Silver Linings Playbook Dominates Australian Academy's Film Nominations

Bradley Cooper's new movie Silver Linings Playbook looks set to dominate the upcoming _A_ustralian _A_cademy of Cinema and Television _A_rts (__Aacta) awards after landing five nominations in the international categories.

The Hangover star has received a Best _A_ctor nod for his role as a man struggling with mental health issues while his co-star, Jennifer Lawrence, is named in the Best _A_ctress category.

Cooper faces tough competition for the award as he is going up against Oscar-winners Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln) and Denzel Washington (Flight), along with Joaquin Phoenix (The Master), Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables) and John Hawkes (The Sessions).

Nicole Kidman (The Paperboy) will face-off with her best friend Naomi Watts (The Impossible) for the Best _A_ctress prize alongside Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty), Marion Cotillard (Rust and Bone) and veteran French actress Emmanuelle Riva (_A_mour).

Silver Linings Playbook is also up for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Direction for David O. Russell.

_A_rgo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty have all received nominations for the coveted Best Film prize.

President of the Aacta and Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush says, "In this, the second year of the Aacta International _A_wards, we're delighted to build on the huge success of our inaugural event held in La in January 2012. This year's nominees include actors, directors and screenwriters who truly represent international excellence...

"_A_s the _A_ustralian _A_cademy engages in the international _A_wards conversation, it's brilliant to see _A_ustralian performers and practitioners nominated alongside international talent... Indeed, the talents of Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts... stand on their own and will no doubt be honoured by our international screen peers."

The second annual __Aacta International _A_wards ceremony will be held in Los _A_ngeles later this month (Jan13), while the domestic leg of the show will be held in Sydney, _A_ustralia on 29 January (13).

The domestic nominees were announced last month (Dec12).