The film award season kicked off last week with the Bafta nominations, Oscar nominations and the Golden Globe Awards.  These coveted nominations, awards and ceremonies attract global media attention and no doubt cause many a nervous nights as participants wait in anticipation.

Just a nomination alone can help secure distribution (due to the media coverage) and awards help to secure longer showings in the cinema, foreign network purchases and DVD/Blue-ray sales. Do not let the glitz and the glamour hide the fact that it’s still a ‘business’! As the following clip shows, Sony decided to delay the release of Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ till after the Oscar nominations to maximise the reach of the film :

So which films have done well so far ? Here is a quick summary of nominations and awards won so far:

• Lincoln - 10 Bafta, 12 Oscar and 7 Golden Globes /  Won 1 Golden Globe
• Life of Pi - 9 Bafta, 11 Oscar and 3 Golden Globes / Won 1 Golden Globe
• Les Miserables - 9 Bafta, 8 Oscar and 4 Golden Globes / Won 3 Golden Globes
• Argo - 7 Bafta, 7 Oscar and 5 Golden Globes / Won 2 Golden Globes
• Silver Linings Playbook - 3 Bafta, 9 Oscar and 4 Golden Globes / Won 1 Golden Globe
• Anna Karenina - 6 Bafta, 4 Oscar and 1 Golden Globe Nomination
• The Master - 4 Bafta, 3 Oscar and 5 Golden Globes Nominations
• Amour – 4 Bafta, 5 Oscar and 2 Golden Globes / Won 1 Golden Globe
• The Hobbit - 3 Bafta and 3 Oscar Nominations
• Skyfall - 8 Baftas, 5 Oscars and 4 Golden Globes / Won 1 Golden Globe
• Zero Dark Thirty - 5 Bafta, 5 Oscar and 4 Golden Globes / Won 1 Golden Globe
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - 1 Bafta and 2 Golden Globe Nominations

* Bafta , Oscar , Golden Globes full nomination lists

Steven Spielbergs Lincoln has swept the board so far with 29 nominations and 1 Golden Globe award.  It is widely tipped do very well at the Baftas and Oscars, but it faces stiff competition from Ang Lees Life of Pi. The once proclaimed ‘unfilmable’ book has graced the silver screen with spectacular results thanks to Ang Lees vision.

The British films Les Miserables and Skyfall have been phenomenally successful with 38 nominations and 4 Golden Globe awards between them. Fingers crossed that they go on to win at the Baftas and Oscars.

Argo won 19 nominations and 2 Golden Globes but Director Ben Affleck was still ‘snubbed’ by the Academy for Best Director nominations. Tom Hooper also missing out on a Directorial accolade this year despite Les Miserables getting 21 nominations and 3 Golden Globes. Oh well better luck next time guys!

I saw Life of Pi over the holidays with the family and we all agreed that it was spectacular. If you have not seen it yet – PLEASE GO SEE IT ! I adore the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, but The Hobbit left me feeling underwhelmed (without going into the HFR debate, I saw it in 3D 24fps). Argo was a surprise. A thriller, that keeps you on the edge of your seat till the end. Director Ben Affleck deserves the accolades and shame on the Academy for their snobbery. As I mentioned in a previous post, Skyfall is now my favourite bond film of all time. It may be also be the most visually beautiful Bond film, with the Academy nominating Roger Deakins for Best Cinematography.

So before the clocks count down to the Bafta Awards and then the Big One, I hope to catch the remaining few from the list that I havn’t seen yet.

Which film did you like or dislike? What was your favourite film at the cinema last year? Is there any film that you are rooting for at the awards? Please share your thoughts!