The blockbuster 23rd James Bond movie Skyfall is to go head-to-head with two low-budget critical favourites at the Evening Standard Film Awards next month.
Sam Mendes's high-octane Bond film, which hasn’t had an especially fruitful awards season thus far, is up for best film at the awards against Peter Strickland’s Italian-set horror Berberian Sound Studio and Ben Wheatley’s dark comedy Sightseers.
Wheatley himself is up for another award on the night, going up against Chris O’Dowd and Seven Psychopaths writer/director Martin McDonagh for the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy.
Elsewhere, Toby Jones, who starred in Berberian, has been tipped for best actor against Daniel Day-Lewis for his performance in Lincoln and Eddie Redmayne for his turn in Les Miserables.
Sightseers star Alice Lowe is up for best actress against Charlotte Rampline and Andrea Riseborough, while Tom Braby, Malcolm Cambell and Paul Laverty will be pitted against one another for best screenplay.
The acting talents of Paul Brannigan and James Floyd have earned them both nominations for the most promising newcomer award, while Sally El Hosaini will compete for the same gong for writing and directing My Brother the Devil.
And three of 2012’s strongest factual films – Bart Layton’s The Imposter, Julien Temple’s London: the Modern Babylon and Kevin MacDonald’s Marley – have been nominated for best documentary.
The awards will take place at the London Film Museum in County Hall on Monday 4 February.
See a full list of the nominations below:
Film of the Year
Berberian Sound Studio directed by Peter Strickland
Sightseers Ben Wheatley
Skyfall Sam Mendes
Best Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Lincoln
Toby Jones Berberian Sound Studio
Eddie Redmayne Les Misérables
Best Actress
Alice Lowe Sightseers
Charlotte Rampling I, Anna
Andrea Riseborough Shadow Dancer
Best Screenplay
Tom Bradby Shadow Dancer
Malcolm Campbell What Richard Did
Paul Laverty The Angels’ Share
London Film Museum Award for Technical Achievement
Jacqueline Durran, costume design, Sarah Greenwood, production design and Seamus McGarvey, cinematography, for Anna Karenina
David Raedeker, cinematography, My Brother the Devil
Ben Richardson, cinematography, Beasts of the Southern Wild
Peter Sellers Award for Comedy
Chris O’Dowd for his performance in The Sapphires
Seven Psychopaths writer/director Martin McDonagh
Sightseers director Ben Wheatley
Most Promising Newcomer
Paul Brannigan for his performance in The Angels’ Share
Sally El Hosaini writer/director My Brother the Devil
James Floyd for his performance in My Brother the Devil
Best Documentary
The Imposter Bart Layton
London: The Modern Babylon Julien Temple
Marley Kevin Macdonald