London: Hollywood musical “La La Land” leads the nominations on Sunday for Britain’s Bafta awards.
Damien Chazelle’s poetic love story has 11 nominations, including best film, best actor for Ryan Gosling and best actress for Emma Stone. Chazelle, Gosling and Stone are all expected at the ceremony along with a clutch of stars including Amy Adams, Casey Affleck, Emily Blunt and Nicole Kidman.
Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will also be there as the spin-off film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is nominated for Outstanding British Film. Sci-fi film “Arrival” and psychological thriller “Nocturnal Animals”, both starring Adams, come second in the nomination ranks with nine each. “Manchester by the Sea” is in fourth place with six nominations, including best actor for Affleck.
Veteran leftwing director Ken Loach’s “I, Daniel Blake” — a gritty drama about one man’s struggle against Britain’s social welfare system — leads the pack for British films with five nominations.
Loach, who made a documentary about the opposition Labour party’s leader Jeremy Corbyn last year, first won a Bafta for television drama production in 1967. Meryl Streep is nominated for best actress for “Florence Foster Jenkins”, a tragi-comedy about a wealthy US socialite and amateur soprano from the 19th century mocked for her terrible singing.
