The Artist is proving to be one of those sleeper hits that might just run all the way to the Golden Globes, and beyond... including sharing the lead of four nominations with much bigger-budget films.
Just as Slumdog Millionaire was destined to go straight to video before it ended up sweeping all before it during 2008 Awards season, so The Artist struggled for financing when it was first mooted - it being a silent film about a man struggling to make it in Hollywood once the talkies took over.
But, following its nominations in leading categories at the SAG Awards, The Artist is up for six Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical), Best Leading Actor (Comedy or Musical - Jean Dujardin), and Best Supporting Actress (Berenice Bejo).
Entertainment Weekly reports that Dujardin has rejoiced in his nomination, saying it "left him speechless!"
Fellow nominees for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) are 50/50 (Seth Rogen making cancer funny), Bridesmaids (women being funny), Midnight in Paris (whimsical Woody Allen) and My Week With Marilyn (British studio nostalgia).
Arguably a closer category to call is Best Picture (Drama). Competing here are fellow nominations-leaders The Help (adaptation of bestseller about black housemaids living and loving in 1960s Mississippi) and The Descendants (George Clooney gives it all up, and somehow wins everything - kind of Up In The Air in reverse).
Also here are Hugo (Martin Scorsese's nostalgic family tale), Ides of March (Clooney - again), Moneyball (Clooney's mate Brad Pitt) and War Horse (Steven Spielberg)
Clooney is used to competing against himself come awards season. He won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2005, for the film Syriana, which competed against Clooney's own effort Good Night and Good Luck in the Best Screenplay category (neither won, Crash did).
There'll be more in-house competition this year for the crew from The Help, with two actresses Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain both up for Best Supporting Actress.
The Ides of March, Midnight in Paris, Moneyball, and My Week with Marilyn, all scored three nominations each, including a shout-out for Kenneth Branagh for his role of Laurence Olivier alongside Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, who was also nominated.
Gerard Butler, Woody Harrelson, Rashida Jones, and Sofia Vergara all got up early in Beverly Hills this morning to announce the awards, which will be presented on 12th January - in the safe hands of Ricky Gervais.
Here are the leading BRITISH contenders for the Golden Globes, no partisan coverage here!...