LOS ANGELES (Reuters, AFP) - Show business satire Birdman and colourful caper The Grand Budapest Hotel led the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards on Thursday, with nine nods apiece including best picture in the quest for Hollywood's top film prize.

In second place was World War II code-breaking thriller The Imitation Game, with eight nominations, followed by American Sniper and Boyhood with six each.

Other best picture nominees are American Sniper, Boyhood, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory Of Everything and Whiplash.

Here is the full list of the nominees:

Best Picture
American Sniper
Birdman
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Selma
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash

Directing
Alejandro G. Inarritu
Richard Linklater
Bennett Miller
Wes Anderson
Morten Tyldum

Best Actor
Steve Carell
Bradley Cooper
Benedict Cumberbatch
Michael Keaton
Eddie Redmayne

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard
Felicity Jones
Julianne Moore
Rosamund Pike
Reese Witherspoon

Best Supporting Actor
Robert Duvall
Ethan Hawke
Edward Norton
Mark Ruffalo
J.K. Simmons

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette
Laura Dern
Keira Knightley
Emma Stone
Meryl Streep

Animated Feature Film
Big Hero 6
The Boxtrolls
How To Train Your Dragon 2
Song Of The Sea
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya

Documentary Feature
Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Last Days In Vietnam
The Salt Of The Earth
Vigunga

Documentary Short Subject
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
Our Curse
The Reaper (La Parka)
White Earth

Film Editing
American Sniper
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Whiplash

Original Song
Everything Is Awesome (The Lego Movie)
Glory (Selma)
Grateful (Beyond The Lights)
I'm Not Gonna Miss You (Glen Campbell...I'll be Me)
Lost Stars (Begin Again)

Production Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Into The Woods
Mr Turner

Animated Short Film
The Bigger Picture
The Dam Keeper
Feast
Me and My Moulton
A Single Life

Live Action Short Film
Aya
Boogaloo And Graham
Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak)
Parvaneh
The Phone Call

Sound Editing
American Sniper
Birdman
The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies
Interstellar
Unbroken

Sound Mixing
American Sniper
Birdman
Interstellar
Unbroken
Whiplash

Visual Effects
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Interstellar
X-men: Days Of Future Past

Cinematography
Birdman
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ida
Mr Turner
Unbroken

Costume Design
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Inherent Vice
Into The Woods
Maleficent
Mr Turner

Foreign Language Film
Ida (Poland)
Leviathan (Russia)
Tangerines (Estonia)
Timbuktu (Mauritania)
Wild Tales (Argentina)

Makeup and Hairstyling
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Guardians Of The Galaxy

Original Score
The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Imitation Game
Interstellar
Mr Turner
The Theory Of Everything

Adapted Screenplay
American Sniper
The Imitation Game
Inherent Vice
The Theory Of Everything
Whiplash

Original Screenplay
Birdman
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler