Firth, Garfield, Ahmed compete at Evening Standard Awards

The King’s Speech and Never Let Me Go scored two nominations each, with Colin Firth’s lauded performance as George VI going head to head with Andrew Garfield [pictured] and Four Lions lead Riz Ahmed. Garfield is nominated for his turns in both The Social Network and Never Let Me Go.

Mike Leigh’s Another Year is up for Best Film alongside Peter Mullan’s Neds and Sylvian Chomet’s The Illusionist.

All three of the nominees for Best Actress are recognised for roles that required mastery of a foreign language – Tilda Swinton in I Am Love, Brenda Blethyn in London River, and Kristin Scott Thomas in Leaving.

Down Terrace scribes Robin Hill and Ben Wheatley are nominated in the Best Screenplay shortlist, competing with Clio Barnard for The Arbor and novelist Alex Garland for his adaptation of Never Let Me Go.

The Best Documentary category, only in its second year, pits street artist Bansky against John Krish and Vadim Jean, for Exit Through The Gift Shop, A Day in the Life: Four Portraits of Post-War Britain and In the Land of the Free respectively.

David Thewlis, Robin Hill and Roger Allam are nominated for the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy, while the Most Promising Newcomer category is a race between The Disappearance of Alice Creed director J Blakeson, Down Terrace director Wheatley and Neds star Conor McCarron.

The London Film Museum Award for Technical Achievement will go to either Gareth Edwards for Monsters, Jenny Beavan for her costume design on The King’s Speech, or Winter’s Bone composer Dickon Hinchcliffe.

The recipient of the Alexander Walker Special Award will be announced at the ceremony on Feb 7.

The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973, and recognise British talent and achievement in films over the past 12 months.

Evening Standard Film Awards 2010 Shortlist

Best Film
Another Year (director Mike Leigh)
The Illusionist (director Sylvain Chomet)
Neds (director Peter Mullan)

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
Andrew Garfield (The Social Network & Never Let Me Go)

Best Actress
Brenda Blethyn (London River)
Kristin Scott Thomas (Leaving)
Tilda Swinton (I Am Love)

Best Screenplay
Clio Barnard (The Arbor)
Alex Garland (Never Let Me Go)
Ben Wheatley and Robin Hill (Down Terrace)

London Film Museum Technical Achievement Award
Jenny Beavan, for her costume design of The King’s Speech
Gareth Edwards, for his cinematography, production design and visual effects of Monsters
Dickon Hinchliffe, for contribution to the score of Winter’s Bone

Peter Sellers Award for Comedy
Roger Allam, for his performance in Tamara Drewe
Robin Hill, for his performance in Down Terrace
David Thewlis, for his performance in London Boulevard

Most Promising Newcomer
J Blakeson, writer/director The Disappearance of Alice Creed
Conor McCarron, in Neds
Ben Wheatley, co-writer/director of Down Terrace

Best Documentary
A Day in the Life: Four Portraits of Post-War Britain (director John Krish)
Exit Through the Gift Shop (director Banksy)
In the Land of the Free (director Vadim Jean)