The Oscars race is quickly getting more difficult to predict.
Along with the most recent N.Y. and L.A. critics and the National Board of Review, the American Film Institute has released its nominations for the best in film and television in 2001, broadening the race for Oscar gold.
AFI’s top choices included Todd Field‘s In the Bedroom and Ridley Scott‘s Black Hawk Down, with five nominations apiece. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, David Lynch‘s Mulholland Drive and Robert Altman‘s Gosford Park each took four nominations.
Rounding out the other best picture nominations, AFI chose Memento, Moulin Rouge, Monster’s Ball, A Beautiful Mind and Shrek.
In the acting categories, Sissy Spacek got a nod for her performance in Bedroom, while others included Cate Blanchett for Bandits, Jennifer Connelly for A Beautiful Mind and Gene Hackman for The Royal Tenenbaums.
The television categories kept to the usual fare but also threw in some surprises. The Sopranos, Everyone Loves Raymond and The West Wing got nominations, but alongside them were UPN’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Two 13-member committees, one representing film, the other TV, met over the past two weekends in Los Angeles to make the nominations.
The award ceremony will air live from the Beverly Hills Hotel on CBS Jan. 5.
