Silent movie The Artist leads nominations for the Bafta awards announced today (17 January), garnering a total of 12 nods including best film.

The cinematic homage to early movies is also up for best actor for Jean Dujardin, best actress for Berenice Bejo and best director for Michel Hazanavicius.

The movie adaptation of John Le Carré's Cold War mystery, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, is next on the Bafta shortlist with 11 nominations - this despite it being largely ignored at other awards such as the Globes.

In the best actress category, Berenice will battle it out with Meryl Streep (The Iron Lady), Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn), Tilda Swinton (We Need To Talk About Kevin) and Viola Davis (The Help).

The best supporting actress shortlist sees Carey Mulligan singled out for her role in crime thriller Drive, alongside Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer (The Help), Judi Dench (My Week With Marilyn) and Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids). Bridesmaids is also up for best original screenplay.

The awards will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will take place at the Royal Opera House in London on 12 February.

See below for a list of all major nominations...

2012 Bafta Nominations

Best Film

The Artist

The Descendants

Drive

The Help

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Outstanding British Film

My Week With Marilyn

Senna

Shame

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius - The Artist

Nicolas Winding Refn - Drive

Martin Scorsese - Hugo

Tomas Alfredson - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Lynne Ramsay - We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Actor

Brad Pitt - Moneyball

Gary Oldman - Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

George Clooney - The Descendants

Jean Dujardin - The Artist

Michael Fassbender - Shame

Best Actress

Berenice Bejo - The Artist

Meryl Streep - The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams - My Week with Marilyn

Tilda Swinton - We Need to Talk About Kevin

Viola Davis - The Help

Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Plummer - Beginners

Jim Broadbent - The Iron Lady

Jonah Hill - Moneyball

Kenneth Branagh - My Week with Marilyn

Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Ides of March

Best Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan - Drive

Jessica Chastain - The Help

Judi Dench - My Week with Marilyn

Melissa McCarthy - Bridesmaids

Octavia Spencer - The Help

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer

Attack The Block - Joe Cornish (director/writer)

Black Pond - Will Sharpe (director/writer), Tom Kingsley (director), Sarah Brocklehurst (producer)

Coriolanus - Ralph Fiennes (director)

Submarine - Richard Ayoade (director/writer)

Tyrannosaur - Paddy Considine (director), Diarmid Scrimshaw (producer)

Best Foreign Language Film

Incendies (Canada)

Pina (Germany)

Potiche (France)

A Separation (Iran)

The Skin I Live In (Spain)

Best Animated Feature Film

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn

Arthur Christmas

Rango

Best Original Screenplay

The Artist - Michel Hazanavicius

Bridesmaids - Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig

The Guard - John Michael McDonagh

The Iron Lady - Abi Morgan

Midnight In Paris - Woody Allen

Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)

Adam Deacon

Chris Hemsworth

Chris O'Dowd

Eddie Redmayne

Tom Hiddleston

Bafta nominations are in