Atonement nominated for seven Oscars

BRITISH film Atonement has scored seven Oscar nominations, including best picture.

Its 13-year-old star, Irish schoolgirl Saoirse Ronan, is in the running for the title of best supporting actress.

There was disappointment for Keira Knightley, who missed out on a best actress nomination, but veteran Julie Christie is shortlisted for her role as an Alzheimer's sufferer in Away From Her.

Daniel Day-Lewis picked up a best actor nomination for There Will Be Blood.

The other best picture contenders are legal thriller Michael Clayton, Coen brothers' drama No Country For Old Men, Texan oil epic There Will Be Blood and teen pregnancy saga Juno.

Heavyweight offerings There Will Be Blood and No Country For Old Men lead the pack with eight nominations each.

Atonement's seven nominations are for best picture, best supporting actress, art direction, cinematography, costume design, music and adapted screenplay.

Christie will compete for the best actress crown with Cate Blanchett for Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Marion Cotillard for La Vie En Rose, Laura Linney for The Savages and Ellen Page for Juno.

Blanchett is a double nominee – her astonishing performance as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There is named in the best supporting actress category, alongside Tilda Swinton for Michael Clayton.

Day-Lewis, whose role as a turn-of-the-20th-century oil baron earned him a Golden Globe earlier this month, will go head to head in the best actor stakes with Johnny Depp for Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Tommy Lee Jones for In The Valley Of Elah, Viggo Mortensen for Eastern Promises and George Clooney for Michael Clayton.

Legal drama Michael Clayton also has seven nominations in total, including best supporting actor for British star Tom Wilkinson.

The best director category features few big names and there is no place for Atonement's Joe Wright.

Instead the award will go to either Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell And The Butterfly, Jason Reitman for Juno, Tony Gilroy for Michael Clayton, Joel and Ethan Coen for No Country For Old Men, or Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood.

The nominations were announced at the Samuel Goldwyn Theatre in Los Angeles.

LIST OF OSCAR NOMINATIONS

These are the main categories for the 80th Academy Awards:

Best performance by an actor in a leading role
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones – In The Valley Of Elah
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

Best performance by an actor in a supporting role
Casey Affleck – The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson's War
Hal Holbrook – Into The Wild
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

Best performance by an actress in a leading role
Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie – Away From Her
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose
Laura Linney – The Savages
Ellen Page – Juno

Best performance by an actress in a supporting role
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There
Ruby Dee – American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Best animated feature film of the year
Persepolis
Ratatouille
Surf's Up

Best director
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly – Julian Schnabel
Juno – Jason Reitman
Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy
No Country For Old Men – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson

Best motion picture of the year
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best adapted screenplay
Atonement – Christopher Hampton
Away From Her – Sarah Polley
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly – Ronald Harwood
No Country For Old Men – Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
There Will Be Blood – Paul Thomas Anderson

Best original screenplay
Juno – Diablo Cody
Lars And The Real Girl – Nancy Oliver
Michael Clayton – Tony Gilroy
Ratatouille – Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava, Jim Capobianco
The Savages – Tamara Jenkins