US presidential drama "Lincoln" led the pack of Oscar nominees on Thursday with 12 nominations including a nod for best picture, in the race for the world's top film honors.

 

Joining "Lincoln" in the competition for the best movie Oscar were eight films - shipwreck tale "Life of Pi" with 11 nods, musical "Les Miserables," Iran hostage drama "Argo," French language drama "Amour," Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty," comedy "Silver Linings Playbook," Quentin Tarantino's "Django Unchained," and mythological film "Beasts of the Southern Wild."

 

The Oscars are given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and this year's winners will be named at a ceremony in Hollywood on February 26.

 

Best acting nominations went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his performance as US President Abraham Lincoln, Hugh Jackman for "Les Miserables," Jessica Chastain for her role as a CIA agent in "Zero Dark Thirty" and Jennifer Lawrence for playing a young widow in "Silver Linings Playbook."

 

In a list with few major surprises, "Lincoln" also picked up nods for director Steven Spielberg, and supporting actors Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones, as well as best adapted screenplay and costumes.

 

James Bond film "Skyfall" won five nominations, including best original song and cinematography, but the British secret agent movie missed out on a coveted best picture mention.

 

The screen adaption of musical "Les Mis" got eight nominations, including best supporting actress for Anne Hathaway as tragic heroine Fantine. But director Tom Hooper was left off the directing nominees, along with Ben Affleck for "Argo" and Tarantino for his violent slavery era Western "Django Unchained."

 

"Amour," a moving love story about an elderly couple, fared well with the Academy, winning best picture and best director nods for Michael Haneke, and a best lead actress mention for 85 year-old Emmanuelle Riva, who became the oldest best actress nominee in the Academy's 85-year history.

 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Quvenzhane Wallis, 9, became the youngest ever best actress Oscar nominee for her performance in the end of the world movie "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which also garnered a nod for its first time director Benh Zeitlin.

 

The following is a list of nominees in leading categories.

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Alan Arkin - "Argo"; Robert De Niro - "Silver Linings Playbook"; Philip Seymour Hoffman - "The Master"; Tommy Lee Jones - "Lincoln"; Christoph Waltz - "Django Unchained"

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams - "The Master"; Sally Field - "Lincoln"; Anne Hathaway - "Les Misérables"; Helen Hunt - "The Sessions"; Jacki Weaver - "Silver Linings Playbook"

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Chris Terrio - "Argo"; Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin - "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; David Magee - "Life of Pi"; Tony Kushner - "Lincoln"; David O Russell - "Silver Linings Playbook"

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Michael Haneke - "Amour"; Quentin Tarantino - "Django Unchained"; John Gatins - "Flight"; Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola - "Moonrise Kingdom"; Mark Boal - "Zero Dark Thirty"

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: "Amour" - Austria; "Kon-Tiki" - Norway; "No" - Chile; "A Royal Affair" - Denmark; "War Witch" -Canada

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: "Brave"; "Frankenweenie"; "ParaNorman"; "The Pirates! Band of Misfits"; "Wreck-It Ralph"

 

BEST PICTURE: Zero Dark Thirty; Django Unchained; Argo; Les Miserables; Amour; Life of Pi; Beasts of the Southern Wild; Silver Linings Playbook; Lincoln 

 

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis - "Lincoln"; Denzel Washington -"Flight"; Hugh Jackman - "Les Miserables" Bradley Cooper - "Silver Linings Playbook"; Joaquin Phoenix - "The Master"

 

BEST ACTRESS: Emmanuelle Riva - "Amour"; Jessica Chastain - "Zero Dark Thirty"; Naomi Watts - "The Impossible"; Quvenzhane Wallis - "Beasts of the Southern Wild"; Jennifer Lawrence - "Silver Linings Playbook"

 

BEST DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg - "Lincoln"; Michael Haneke - "Amour"; David O'Russell - "Silver Linings Playbook"; Ang Li - "Life of Pi"; Benh Zeitlin - "Beasts of the Southern Wild" - Reuters