La La Land, Arrival score several British Academy Film Awards nominations

The perky, pastel-hued jazz musical La La Land leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, the U.K. equivalent of the Oscars.

La La Land is nominated in 11 categories including best picture, considered a strong indicator of likely success at Hollywood's Academy Awards.

Philosophical sci-fi yarn Arrival, directed by Denis Villeneuve of Montreal, and wrenching drama Nocturnal Animals have nine nominations each.

Villeneuve is also up for an award for best director.

Best picture nominees are La La Land, Arrival, I, Daniel Blake, Moonlight and Manchester by the Sea.

Best actor nominees, announced Tuesday, are Canadian Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Casey Affleck, Jake Gyllenhaal and Viggo Mortensen.

Gosling of London, Ont., is fresh off a weekend win as best actor in a musical or comedy for La La Land, which won Golden Globes in all seven categories it was nominated.

The best actress category includes Amy Adams, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman.

Winners of the British trophies, known as BAFTAs, will be announced at London's Royal Albert Hall on Feb. 12, two weeks before the Oscars.

The Academy Award nominations will be announced on Jan. 24.

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