Stars come out to shine for Baftas

The stars are coming out tonight for this year’s Baftas.

Cold Mountain leads the way with 13 nominations, followed by Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, with 12.

The Odeon cinema in London’s Leicester Square will play host to Hollywood stars including Renee Zellweger, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro and Britain’s Jude Law.

Also carrying the country’s hopes will be the likes of Emma Thompson and Ian McKellen.

Law is in contention for the best actor award for his role as an American Civil War soldier in Cold Mountain.

The film’s other nominations include best film and best director for Anthony Minghella.

Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn have two nominations apiece in the best actress and actor lists – newcomer Johansson for Lost In Translation and Girl With A Pearl Earring, and Penn for 21 Grams and Mystic River.

The 19-year-old actress is up against Uma Thurman for Kill Bill Vol 1, Naomi Watts for 21 Grams, and British actress Anne Reid for The Mother.

Penn will compete with Law, Benicio Del Toro for 21 Grams, Bill Murray for Lost In Translation and Johnny Depp for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl.

Contenders for best film are Lord of the Rings, Cold Mountain, Big Fish, Lost In Translation and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Best director will be either Tim Burton (Big Fish), Anthony Minghella (Cold Mountain), The Lord of the Rings (Peter Jackson), Sofia Coppola (Lost In Translation) or Peter Weir (Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World).

Since the Baftas were moved to precede the Oscars, they have increased their profile and now attract major Hollywood stars.

Academy Award voters will be watching the ceremony with interest and the winners will boost their chances of landing an Oscar on February 29.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast at 9pm tonight on BBC1.