LONDON -- The BAFTA race may still be wide open, but the field narrowed a bit Wednesday with the publication of the long list of contenders by the British Academy of Film & TV Arts.
"Far From Heaven" cannot win best film, nor can "About Schmidt," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" or "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind."
None of those pics are on the list of 20 contenders. Brit candidates "Sweet Sixteen," "Morvern Callar" and "24 Hour Party People" are also missing.
The long lists are compiled from the first round of voting by BAFTA members. The final nominees will be selected from those lists by a combination of membership and jury voting.
With 20 contenders in each category (apart from original screenplay, when a blip in the system produced 21 runners), the long lists do little more than confirm that the obvious favorites are, indeed, strongly in the frame.
"Chicago," "Gangs of New York," "The Hours," "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "The Pianist" crop up in just about every section they can. So, perhaps a bit less obviously, do "Catch Me if You Can," "Frida," "Dirty Pretty Things," "The Magdalene Sisters," "The Quiet American," "The Road to Perdition" and "Talk to Her."
Other pics with frequent mentions include "Adaptation," "Rabbit-Proof Fence," "Y tu mama tambien," "City of God," "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "8 Mile" and "Punch-Drunk Love."
The next BAFTA voting deadline is Jan. 23, with the nominations to be announced Jan. 27.
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