Brits warm to ‘Cold Mountain’

“Cold Mountain,” with 13 nominations, and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” with a dozen, led the nominations Monday from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

Both movies were nominated for best film and best director (Anthony Minghella for “Cold Mountain,” Peter Jackson for the last of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy). They’ll compete in both categories against Tim Burton’s whimsical “Big Fish,” Peter Weir’s seafaring saga “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World” and Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation,” the young director’s second film.

Sean Penn was nominated twice for best actor, for “Mystic River” and “21 Grams.” Also nominated were Penn’s co-star in “21 Grams,” Benicio del Toro; Jude Law (“Cold Mountain”); Bill Murray (“Lost in Translation”); and Johnny Depp (“Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”).

Scarlett Johansson also secured two nominations for best actress, for “Lost in Translation” and “Girl with a Pearl Earring.” The other nominees: Uma Thurman for “Kill Bill -- Vol. 1,” Naomi Watts for “21 Grams” and Anne Reid for “The Mother.”

The BAFTA winners will be announced Feb. 15, two weeks before the Oscars.