By Tim Masters
Arts and entertainment correspondent, BBC News
British Oscar hopefuls (clockwise from top left): Keira Knightley, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike and Eddie Redmayne
British talent is expected to figure strongly when the Oscar nominations are announced later.
Following his Golden Globes triumph, Eddie Redmayne is expected to get a best actor nod for Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything.
Other British acting talent in the mix could include Benedict Cumberbatch, David Oyelowo, Felicity Jones, Rosamund Pike and Keira Knightley.
The shortlists are revealed in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, at 1330 GMT.
Under the current voting system, the best picture category could have anything between five and 10 films. For each of the last three years, nine films have made the cut.
The shortlist is likely to include dark satire Birdman, coming-of-age drama Boyhood, quirky comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything and another British biopic, The Imitation Game.
Other films jostling for position include civil rights story Selma, jazz drumming indie hit Whiplash, Iraq war thriller American Sniper and wrestling drama Foxcatcher.
Caroline Frost, entertainment editor of The Huffington Post UK, says this year looks set to be a tight race, with some casualties among the early favourites.
“The whole vibe has changed going into awards season,” she says.
“Films that people thought would have been shoo-ins – like Interstellar, Unbroken or Selma – set awards bells clanging.
“But instead more interesting, idiosyncratic films, like Boyhood, Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel, have put their noses in front.”
Boyhood (left) and Birdman (right) are likely contenders for best picture
Both Boyhood and The Grand Budapest Hotel were released in the first half of …read more
Source:: BBC Entertainment
