Another day and another set of announcements from film critics – this time around, the San Diego Film Critics Society and their nominees for this year’s “excellence in film”.

We have the usual suspects leading the pack with The Artist and Hugo both picking up a slew of nominations – eight for The Artist including Best Film, Director for Michel Hazanavicius and Actor for Jean Dujardin, and seven for Hugo with Best Film, Director for Martin Scorsese and Adapted Screenplay – but also several surprises, including Brit Marling for Best Actress in one of our favorite films of the year, Another Earth.

One look at the Best Actress category shows us that we could be looking at a rising star winner there. Alongside Marling is another Sundance breakout, Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), as well as Michelle Williams (My Week With Marilyn) and Viola Davis (The Help).

We’re also pleased to see Shailene Woodley nominated for her supporting role in The Descendants, furthering her Oscar chances after garnering several other nominations from the Gotham Awards and Indie Spirits, a well as a win from NBR.

Jessica Chastain (The Help), Melanie Laurent (Beginners), Carey Mulligan (Shame) and Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) round out the Supporting Actress category, guaranteeing the winner will definitely be a rising star.

Click below for a full list of nominees, and check back tomorrow for a full list of the winners.

Best Film
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Director
Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

Best Actor
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Brendan Gleeson, “The Guard”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”
Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Best Actress
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Brit Marling, “Another Earth”
Elizabeth Olsen, “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Tilda Swinton, “We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Michelle Williams, “My Week with Marilyn”

Best Supporting Actor
Albert Brooks, “Drive”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Andy Serkis, “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

Best Supporting Actress
Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Mélanie Laurent, “Beginners”
Carey Mulligan, “Shame”
Shailene Woodley, “The Descendants”

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Descendants”
“Drive”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Moneyball”

Best Original Screenplay
“The Artist”
“Beginners”
“50/50″
“Midnight in Paris”
“Win Win”

Best Cinematography
“The Artist”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“Take Shelter”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Editing
“The Artist”
“Beginners”
“Drive”
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Production Design
“The Artist”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Score
“The Artist”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“Hugo”
“The Tree of Life”

Best Ensemble Performance
“Carnage”
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2″
“The Help”
“Margin Call”
“Midnight in Paris”

Best Animated Film
“Arthur Christmas”
“Happy Feet Two”
“Kung Fu Panda 2″
“Rango”
“Winnie the Pooh”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Double Hour”
“Happy Happy”
“Of Gods and Men”
“Le Quattro Volte”
“A Somewhat Gentle Man”

Best Documentary
“Buck”
“Cave of Forgotten Dreams”
“Into the Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life”
“Page One: Inside the New York Times”
“Project Nim”