The nominations were announced online early Friday morning London time (late Thursday night Los Angeles time) for the award ceremony to take place in London on February 8.
Birdman and The Theory of Everything, a biopic about British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, were close behind the leader with 10 nominations each.
Theory featured nominations for British actor Eddie Redmayne, who plays Hawking, and Felicity Jones, who portrays Hawking's first wife Jane Wilde.
The Imitation Game earned nine nominations, including a first-ever BAFTA nomination for Benedict Cumberbatch, who plays pioneering computer scientist Alan Turing. Kiera Knightley also received a supporting actress nomination.
Nominations for the best film included Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game and The Theory of Everything.
The BAFTA awards have become a solid predictor of Academy Awards success. In 2014, 12 Years a Slave earned 10 nominations and won best film. It went on to win best picture at the 2014 Oscars.
Notable BAFTA nomination snubs included British director Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, which was expected to do well on the home turf. The film about eccentric British painter J.M.W. Turner did not earn a spot in the major categories including Timothy Spall's highly-lauded lead performance.
