Stars gather for BAFTA awards
 |
'Chicago' jointly dominates Bafta nominations
Story Tools
|
LONDON, England -- Hollywood has descended on London for the annual BAFTA awards.
The awards -- given by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts -- are due to be presented at a glittering ceremony on Sunday.
The bulk of the nominations have gone to the musical "Chicago" and the U.S. blockbuster "Gangs of New York."
The two major cinema hits, which have 12 nominations each, will be vying for the best film award along with "The Hours," "The Two Towers" and "The Pianist."
The critically acclaimed "The Hours" has 11 nominations, including best director for Briton Stephen Daldry who walked away with the award at the Golden Globes.
It also has two of its top actresses Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep fighting for best actress.
Also competing for the best actress award are Salma Hayek for "Frida" and the surprise inclusion of Halle Berry for "Monster's Ball," the role that won her the 2002 Best Actress Oscar.
In the leading male category, newcomer Adrien Brody has received his first nomination for "The Pianist."
He faces competition from awards veterans Michael Caine for "The Quiet American," Jack Nicholson for "About Schmidt," Daniel Day-Lewis for "Gangs of New York" and Nicolas Cage for "Adaptation."
The second Lord of the Rings movie "The Two Towers" competes for nine BAFTAs, plus the Orange film of the year prize which is voted for by cinemagoers.
Many of the nominees are expected to attend the ceremony, which comes just a month before the Oscars.
