"Oppenheimer" topped the nominations for the BAFTA Awards

"Oppenheimer" topped the shortlist of films vying for recognition at the upcoming British BAFTA awards, receiving an unprecedented 13 nominations, including the first ever for lead actor Cillian Murphy, AFP reported.
Christopher Nolan's epic film about the creation of the atomic bomb, which has grossed more than $1 billion, has already won this month's Golden Globe and Critics' Choice awards.
The film is now clear favorite for the Oscars in March, some three weeks after the highlight of the annual British film calendar, the BAFTA Awards on February 18.
The blockbuster received BAFTA nominations for Best Picture, for Nolan's director and adapted screenplay, as well as for Murphy (lead actor), Emily Blunt (supporting actress) and Robert Downey Jr. (supporting actor).
"Les Miserables," a surreal black comedy, is close behind with 11 nominations, including for best picture and for Emma Stone's portrayal of a "reanimated Victorian corpse with the brain of a child."
The American actress has already won the Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Awards for Best Actress for her performance.
She will compete with Margot Robbie ("Barbie"), Carey Mulligan ("The Maestro"), Sandra Hueller ("Anatomy of a Fall"), Fantasia Barrino ("The Color Purple") and Vivian Opara ("The Rye Meadow").
Other best picture contenders besides Oppenheimer and Les Miserables include the French court drama Anatomy of a Fall, the 1970s comedy The Holdovers and Martin's Murders in a Flower Moon Scorsese. /BGNES