Director Andrew Stanton’s WALL’E, Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir and Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Parannaud’s Persepolis are the nominees for this year’s BAFTA for Best Animated Film. As previously announced, Persepolis and Bashir are also among the five films up for the award for Film Not in the English Language. WALL’E will also be vying for kudos in the Sound and Music categories when the British Academy of Film and Television presents the BAFTA Awards from films released in 2008 during a ceremony on Feb. 8 at London’s Royal Opera House.
In the Short Animation category, Aardman’s TV special Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death is up against the lesser-known Codswallop from director Myles Mcleod and Varmints from Marc Craste. A Matter of Loaf and Death premiered on BBC over the Christmas holiday and scored big ratings for the public broadcaster.
Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight, directed by British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, is nominated for a total of nine awards, including Best Special Visual Effects. Featuring work by a team led by Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin and Tim Webber, the pic faces off against Warner Bros.’ The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Eric Barba, Craig Barron, Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams), Paramount’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Pablo Helman), Paramount’s Iron Man (Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow) and Sony’s Quantum of Solace (Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug).
Dark Knight is also recognized for music, cinematography, editing, production design, costume design, sound and makeup and hair. In addition, the superhero flick has garnered another Best Supporting Actor nomination for the late Heath Ledger, who recently won the Golden Globe in the category.
Movies up for the BAFTA for Best Film are The Curious case of Benjamin Button from director David Fincher, Frost/Nixon from Ron Howard, Milk from Gus Van Sant, The Reader by Stephen Daldry and Slumdog Millionaire from Danny Boyle. Slumdog, which took top honors at the Golden Globes and earned Boyle the directing prize, is also a contender for Outstanding British Film. The other nominees are Steve McQueen’s Hunger, Martin McDonagh’s In Bruges, Catherine Johnson’s Mamma Mia! and James Marsh’s documentary Man on Wire. To see the complete list of BAFTA nominees, go to www.bafta.org/awards/film/film-nominations-in-2009,657,BA.html.
