Distributors love to shout out an Oscar or BAFTA win in their home entertainment promotion. With the major prizes to be handed out soon, film critic Ray Bennett gives his take on the front-runners.

Awards season is in full throttle and while blockbuster franchises might not require prizes to boost their home entertainment sales, for other titles an honour or two can go a long way.

Many observers believe that “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2” might win a BAFTA or Academy Award to acknowledge that the Warner Bros. franchise earned its popularity with creative brilliance.

Less widely seen films, however, are more likely to garner attention on video if they have an award to boast about. Key dates in the upcoming season are:

* Golden Globes: Jan. 15

* Orange British Academy Film Awards nominations: Jan. 17

* London Film Critics’ Circle Awards: Jan. 19

* Oscar nominations: Jan. 24

* BAFTA awards: Feb. 12

* Film Independent’s Spirit Awards: Feb. 25

* Oscars: Feb. 26

Many titles will show up at all the key ceremonies although the Golden Globes casts its net wider with separate prizes for dramas and comedies & musicals. The British honours will obviously include more home grown work than the US ceremonies and the Spirit Awards are much like the British Independent Film Awards with a focus on indie pictures.

The BIFAs, presented in December, plumped for StudioCanal’s “Tyrannosaur” as best picture with director Paddy Considine lauded for his first feature and Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman named as best actor and actress. It also is nominated as best foreign film in the Spirit Awards alongside another British picture, Momentum’s “Shame”, for which Michael Fassbender won a BIFA as best actor.

The US National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, traditionally the first organisation to announce its winners, named Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” (released in the UK by Entertainment) as best film, and it also has a place in the drama nominees for a Golden Globe.

One film that deserves special mention is Kenneth Lonergan’s fine drama “Margaret”, which was made five years ago but only now has a limited UK release from 20th Century Fox.

It stars Anna Paquin in an astonishing performance as an extremely bright, forthright and unpleasant young woman who knows she is right when she attempts to hold a bus driver to account after he accidentally runs down and kills a pedestrian.

It will make an excellent dark horse when it is finally released on video and if it gets the awards attention it deserves that can only help.

With no clear favourite this year, here’s a subjective view on the possible winners:

* Best Film

“The Artist”: Entertainment

“The Descendants”: 20th Century Fox

“War Horse”: Walt Disney

“Midnight In Paris”: Warner Bros.

“Submarine”: StudioCanal

Also in contention:

“Bridesmaids”: Universal

“Drive”: Icon

“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”: Sony

“The Guard”: StudioCanal

“The Help”: Disney

“Hugo”: Paramount

“The Ides Of March”: eOne

“My Week With Marilyn”: Entertainment

“Moneyball”: Sony

“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”: StudioCanal

* Best Actor:

George Clooney: “The Descendants”

Jean Dujardin: “The Artist”

Ryan Gosling: “Drive”

Brad Pitt: “Moneyball”

Brendan Gleeson: “The Guard”

Also in contention:

Michael Fassbender: “Shame”: Momentum

Peter Mullan: “Tyrannosaur”

Gary Oldman: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

* Best Actress:

Anna Paquin: “Margaret”: 20th Century Fox

Bérénice Bejo: “The Artist”

Rooney Mara: “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”

Elizabeth Olsen: “Martha Marcy May Marlene”: Sony

Charlize Theron: “Young Adult”: Paramount

Also in contention:

Glenn Close: “Albert Nobbs”: Hopscotch

Olivia Colman: “Tyrannosaur”

Viola Davis: “The Help”

Meryl Streep: “The Iron Lady”: Pathé

Tilda Swinton: “We Need To Talk About Kevin”: Artificial Eye

Michelle Williams: “My Week With Marilyn”: Entertainment

* Best Director:

Michael Hazanavicius: “The Artist”

Alexander Payne: “The Descendants”

Steven Spielberg: “War Horse”

George Clooney: “The Ides Of March”

Woody Allen: “Midnight In Paris”

Also in contention:

Tomas Alfredson: “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”

Paddy Considine: “Tyrannosaur”

David Fincher: “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”

Lynne Ramsay: “We Need To Talk About Kevin”

Martin Scorsese: “Hugo”