Guillermo Del Toro's fantasy drama "The Shape of Water", about a lab cleaning lady who develops a bond with a sea monster, earned an impressive 12 nominations at this year's Baftas. The critically-acclaimed film also helped del Toro win the Golden Globe for Best Director last night though it faces tough competition from Martin McDonagh's Golden Globe Best Picture winner "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri", Joe Wright's "Darkest Hour" and Christopher Nolan's World War II drama "Dunkirk". "The Shape of Water" landed Bafta nods for the Best Film and Best Director for del Toro, Best Actress for Sally Hawkins and Best Supporting Actress for Octavia Spencer. Hawkins will fight it out with Annette Bening, Golden Globe Best Actress (drama) winner Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri"), "I, Tonya" star Margot Robbie and Saoirse Ronan ("Lady Bird"), who also won the Best Actress (comedy/musical) Globe. "Three Billboards..." and "Darkest Hour" have nine nominations each. "Dunkirk" has also faired well with eight nods, including Best Film and Best Director for Nolan. "Blade Runner 2049" may have bombed at the box office but it scored well at the Baftas with eight nods, including one for director Denis Villeneuve. "I, Tonya", the biopic of disgraced figure skater Tonya Harding, was largely ignored at the Golden Globes but it earned five nominations. Golden Globe-winner Allison Janney is nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role of an abusive mother in "I, Tonya". Paul Thomas Anderson's costume drama "Phantom Thread" also earned five nominations, including the Best Actor nod for Daniel Day-Lewis, who has announced his retirement from acting. Day-Lewis will face-off with Gary Oldman, this year's Golden Globe winner. Other nominees in the category are, Jamie Bell ("Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool"), Timothee Chalamet ("Call Me By Your Name") and Daniel Kaluuya ("Get Out").
Kaluuya has also made it to the list of EE Rising Star award. Veteran actor Joanna Lumley has taken the charge from Stephen Fry to host the 71st EE British Academy Film Awards. "Paddington 2" has scored three nominations, including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Hugh Grant. "Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool", a drama about Hollywood star Gloria Grahame last days, earned three surprise nominations, including Bening's Best Actress and Bell's Best Actor nods. Armando Iannucci's Soviet drama "The Death of Stalin" earned two nominations, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Outstanding British Film. Steven Spielberg's newspaper drama "The Post", starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, failed to garner a single nomination at the Baftas after being shut-out at the Golden Globes. The awards will take place on February 18 at the Royal Albert Hall.
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