Tinker Tailor, Drive lead London Critics’ nominations

by Naman Ramachandran

20/12/2011 - It’s a tale of two Scandinavian directors at the nominations for the London Critics’ Circle’s 32nd annual film awards. Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy [trailer] and Nicholas Winding Refn’s Drive lead the pack with six nominations each.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is nominated for Film of the Year, British Film of the Year, Screenwriter of the Year, Actor of the Year, British Actor of the Year and for Technical Achievement, whilst Drive is nominated for Film of the Year, Director of the Year, Actor of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year, British Actress of the Year and for Technical Achievement.

Chairman of the London Critics’ Circle, Jason Solomons, said, “I am proud of the breadth, intelligence and style of the choices the London critics have made, honouring the richness of world cinema and the fresh, cool takes on classic movie genres seen in films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive and The Artist [trailer, film focus]. This is the surely classiest set of nominations around this year, with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories.”

“I’m also thrilled that a London movie such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and the magnetism of its central performance by London icon Gary Oldman has been rightfully recognised with so many nominations across different categories, a reminder of its all-round qualities as a British and international film. It’s also gratifying that our new categories of documentary and technical awards have been able to increase our critical appreciation for the outstanding work we've witnessed in this vintage year for quality cinema,” he added.

The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony on January 19.

Complete list of nominees:

Film of the year
The Artist
Drive
A Separation
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
The Tree of Life

The Attenborough Award:
British Film of the year
The Guard [trailer, film focus]
Kill List [trailer]
Shame [trailer]
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
We Need to Talk About Kevin [trailer, film focus]

Foreign-language Film of the Year
Mysteries of Lisbon [trailer]
Poetry
Le Quattro Volte [trailer, film focus]
A Separation
The Skin I Live In [trailer, film focus]

Documentary of the Year
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Dreams of a Life
Pina [trailer]
Project Nim
Senna

Director of the Year
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Terrence Malick - The Tree of Life
Lynne Ramsay - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Screenwritter of the Year
Asghar Farhadi - A Separation
Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist
Kenneth Lonergan - Margaret
Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash - The Descendants

Breakthrough British Filmmaker
Richard Ayoade - Submarine [trailer]
Paddy Considine - Tyrannosaur [trailer]
Joe Cornish - Attack the Block [trailer]
Andrew Haigh - Weekend [trailer]
John Michael McDonagh - The Guard [trailer, film focus]

Actor of the Year
George Clooney - The Descendants
Jean Dujardin - The Artist
Michael Fassbender - Shame
Ryan Gosling - Drive
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Actress of the Year
Kirsten Dunst - Melancholia [trailer, film focus]
Anna Paquin - Margaret
Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady [trailer]
Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams - My Week With Marilyn

Supporting Actor of the Year
Simon Russell Beale - The Deep Blue Sea
Kenneth Branagh - My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks - Drive
Christopher Plummer - Beginners
Michael Smiley - Kill List

Supporting Actress of the Year
Sareh Bayat - A Separation
Jessica Chastain - The Help
Vanessa Redgrave - Coriolanus [trailer]
Octavia Spencer - The Help
Jacki Weaver - Animal Kingdom

British Actor of the Year
Tom Cullen - Weekend
Michael Fassbender - A Dangerous Method, Shame
Brendan Gleeson - The Guard
Peter Mullan - Tyrannosaur, War Horse
Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

British Actress of the Year
Olivia Colman - The Iron Lady, Tyrannosaur
Carey Mulligan - Drive, Shame
Vanessa Redgrave - Anonymous, Coriolanus
Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Rachel Weisz - The Deep Blue Sea

Young British Performer of the Year
John Boyega - Attack the Block
Jeremy Irvine - War Horse
Yasmin Paige - Submarine
Craig Roberts - Submarine
Saoirse Ronan - Hanna

Technical Achievement
Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematography - Melancholia
Paul Davies, sound design - We Need to Talk About Kevin
Maria Djurkovic, production design - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Dante Ferretti, production design - Hugo
Alberto Iglesias, original score - The Skin I Live In
Chris King & Gregers Sall, editing - Senna
Joe Letteri, visual effects - Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Cliff Martinez, original score - Drive
Robert Richardson, cinematography - Hugo
Robbie Ryan, cinematography - Wuthering Heights

The Dilys Powell Award:
Excellence in Film
Nicolas Roeg