'Cold Mountain' nominated for 13 Bafta awards

The American civil war epic Cold Mountain will battle it out with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King for the honours at the 2004 Bafta awards next month.

Anthony Minghella's story of enduring love received 13 nominations including best director for himself, best actor for Jude Law, best film and outstanding British film of the year.

The final part of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy is nominated for best film and best director, gets a best supporting actor nomination for Sir Ian McKellen and is predictably nominated for a series of technical awards for special effects and costume design.

Surprisingly, Nicole Kidman, who co-stars with Law, is ignored in the best actress category despite earning a Golden Globe nomination in the United States. Kidman won a Bafta best actress award last year for The Hours .

The best actress list instead includes Anne Reid, 68, star of The Mother and previously best known for her roles in the Victoria Wood comedy Dinnerladies and Coronation Street , who finds herself up against the 19-year-old newcomer Scarlett Johansson, who is nominated twice. One is for her role in Lost In Translation , directed by Sofia Coppola, which has a total of eight nominations, as does Russell Crowe's seafaring epic Master And Commander .

Tim Burton's Big Fish , starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney, has seven nominations.

The nominations were announced by Stephen Fry yesterday. The ceremony will be at the Odeon in Leicester Square on 15 February.

Although now widely recognised internationally as a precursor for the Oscars, which are announced later in the month, they are also seen as a showcase for the British film industry.

Johansson's other nomination is for best actress in the British-made and critically acclaimed Girl With A Pearl Earring , about the artist Vermeer, which received a further nine nominations. The producer, Andy Paterson, said: "We saw hundreds of girls and Scarlett just stood out. One of the greatest achievements for us is that we found this unknown girl and made the movie with her, and now she's the hottest ticket in town."

Two of the most heavily trailed British films failed to impress. Love Actually picked up only three nominations - with nothing for Hugh Grant - despite its success at the box office. Calendar Girls , which stars Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, did not receive a single nomination.

THE CONTENDERS

Best film: Big Fish; Cold Mountain; The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King; Lost In Translation; Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World.

Outstanding British film: Cold Mountain; Girl With A Pearl Earring; In This World; Love Actually; Touching the Void.

Best director: Tim Burton (Big Fish); Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain); Peter Jackson (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King); Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation); Peter Weir (Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World).

Best actor: Benicio del Toro (21 Grams); Bill Murray (Lost In Translation); Johnny Depp (Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl); Jude Law (Cold Mountain); Sean Penn (21 Grams); Sean Penn (Mystic River).

Best actress: Anne Reid (The Mother); Naomi Watts (21 Grams); Scarlett Johansson (Girl With A Pearl Earring); Scarlett Johansson (Lost In Translation); Uma Thurman (Kill Bill Vol 1).

Best supporting actor: Albert Finney (Big Fish); Bill Nighy (Love Actually); Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King); Paul Bettany (Master And Commander: The Far Side Of The World); Tim Robbins (Mystic River).

Best supporting actress: Emma Thompson (Love Actually); Holly Hunter (Thirteen); Judy Parfitt (Girl With A Pearl Earring); Laura Linney (Mystic River); Renée Zellweger (Cold Mountain).

Best original screenplay: 21 Grams; The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares); Finding Nemo; Lost In Translation; The Station Agent.

Best adapted screenplay: Big Fish; Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Mystic River.

Special achievement by a British director/writer in their first feature film: Sergio Casci - writer (American Cousins); Jenny Mayhew - writer (To Kill A King); Peter Webber - director (Girl With a Pearl Earring); Emily Young - director/ writer (Kiss of Life).

Best music: Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; Kill Bill Vol 1; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Lost in Translation.

Best cinematography: Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Lost in Translation; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Best editing: 21 Grams; Cold Mountain; Kill Bill Vol 1; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Lost in Translation.

Best production design: Big Fish; Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Best costume design: Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Best sound: Cold Mountain; Kill Bill Vol 1; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Best special effects: Big Fish; Kill Bill Vol 1; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Best make-up and hair: Big Fish; Cold Mountain; Girl With a Pearl Earring; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King; Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Best short animation: Dad's Dead; Dear Sweet Emma; Jojo in the Stars; Nibbles; Plumber.

Best short film: Brown Paper Bag; Bye Child; Nits; Sea Monsters; Talking With Angels.

Best film not in the English language: The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions Barbares); Belleville Rendez-Vous; Etre et Avoir; Good Bye, Lenin!; In This World; Spirited Away.