'Lincoln' leads BAFTA film nominations with 10

Director of the movie Steven Spielberg (R) and cast member Daniel Day-Lewis pose at the premiere of "Lincoln" during the AFI Fest 2012 at the Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood, California November 8, 2012. The movie opens in the US on November 16. [Photo/Agencies]

"Lincoln", the story of US President Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery starring Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role, won 10 BAFTA nominations on Wednesday, putting it ahead of the pack at Britain's top film honors.

Related: 'Lincoln' leads Golden Globe nominations

The biopic was shortlisted in categories including best film, actor, supporting actor (Tommy Lee Jones) and supporting actress (Sally Field), but director Steven Spielberg was not nominated.

Added to its domination of the Golden Globe contenders going into Sunday night's awards ceremony, British critics said the film appeared to be in pole position to sweep Oscar nominations which are announced on Thursday.

"Les Miserables", the movie version of the global hit stage musical, and shipwreck saga "Life of Pi" followed with nine BAFTA nominations each, while the latest installment of James Bond, "Skyfall", garnered eight.

Related: Oscars to feature special James Bond movie tribute

Iranian hostage thriller "Argo" won seven nominations and "Anna Karenina", an adaptation of the Russian novel, earned six.

Quentin Tarantino's quirky slavery-era Western "Django Unchained" and "Zero Dark Thirty", about the hunt for Osama bin Laden, were just behind with five nominations apiece.

"Amour", Austrian director Michael Haneke's moving portrayal of death, bagged four nominations, an unusually high number for a film in a foreign language.

Related: 'Amour' takes US film critics' top prize as best film

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Eric Fellner of Working Title Films, the company behind Les Miserables and Anna Karenina, said he was pleased that two potentially risky projects had been recognized.

Les Miserables, by Oscar-winning director of "The King's Speech" Tom Hooper, was sung live on set, while Joe Wright's Anna Karenina, starring Keira Knightley and Jude Law, was set against the backdrop of elaborate stage sets.