Jude Law is up for best actor for Cold Mountain

Other contenders in the best film category include The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Master and Commander and Lost in Translation.

Cold Mountain has also received a nomination for best British film, along with Love Actually.

British hopes include actor Jude Law and director Anthony Minghella.

Law said he felt honoured to be nominated for best actor.

VOTE RESULTS Which should win best film? Cold Mountain 17% Return of the King 67% Master and Commander 5% Lost in Translation 8% Big Fish 3% 3110 Votes Cast Results are indicative and may not reflect public opinion Vote now closed

"It's a personal honour for me to be nominated among such a prestigious group of actors."

Cold Mountain director Anthony Minghella said: "This has been an odyssey, both in front of the camera and behind it, and I am thrilled that a wonderful cast and crew has been acknowledged."

Sir Ian McKellen said: "I'm looking forward to the ceremony. With so much outstanding competition, it will be an exciting evening."

Unusually, Sean Penn and Scarlett Johansson both scooped two nominations each in the best actor and actress lists.

MOST NOMINATED FILMS Cold Mountain - 13 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - 12 Girl With a Pearl Earring - 10 Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World - 8 Lost in Translation - 8 Big Fish - 7

Penn is nominated for his roles in dramas Mystic River and 21 Grams, and is up against Benicio Del Toro, Bill Murray and Johnny Depp.

Newcomer Johansson is also shortlisted for Girl with a Pearl Earring and Lost in Translation.

Multiple nominations for actresses or actors have happened only three times before.

Anthony Hopkins, Miranda Richardson and Geoffrey Rush all received nominations for two films in the same year - and in each case they won.

Also up for best actress are Anne Reid for The Mother, Naomi Watts for 21 Grams and Uma Thurman for Kill Bill.

Newcomer Scarlett Johansson is nominated for two film roles

Reid said her best actress nomination for The Mother felt "unreal". Asked how she rated her chances of winning, she said: "I probably would say nil but then how do you know?"

Best director nominees include Peter Jackson for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Sofia Coppola for Lost in Translation and Peter Weir for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Love Actually, which has an ensemble cast including Hugh Grant and Keira Knightley, received three nominations, including best supporting actor for Bill Nighy, but was expected to do better.

Other British hopefuls at this year's event include Sir Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany with best supporting actor nominations, and Emma Thompson in the best supporting actress category.

BEST FILM CONTENDERS Big Fish (pictured) Cold Mountain The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Lost in Translation Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Peter Webber, director of Girl with a Pearl Earring, said he was amazed that his movie was mentioned in so many categories.

He told BBC News 24: "We hoped we'd get a few, but 10?"

The Return of the King is just one nomination behind Cold Mountain's tally, but the majority of its nominations are in technical categories, mirroring the Bafta recognition for the other two films in Peter Jackson's trilogy.

The Baftas ceremony will be screened live on BBC One on 15 February.