LONDON?James Cameron's sci-fi epic "Avatar" received eight nominations including best film as the contenders for this year's BAFTA awards were announced Thursday.
"An Education" and "The Hurt Locker" also got eight nominations. Stars including George Clooney and Andy Serkis will fight it out for the leading actor award, while Meryl Streep and Audrey Tautou are up for leading actress.
Big names in contention for best director include Cameron for "Avatar", Quentin Tarantino for "Inglourious Basterds" and Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker".
The winners of the British Academy Film Awards will be announced on February 21.