Female film-makers have proven triumphant in the nominations for the annual London critics’ circle awards, with movies by Rose Glass, Sarah Gavron, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell scoring the most nods.

Glass’s psychological horror Saint Maud leads the pack, with eight nominations, followed by Gavron’s London coming-of-age tale, Rocks, with six, Nomadland, Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-tipped road movie, with five, and Fennell’s rape revenge comedy Promising Young Woman, with four.

David Fincher’s Hollywood love letter, Mank, also took four, as did Steve McQueen’s Lovers Rock, part of his quintet of Small Axe films of the BBC.

The 41st edition of the awards mixes fiction and non-fiction for its 10-strong shortlist for film of the year, which also includes Roy Andersson’s existential comedy About Endlessness, Collective, a documentary uncovering extraordinary corruption in Romania, Charlie Kaufman’s mind-bending I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Minari, Lee Isaac Chung’s Korean-American immigrant drama and Kevin Macdonald’s Guantánamo thriller The Mauritanian.

Meanwhile Chadwick Boseman, who took received a posthumous tribute award at the Gotham awards on Monday, was nominated for his lead role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and his supporting role in Da 5 Bloods. Saint Maud’s Morfydd Clark was also mentioned more than once, as was Anthony Hopkins, Carey Mulligan, Riz Ahmed, Vanessa Kirby, Sacha Baron Cohen and Rocks’ Bukky Bakray.

Ahmed was the surprise victor in the Gothams’ lead actor category for his role in Sound of Metal. That ceremony cemented Nomadland’s reputation as the film to beat this season; it has so far been named best film by a raft of film critic societies, as well as winning the top prize at both the Toronto and Venice film festivals, where it premiered last summer.

The London critics’ circle film awards will be presented at a virtual ceremony on 7 February. The body has stuck to its usual spot in the awards calendar, unlike the Baftas, Golden Globes and Oscars, which have shifted their dates back a couple of months in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Full list of nominations

Film of the year
About Endlessness
Collective
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Lovers Rock
The Mauritanian
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Rocks
Saint Maud

Foreign-language film of the year
About Endlessness
Another Round
Collective
Les Misérables
Minari

Documentary of the year
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Collective
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Time
The Truffle Hunters

The Attenborough award for British/Irish film of the year
The Father
Lovers Rock
Mangrove
Rocks
Saint Maud

Director of the year
David Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Kevin Macdonald – The Mauritanian
Steve McQueen – Small Axe
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Screenwriter of the year
Jack Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Charlie Kaufman – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Actress of the year
Morfydd Clark – Saint Maud
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Actor of the year
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian

Supporting actress of the year
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Essie Davis – Babyteeth
Jennifer Ehle – Saint Maud
Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Supporting actor of the year
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Aldis Hodge – Clemency
Ben Mendelsohn – Babyteeth
Shaun Parkes – Mangrove

British/Irish actress of the year (for body of work)
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Misbehaviour
Morfydd Clark – Eternal Beauty, Saint Maud
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman, The World to Come
Carey Mulligan – The Dig, Promising Young Woman

British/Irish actor of the year (for body of work)
Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli, Sound of Metal
Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Trial of the Chicago 7
John Boyega – Red, White and Blue
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Cosmo Jarvis – Calm With Horses, Nocturnal

The Philip French award for breakthrough British/Irish film-maker
Henry Blake – County Lines
Fyzal Boulifa – Lynn + Lucy
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Remi Weekes – His House

Young British/Irish performer
Kosar Ali – Rocks
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Millie Bobby Brown – Enola Holmes
Conrad Khan – County Lines
Molly Windsor – Make Up

British/Irish short film
Filipiñana – Rafael Manuel, director
Hungry Joe – Paul Holbrook, director
Lizard – Akinola Davies Jr, director
The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia, director
The Shift – Laura Carreira, director

Technical achievement
Ammonite – Stéphane Fontaine, cinematography
Birds of Prey – Deborah Lamia Denaver & Adruitha Lee, makeup & hair
Lovers Rock – Mica Levi, music
Mank – Donald Graham Burt, production design
Nomadland – Joshua James Richards, cinematography
Rocks – Lucy Pardee, casting
Soul – Pete Docter, animation
Sound of Metal – Nicolas Becker, sound design
Tenet – Jennifer Lame, film editing
Wolfwalkers – Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart, animation