'The Constant Gardener' expected to flower at BAFTAs
2006-02-19

Category BAFTAS Nations U.K. People Paul Haggis Joaquin Phoenix Philip Seymour Hoffman Heath Ledger Judi Dench Rachel Weisz Ralph Fiennes Zhang Ziyi Charlize Theron Ang Lee Reese Witherspoon George Clooney Movie The Constant Gardener Syriana Capote The Chronicles of Narnia Brokeback Mountain Good Night, And Good Luck North Country Walk the Line Memoirs of a Geisha

"The Constant Gardener" was in line to pick up a string of accolades in Britain's answer to the Oscars, the British Academy Film Awards.

The political thriller is up for 10 awards at the BAFTAs, including Best Film, but faces competition from Ang Lee's cowboy tale "Brokeback Mountain" and Paul Haggis's racial drama "Crash".

Also nominated in the category -- scooped last year by Martin Scorcese's "The Aviator" -- are biopic "Capote" and George Clooney's true story of McCarthy-era news anchorman Edward R. Murrow in "Good Night, and Good Luck".

Rachel Weisz, from "The Constant Gardener", is pitted in the Best Actress category against Judi Dench ("Mrs Henderson Presents"), Charlize Theron ("North Country"), Reese Witherspoon ("Walk the Line") and Ziyi Zhang ("Memoirs of a Geisha").

For Best Actor, Ralph Fiennes, Weisz's on-screen husband, is up against David Strathairn ("Good Night and Good Luck"), Heath Ledger ("Brokeback Mountain"), Joaquin Phoenix ("Walk the Line") and Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Capote").

The awards, at London's giant Odeon Leicester Square cinema, could also be a boon to George Clooney, whose nominations include Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for "Good Night and Good Luck" and Best Supporting Actor for the politically-charged "Syriana".

Some of the biggest blockbusters of the year, such as "King Kong", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe", missed out on the main awards.

The BAFTA film awards were moved to a date before the Oscars in 2001 and are now seen as a pointer to who will pick up the iconic golden statues in the United States next month.