erica Sayers / The Queen) – Black Swan *
Ellen Page (Ariadne) – Inception
Geraldine James (Connie) – Made In Dagenham
Helena Bonham Carter (Queen Elizabeth) – The King’s Speech *
Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen) – Alice In Wonderland
Lesley Manville (Mary) – Another Year *
Marion Cotillard (Mal) – Inception
Melissa Leo (Alice Ward) – The Fighter
Mila Kunis (Lily / The Black Swan) – Black Swan
Miranda Richardson (Barbara Castle) – Made In Dagenham *
Olivia Williams (Ruth Lang) – The Ghost
Rebecca Hall (Claire Keesey) – The Town
Rosamund Pike (Lisa Hopkins) – Made In Dagenham
Winona Ryder (Beth Macintyre / The Dying Swan) – Black Swan

Adapted Screenplay
127 Hours *
Alice In Wonderland
Barney’s Version
Brighton Rock
Despicable Me
The Ghost
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Never Let Me Go
Rabbit Hole
Shutter Island
The Social Network *
The Town
Toy Story 3 *
True Grit *
Winter’s Bone *

Original Screenplay
Another Year
Biutiful
Black Swan *
Blue Valentine
The Disappearance Of Alice Creed
The Fighter *
Four Lions
Get Low
Hereafter
I Am Love
Inception *
The Kids Are All Right *
The King’s Speech *
Made In Dagenham
Of Gods and Men