True Grit and The King's Speech led the Oscar nominations announced Thursday, but there were also plenty of nods for the highly touted Black Swan, The Social Network, The Fighter and Inception, dpa reported.
The King's Speech, a lavish and poignant British drama about King George VI's struggle with his stammer on the eve of World War II, earned 12 nominations, while the western adventure True Grit earned 10.
Both films will compete in the best picture category along with psychosexual thriller Black Swan; boxing drama The Fighter; sci-fi blockbuster Inception; lesbian family tale The Kids Are All Right; survival story 127 Hours; Facebook drama The Social Network; animated sequel Toy Story 3; and crime thriller Winter's Bone.
Sci-fi thriller Inception and The Social Network both received eight nominations.
The King's Speech received recognition for actors Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter as well as for director Tom Hooper. It also earned nominations in cinematography, art direction, costume design and film editing.
"This story has struck such a rich resonant chord with audiences of all ages, which is very exciting - to have your work honoured by your industry peers is even better," Rush said in a statement.
True Grit had been overlooked in many early awards shows but was lauded by Oscar voters, who nominated Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfeld in the acting categories. The film's creators, Joel and Ethan Coen, were nominated directing, screenwriting and producing awards.
Joining Bridges and Firth in the best actor category were Javier Bardem for Biutiful, James Franco for 127 Hours and Jesse Eisenberg for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Competing for best actress are Golden Globe winner Annette Bening for The Kids Are All Right, Nicole Kidman for Rabbit Hole, Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone, Natalie Portman for Black Swan and Michelle Williams for Blue Valentine.
The supporting actor nominees are Christian Bale in The Fighter, John Hawkes in Winter's Bone, Jeremy Renner in The Town, Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are All Right and Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech.
The contenders for the supporting actress Oscar are Amy Adams in The Fighter, Helena Bonham Carter in The King's Speech, Melissa Leo in The Fighter, Hailee Steinfeld in True Grit and Jacki Weaver in Animal Kingdom.
The three films competing for best animated feature film are How to Train Your Dragon, The Illusionist and Toy Story 3.
The Oscars will be presented on February 27 in a show televised in more than 200 countries and hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway