Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," which has been regarded as an early Academy Award favorite, has won it big at the Online Film Critics Society(OFCS) nominations which were announced Monday, garnering seven nods including best picture, best director and best actress.
Aronofsky and Natalie Portman were nominated from best director and best actress respectively. The somber and gritty indie also received nods for best supporting actress (Mila Kunis), original screenplay, cinematography and editing.
"The Social Network," a drama dealing with the popular online social portal's founding and ensuing litigations, trailed with six nods including best film, best director (David Fincher), best actor (Jesse Eisenberg), best supporting actor (Andrew Garfield), adapted screenplay and editing.
Noticeably missing is "The King's Speech," which failed to make it into the top race. Only the film's lead actor Colin Firth, supporting actor Geoffrey Rush and playwright David Seidle were selected by the organization, the largest group in the United States for critics whose work appears primarily on the Internet.
"Inception," "Toy Story 3," "True Grit" and "Winter's Bone" were also nominated for best picture, one of the most important awards in the event.
Joining Aronofsky and David Fincher for best director are: Danny Boyle for "127 Hours," Joel Coen & Ethan Coen for "True Grit " and Christopher Nolan for "Inception."
In best lead actor category, Jeff Bridges ("True Grit"), James Franco ("127 Hours"), Ryan Gosling ("Blue Valentine") and Edgar Ramrez ("Carlos") joined the fight with Colin Firth.
For best lead actress, Natalie Portman aside, Annette Bening (" The Kids Are All Right"), Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award winner and Korean actress Kim Hye-ja Korea Mother"), Nicole Kidman ("Rabbit Hole") and Jennifer Lawrence ("Winter's Bone") won their nods.
Best foreign film nominations went to "Carlos," "Dogtooth," Mother," "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" and "A Prophet."
Nominated for best animated feature are: "Despicable Me," "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Illusionist," "Tangled" and "Toy Story 3."
Winners will be announced Jan. 3.
Founded in 1997, OFCS is a professional association for online film journalists, historians and scholars. It presents annual awards honoring the best feature-length motion pictures.