Director Joe Wright’s critically acclaimed love in the time of war epic “Atonement” has received an impressive 14 nominations for the forthcoming British Academy Film Awards, leading the race for the British equivalent of the Oscars.

The young stars of “Atonement,” Keira Knightley, 22, and James McAvoy, 28, have both been nominated in the best actress, best actor categories respectively. Knightley will vie for the title with Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Julie Christie (“Away from Her”), Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”) and Ellen Page (“Juno”).

McAvoy is in the competition against George Clooney (“Michael Clayton”), Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”) and Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”). There is also a posthumous nomination for Ulrich Muehe (“The Lives of Others”), who died of stomach cancer last summer.

“Atonement” won a Golden Globe for best film this weekend and hopes to win the BAFTA for best film as well, beating “No Country for Old Men,” “There Will Be Blood,” “American Gangster” and “The Lives of Others.”

Titles repeat themselves in the nominations for best director, with nods for Joe Wright (“Atonement”), Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country For Old Men”), Florian Henckel von Donnersmark (“The Lives of Others”) and Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”), joined by Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Ultimatum”).

The BAFTA for best British film is contested between “Atonement,” “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “Control,” “Eastern Promises” and “This Is England.”

Cate Blanchett has a second nomination for best supporting actress in “I’m Not There,” up against Samantha Morton (“Control”), Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”), Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”), Kelly Macdonald (“No Country for Old Men”).

Nominated in the best supporting actor category are Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones (both for “No Country for Old Men”), Tom Wilkinson (“Michael Clayton”), Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood”) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Charlie’s Wilson War”).

As to the original screenplay category, the title will be fought over between Diablo Cody (“Juno”), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (“The Lives of Others”), Steven Zailian (“American Gangster”), Tony Gilroy (“Michael Clayton”) and Shane Meadows (“This Is England”).

“Atonement” has another nomination for Christopher Hampton’s adapted screenplay, as do David Benioff (“The Kite Runner”), Joel and Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men”), Ronald Harwood (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) and Paul Thomas Anderson (“There Will Be Blood”).

The 61st British Academy Film Awards ceremony will take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday, February 10.