An Education stars Carey Mulligan as a British suburban teen who falls under the spell of an older man, portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard. (Kerry Brown/Sony Pictures Classics)The British coming-of-age film An Education scored a leading seven nominations for the London Film Critics' Circle Awards on Monday, with the group also announcing a special honour for American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.

Based on journalist Lynn Barber's teenage memories from the early 1960s Britain, An Education's nominations included a pair of nods for star Carey Mulligan, who was one of the main ingenues on the international film festival circuit this year as well as for best screenwriter for Nick Hornby and best British film of the year.

Hot on its heels with multiple nominations were the films Fish Tank, In the Loop, Nowhere Boy and the French title A Prophet.

With eight of the 14 categories reserved for U.K. films and performers, the nominations largely focus on the British industry.

Still, a host of international films were nominated, including just-released sci-fi extravaganza Avatar, Jason Reitman's downsizing comedy-drama Up in the Air, stark Cannes-winning film The White Ribbon and A Prophet — the latter two increasingly looking like shoo-ins as Oscar foreign film contenders.

Nominees include:

• Film of the year: Avatar; The Hurt Locker; A Prophet; The White Ribbon; Up In The Air.
• British film: Bright Star; An Education; Fish Tank; In The Loop; Moon.
• Foreign Language film: The Class; Katyn; Let the Right One In; A Prophet; The White Ribbon.
• Director: Jacques Audiard – A Prophet; Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker; James Cameron – Avatar; Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon; Jason Reitman – Up in the Air.
• British Director: Andrea Arnold – Fish Tank; Armando Iannucci – In the Loop; Duncan Jones – Moon; Kevin Macdonald – State of Play; Sam Taylor-Wood – Nowhere Boy.
• Actor: Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart; George Clooney – Up in the Air; Tahar Rahim – A Prophet; Michael Stuhlbarg – A Serious Man; Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds.
• Actress: Abbie Cornish – Bright Star; Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air; Mo'Nique – Precious; Carey Mulligan – An Education; Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia.
• British Actor: Peter Capaldi – In the Loop; Colin Firth – A Single Man; Tom Hardy – Bronson; Christian MacKay – Me and Orson Welles; Andy Serkis – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.
• British Actress: Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria; Helen Mirren – The Last Station; Carey Mulligan – An Education; Katie Jarvis – Fish Tank; Kristin Scott Thomas – Nowhere Boy.
• British Actor, Supporting: Michael Fassbender – Fish Tank; John Hurt – 44 Inch Chest; Jason Isaacs – Good; Alfred Molina – An Education; Timothy Spall – The Damned United.
• British Actress, Supporting: Emily Blunt – Sunshine Cleaning; Anne-Marie Duff – Nowhere Boy; Rosamund Pike – An Education; Kierston Wareing – Fish Tank; Olivia Williams – An Education.
• Screenwriter: Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche – In the Loop; Thomas Bidegain & Jacques Audiard – A Prophet; Joel & Ethan Coen – A Serious Man; Michael Haneke – The White Ribbon; Nick Hornby – An Education.
• Young British Performer: Katie Jarvis – Fish Tank; Aaron Johnson – Nowhere Boy and Dummy; George MacKay – The Boys Are Back; Bill Milner – Is Anybody There? and Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll; Saoirse Ronan – The Lovely Bones.
• Breakthrough filmmaker: Daniel Barber – Harry Brown; Armando Ianucci – In the Loop; Duncan Jones – Moon; Peter Strickland – Katalin Varga; Sam Taylor-Wood – Nowhere Boy.

The critics' group, which is comprised of more than 100 film journalists in the U.K., also tapped Quentin Tarantino as winner of the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Cinema.

The 30th annual London Film Critics Circle Awards will be announced on Feb. 18.