Natalie Portman has been nominated for Britain’s most important film award.

Two days after she picked up a Golden Globe for her performance as an ambitious, tortured ballerina in Black Swan, the Israeli-born actress has been placed in the running for the Bafta award for Best Actress.

The drama, which arrives on British screens this week, has been nominated for five awards, including the Best Director nod for its Jewish filmmaker Darren Aronofsky.

It is also in the running to be named Best Film at the ceremony on February 13, but will have to beat the Coen brothers’ remake of True Grit and the Aaron Sorkin-scripted The Social Network to take the prize.

The two Jewish male stars of The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, have been nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor respectively.

Mr Sorkin could take home the prize for Best Adapted Screenplay, although again in this category he is competing against the Coen brothers.

Lisa Cholodenko and Stuart Blumberg, the team behind the family drama The Kids Are All Right, are up for the Best Original Screenplay against David Seidler, who wrote The King’s Speech.