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The Shape of Water leads race for British Academy Awards

London — Cold War monster movie The Shape of Water leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, the UK equivalent of the Oscars.

Guillermo del Toro’s fantastical thriller scored nominations on Tuesday in 12 categories, including best picture and best director.

Scorching tragicomedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Winston Churchill biopic The Darkest Hour gained nine nominations apiece for the prizes, considered an indicator of likely success at Hollywood’s Academy Awards.

Other multiple nominees include sci-fi sequel Blade Runner 2049 and World War II drama Dunkirk, with eight each. Figure-skating showdown I, Tonya has five.

Winners of the British prizes will be announced at London’s Royal Albert Hall on 18 February, 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.

See the full list of nominees here:

Best film
Call Me by Your Name
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Outstanding British film
Darkest Hour
The Death of Stalin
God’s Own Country 
Lady Macbeth
Paddington 2
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer
The Ghoul – Gareth Tunley (writer/director/producer), Jack Healy Guttman & Tom Meeten (producers)
I Am Not a Witch – Rungano Nyoni (writer/director), Emily Morgan (Producer)
Jawbone – Johnny Harris (writer/producer), Thomas Napper (director)
Kingdom of Us – Lucy Cohen (director)
Lady Macbeth – Alice Birch (writer), William Oldroyd (director), Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly (producer)

Best film not in the English language
Elle
First They Killed My Father
The Handmaiden
Loveless
The Salesman

Best documentary
City of Ghosts
I Am Not Your Negro
Icarus
An Inconvenient Sequel
Jane

Best animated film
Coco
Loving Vincent
My Life as a Courgette

Best director
Denis Villeneuve, Blade Runner 2049 
Luca Guadagnino, Call Me by Your Name
Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk
Guillermo Del Toro, The Shape of Water
Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best original screenplay
Get Out
I, Tonya
Lady Bird
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best adapted screenplay
Call Me by Your Name
The Death of Stalin
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Molly’s Game
Paddington 2

Best actress
Annette Bening, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Margot Robbie, I, Tonya
Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water
Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird

Best actor
Daniel Day-Lewis, Phantom Thread
Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out
Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour
Jamie Bell, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Timothée Chalamet, Call Me by Your Name

Best supporting actress
Allison Janney, I, Tonya
Kristin Scott Thomas, Darkest Hour
Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird
Lesley Manville, Phantom Thread
Octavia Spencer, The Shape of Water

Best supporting actor
Christopher Plummer, All the Money in the World
Hugh Grant, Paddington 2
Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project
Woody Harrelson, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best original music
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water

Best cinematography
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best editing
Baby Driver
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Best production design
Beauty and the Beast
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water

Best costume design
Beauty and the Beast
Darkest Hour
I, Tonya
Phantom Thread
The Shape of Water

Best make up & hair
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
I, Tonya
Victoria & Abdul
Wonder

Best sound
Baby Driver 
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk 
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Best special visual effects
Blade Runner 2049
Dunkirk
The Shape of Water
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
War for the Planet of the Apes

Best British short animation
Have Heart
Mamoon
Poles Apart
Best British short film

EE Rising Star award (voted for by the public) 
Daniel Kaluuya
Florence Pugh
Josh O’Connor
Tessa Thompson
Timothée Chalamet

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