London (CNN) "The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro's lavish fantasy, leads the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) film award nominations, in the running for 12 categories. The crime drama "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," and "Darkest Hour," set in the early days of World War II, received nine nominations each.

What all three films have in common is that they were directed by men.

On the heels of Sunday night's emotional Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where gender inequality and abuse in the industry were passionately addressed, women filmmakers were conspicuously absent from key BAFTA nominations announced Tuesday in London.

All five nominees for best director were men, and all the nominations for best film and outstanding British film were directed by men.

The lead characters in "The Shape of Water" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," however, are women. And two women were also nominated for best screenplay: Greta Gerwig for "Lady Bird" and Vanessa Taylor, alongside del Toro, for "The Shape of Water."

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