Constant Gardener in Baftas limelight

The Constant Gardener, the British film based on the John le Carre novel, stole the limelight from the Hollywood blockbusters with 10 Bafta nominations today.

Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes, the stars of the £11m (€16m) romantic thriller set in Africa, are up for best actress and best actor.

Blockbusters like King Kong, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and The Chronicles of Narnia missed out on the main British Academy award categories.

Instead the likes of gay cowboy film Brokeback Mountain, Crash, the movie which caused a stir for tackling the subject of racial tension, and Good Night, and Good Luck, which George Clooney directed, are up for Bafta glory.

Clooney’s second film as a director, a true story about a US television producer battling authorities during the anti-communist witch hunt, has been rewarded with six nominations.

They include a best director and supporting actor nomination for Clooney, while the 44-year-old Hollywood star has another shot in the supporting actor category for his role in the politically-charged epic Syriana.

Today’s announcement at the Bafta headquarters in London’s Piccadilly surprised fans of Keira Knightley, who expected the young actress to get a nomination for her role in Pride and Prejudice.

The film is up for six awards, including a supporting actress gong for Keira’s co-star Brenda Blethyn for her role as Mrs Bennet.

Other winners today were Memoirs of a Geisha, the film based on the best-selling book, and the drama Capote.

The Baftas, which have enjoyed a new lease of life since they were brought forward before the Oscars, will be hosted by Stephen Fry at the Odeon Leicester Square next month.