Parminder Nagra is one of the stars of Bend It Like Beckham

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has honoured ethnic performers in film, TV, music and literature since 1962.

The British film competes with Bad Boys II, The Fighting Temptations, Deliver Us From Eva and Whale Rider.

Beyonce Knowles has been nominated in the best actress category, with winners announced in Los Angeles on 8 March.

Bend It Like Beckham is about an Asian teenager who has to overcome her family's opposition to her playing in a football team.

Denzel Washington is nominated for his role in Out of Time

It became a hit in the UK when it was released in 2002, and went on to find success in the US, where it has taken $32.5m (�18m) at box offices.

It has also been nominated for best musical or comedy film at the Golden Globes - the most prestigious awards in Hollywood before the Oscars.

And it is the first British film to be nominated for a NAACP award since Othello in 1996, which was a joint UK/US production and starred Laurence Fishburne in the title role.

Last year, Denzel Washington picked up best actor for John Q and best director for Antwone Fisher, which also won best film.

Washington is nominated for best actor again this year for Out of Time, alongside Cuba Gooding Jr for Radio, Fishburne for The Matrix Revolutions, Samuel L Jackson for SWAT and Will Smith for Bad Boys II.

In the actress category, Beyonce is up against Gabrielle Union for Deliver Us from Eva, Halle Berry for Gothika, Keisha Castle-Hughes for Whale Rider and Queen Latifah for Bringing Down the House.

TV and music

In music, R Kelly, Luther Vandross, Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige and Outkast have been nominated for best album.

The Bernie Mac Show topped the nominations in the television categories, up for best TV comedy show, actor for Mac and actress for Kellita Smith.

Smith said: "To me, it is like an Emmy, but it comes from my peers and my community."