'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and 'Drive' lead the nominations for the London Film Critics' Circle Awards.

Both movies have six nominations each, competing in categories including Film of the Year and Actor of the Year for lead stars Ryan Gosling and Gary Oldman.

'We Need To Talk About Kevin' - about the problems a mother has bonding with her troubled son - has received five nominations, while 'Shame' and 'The Artist' both have four nods each.

Jason Solomons, chairman of the London Critics' Circle, said: "I am proud of the breadth, intelligence and style of the choices the London critics have made, honouring the richness of world cinema and the fresh, cool takes on classic movie genres seen in films such as 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', 'Drive and 'The Artist'. "This is the surely classiest set of nominations around this year, with truly superb work reflected in the directing and foreign language categories."

He added 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy', about former spy George Smiley who is forced to come out of retirement during the Cold War, was an apt film to receive so many possible accolades.

Jason said: "I'm also thrilled that a London movie such as 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' and the magnetism of its central performance by London icon Gary Oldman has been rightfully recognised with so many nominations across different categories, a reminder of its all-round qualities as a British and international film."

The 32nd annual awards take place on January 19 at the BFI on London's Southbank.

The London Critics' Circle Film Awards nominations in full:

Film of the Year:

'The Artist'

'Drive'

'A Separation'

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

'The Tree of Life'

The Attenborough Award

British Film of the Year:

'The Guard'

'Kill List'

'Shame'

'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

Foreign Language Film of the Year:

'Mysteries of Lisbon'

'Poetry'

'Le Quattro Volte'

'A Separation'

'The Skin I Live In'

Documentary of the Year:

'Cave of Forgotten Dreams'

'Dreams of a Life'

'Pina'

'Project Nim'

'Senna'

Director of the Year:

Asghar Farhadi - 'A Separation'

Michel Hazanavicius - 'The Artist'

Terrence Malick - 'The Tree of Life'

Lynne Ramsay - 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

Nicolas Winding Refn - 'Drive'

Screenwriter of the Year:

Asghar Farhadi - 'A Separation'

Michel Hazanavicius - 'The Artist'

Kenneth Lonergan - 'Margaret'

Bridget O'Connor & Peter Straughan - 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon & Jim Rash - 'The Descendants'

The Virgin Atlantic Award

Breakthrough British Filmmaker:

Richard Ayoade - 'Submarine'

Paddy Considine - 'Tyrannosaur'

Joe Cornish - 'Attack the Block'

Andrew Haigh - 'Weekend'

John Michael McDonagh - 'The Guard'

Actor of the Year:

George Clooney - 'The Descendants'

Jean Dujardin - 'The Artist'

Michael Fassbender - 'Shame'

Ryan Gosling - 'Drive'

Gary Oldman - 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

Actress of the Year:

Kirsten Dunst - 'Melancholia'

Anna Paquin - 'Margaret'

Meryl Streep - 'The Iron Lady'

Tilda Swinton - 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

Michelle Williams - 'My Week With Marilyn'

Supporting Actor of the Year:

Simon Russell Beale - 'The Deep Blue Sea'

Kenneth Branagh - 'My Week With Marilyn'

Albert Brooks - 'Drive'

Christopher Plummer - 'Beginners'

Michael Smiley - 'Kill List'

Supporting Actress of the Year:

Sareh Bayat - 'A Separation'

Jessica Chastain - 'The Help'

Vanessa Redgrave - 'Coriolanus'

Octavia Spencer - 'The Help'

Jacki Weaver - 'Animal Kingdom'

British Actor of the Year:

Tom Cullen - 'Weekend'

Michael Fassbender - 'A Dangerous Method', 'Shame'

Brendan Gleeson - 'The Guard'

Peter Mullan - 'Tyrannosaur', 'War Horse'

Gary Oldman - 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

The Moet & Chandon Award:

British Actress of the Year:

Olivia Colman - 'The Iron Lady', 'Tyrannosaur'

Carey Mulligan - 'Drive', 'Shame'

Vanessa Redgrave - 'Anonymous', 'Coriolanus'

Tilda Swinton - 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

Rachel Weisz - 'The Deep Blue Sea'

Young British Performer of the Year:

John Boyega - 'Attack the Block'

Jeremy Irvine - 'War Horse'

Yasmin Paige - 'Submarine'

Craig Roberts - 'Submarine'

Saoirse Ronan - 'Hanna'

The Sky 3-D Award

Technical Achievement:

Manuel Alberto Claro, cinematography - 'Melancholia'

Paul Davies, sound design - 'We Need to Talk About Kevin'

Maria Djurkovic, production design - 'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy'

Dante Ferretti, production design - 'Hugo'

Alberto Iglesias, original score - 'The Skin I Live In'

Chris King & Gregers Sall, editing - 'Senna'

Joe Letteri, visual effects - 'Rise of the Planet Of The Apes'

Cliff Martinez, original score - 'Drive'

Robert Richardson, cinematography - 'Hugo'

Robbie Ryan, cinematography - 'Wuthering Heights'

The Dilys Powell Award

Excellence in Film:

Nicolas Roeg