Life of Pi

What’s it about?
A young Indian named Pi who, while emigrating to Canada with his family, finds himself shipwrecked on a lifeboat after his freighter goes the way of the Titanic. Said vessel has a secret stowaway – a ravenous Bengal tiger Pi must somehow tame if he is ever to make it back to dry land.

Why’s it nominated?
Because there’s a lot of love for Ang Lee’s film of Yann Martel’s supposedly unfilmable novel, a technical tour de force that combines state-of-the-art effects, bold and innovative storytelling and eye-popping visuals rendered in immersive 3D. All this has seen it scoop a whopping 11 nominations.

What are its chances?
Pi’s up for best picture while Lee’s nominated in the best director category. Chances are, though, that the pic will be passed over in the major categories and will have to make do with some of the lesser awards (cinematography, production design, visual effects and so on).