Scandinavian directors lead Drive for London Film Critics' Circle awards

Tomas Alfredson's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive are leading the charge for the London Film Critics' Circle awards with six nominations apiece.

Alfredson's cold war espionage drama picked up nods for film of the year, British film of the year, actor of the year, British actor of the year, screenwriter of the year and technical achievement, while Winding Refn's Oscar-tipped noir thriller will fight it out for film of the year, director of the year, actor of the year, supporting actor of the year, British actress of the year and technical achievement.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy star Gary Oldman has been largely ignored by awards bodies so far, with the honourable exception of the San Francisco Film Critics' Circle (named best actor) and the British Independent Film awards (a best actor nominee), but he looks a likely frontrunner for the London critics' best actor gong come January's ceremony at BFI Southbank. He said: "It is incredibly gratifying to learn of the Tinker nominations from the London Critics' Circle awards. I am proud of my work in this film, and so very proud of the film. The London Critics' Circle has reaffirmed that we have made a film that remains genuine, first rate "cinema". Indeed, it is gratifying to be among the representatives of the best of British, and it always will be."

Elsewhere there was more good news for Asghar Farhadi's Berlin smash A Separation and Lynne Ramsay's Cannes hit We Need to Talk About Kevin, which picked up five nominations apiece. Michel Hazanavicius's silent, black and white Oscars frontrunner The Artist and Steve McQueen's salacious Toronto success Shame got four nods each.

"I am proud of the breadth, intelligence and style of the choices the London critics have made, honouring the richness of world cinema and the fresh, cool takes on classic movie genres seen in films such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Drive and The Artist," said Circle chair Jason Solomons. "This is surely the classiest set of nominations around this year, with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories."

This year's London Film Critics' Circle awards will take place on Thursday 19 January at BFI Southbank in London.

Full list of nominees

Film of the year
The Artist (Entertainment)
Drive (Icon)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
The Tree of Life (Fox)

The Attenborough award for British film of the year
The Guard (StudioCanal)
Kill List (StudioCanal)
Shame (Momentum)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)

Foreign-language film of the year
Mysteries of Lisbon (New Wave)
Poetry (Arrow)
Le Quattro Volte (New Wave)
A Separation (Artificial Eye)
The Skin I Live in (Fox/Pathé)

Documentary of the year
Cave of Forgotten Dreams (Picturehouse)
Dreams of a Life (Dogwoof)
Pina (Artificial Eye)
Project Nim (Icon)
Senna (Universal)

Director of the year
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life (Fox)
Lynne Ramsay – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive (Icon)

Screenwriter of the year
Asghar Farhadi – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist (Entertainment)
Kenneth Lonergan – Margaret (Fox)
Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash – The Descendants (Fox)

The Virgin Atlantic award for breakthrough British film-maker
Richard Ayoade – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Paddy Considine – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)
Joe Cornish – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)
Andrew Haigh – Weekend (Peccadillo)
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard (StudioCanal)

Actor of the year
George Clooney – The Descendants (Fox)
Jean Dujardin – The Artist (Entertainment)
Michael Fassbender – Shame (Momentum)
Ryan Gosling – Drive (Icon)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

Actress of the year

Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)
Anna Paquin – Margaret (Fox)
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé)
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)

Supporting actor of the year
Simon Russell Beale – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)
Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn (Entertainment)
Albert Brooks – Drive (Icon)
Christopher Plummer – Beginners (Universal)
Michael Smiley – Kill List (StudioCanal)

Supporting actress of the year
Sareh Bayat – A Separation (Artificial Eye)
Jessica Chastain – The Help (Disney)
Vanessa Redgrave – Coriolanus (Lionsgate)
Octavia Spencer – The Help (Disney)
Jacki Weaver – Animal Kingdom (StudioCanal)

British actor of the year
Tom Cullen – Weekend (Peccadillo)
Michael Fassbender – A Dangerous Method (Lionsgate), Shame (Momentum)
Brendan Gleeson – The Guard (StudioCanal)
Peter Mullan – Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal), War Horse (Disney)
Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)

The Moët & Chandon award for British actress of the year
Olivia Colman – The Iron Lady (Fox/Pathé), Tyrannosaur (StudioCanal)
Carey Mulligan – Drive (Icon), Shame (Momentum)
Vanessa Redgrave – Anonymous (Sony), Coriolanus (Lionsgate)
Tilda Swinton – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Rachel Weisz – The Deep Blue Sea (Artificial Eye)

Young British performer of the year
John Boyega – Attack the Block (StudioCanal)
Jeremy Irvine – War Horse (Disney)
Yasmin Paige – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Craig Roberts – Submarine (StudioCanal)
Saoirse Ronan – Hanna (Universal)

The Sky 3D award for technical achievement
Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematography – Melancholia (Artificial Eye)
Paul Davies, sound design – We Need to Talk About Kevin (Artificial Eye)
Maria Djurkovic, production design – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (StudioCanal)
Dante Ferretti, production design – Hugo (Entertainment)
Alberto Iglesias, original score – The Skin I Live In (Fox/Pathé)
Chris King and Gregers Sall, editing – Senna (Universal)
Joe Letteri, visual effects – Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Fox)
Cliff Martinez, original score – Drive (Icon)
Robert Richardson, cinematography – Hugo (Entertainment)
Robbie Ryan, cinematography – Wuthering Heights (Artificial Eye)

The Dilys Powell award for excellence in film
Nicolas Roeg