JUST days after its Golden Globe triumph, romantic drama Atonement has emerged as the hot favourite to succeed at the Bafta film awards, with a total of 14 nominations.

The acclaimed adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel is in the running for best film and best director (for Joe Wright), as well as best actor and actress for leading duo James McAvoy and Keira Knightley.

Co-star Saoirse Ronan is nominated in the best supporting actress category and Golden Globe winner Dario Marianelli is in the running for best music.

Further nominations came for best British film and adapted screenplay.

However, Atonement faces tough competition from several other films that have also featured prominently in the awards season thus far.

The Coen brothers’ thriller No Country For Old Men and oil epic There Will Be Blood each received nine nominations.

While Edith Piaf biopic La Vie En Rose attracted seven nods, The Bourne Ultimatum six and American Gangster, Michael Clayton and The Lives Of Others five apiece.

The winners will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, on February 10, when Jonathan Ross will host for a second year.

The best film category will be contested by Atonement, Sir Ridley Scott’s crime drama American Gangster, German Oscar winner The Lives of Others, The Coens’ No Country For Old Men and Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will Be Blood.

Of the surprise omissions, Tim Burton’s dazzling adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street failed to attract any of the major nominations, and Tommy Lee Jones – who shines in both No Country For Old Men and In The Valley of Elah – is curiously missing from the best actor list for the latter film.

Last year’s big winners were The Last King of Scotland and Pan’s Labyrinth, which both took home three awards each.

b>View the nominations in full

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