Jodie Foster describes her latest character on the big screen as an “amazing ball of contradictions”. She is talking about her role in The Mauritanian, which sees her playing tenacious real-life lawyer Nancy Hollander. Directed by Scottish film-maker Kevin Macdonald, the movie has been blazing a trail through awards season, with Foster having already won the best supporting actress prize at the Golden Globes. It’s also in the running for gongs at the forthcoming Bafta film awards, with nominations in the best film category and star Tahar Rahim nominated in the leading actor category.