`Black Hawk Down,' `In the Bedroom' lead AFI film nominees

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The combat thriller ``Black Hawk Down'' and the somber family drama ``In the Bedroom'' led nominees for the American Film Institute awards, with five nominations each,

Monday, December 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The combat thriller ``Black Hawk Down'' and the somber family drama ``In the Bedroom'' led nominees for the American Film Institute awards, with five nominations each, including for best picture.

Six other movies had four nominations apiece: ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,'' ``The Man Who Wasn't There,'' ``Mulholland Drive,'' ``A.I. Artificial Intelligence'' and ``Gosford Park.''

The first-ever AFI Awards include nominees in 12 movie and seven television categories. Winners are to be announced Jan. 5 in a live broadcast on CBS.

Besides ``Black Hawk Down'' and ``In the Bedroom,'' nominees announced Monday for movie of the year were ``A Beautiful Mind,'' ``Lord of the Rings,'' ``The Man Who Wasn't There,'' ``Memento,'' ``Monster's Ball,'' ``Moulin Rouge,'' ``Mulholland Drive'' and ``Shrek.''

``Black Hawk Down,'' a dramatization of a doomed American military operation in Somalia, also had nominations for director Ridley Scott and for cinematographer, editor and production designer.

``In the Bedroom,'' a low-budget independent film about a grieving husband and wife who turn to vengeance, earned lead-acting nominations for Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson, a directing nod for Todd Field, and a screenwriting nod for Field and collaborator Rob Festinger.

Other best-actor contenders were Russell Crowe as schizophrenic math genius John Nash in ``A Beautiful Mind''; Billy Bob Thornton as a blackmailing barber in ``The Man Who Wasn't There''; and Denzel Washington as a corrupt cop in ``Training Day.''

For best-actress, Spacek is up against Halle Berry as a death-row widow in ``Monster's Ball''; Stockard Channing as a frazzled corporate leader in ``The Business of Strangers''; and Naomi Watts as a delusional actress in ``Mulholland Drive.''

Nominees for actors in non-leading roles were Steve Buscemi, ``Ghost World''; Brian Cox, ``L.I.E.''; Gene Hackman, ``The Royal Tenenbaums''; and Tony Shalhoub, ``The Man Who Wasn't There.''

Contenders for actresses in non-leading roles were Cate Blanchett, ``Bandits''; Jennifer Connelly, ``A Beautiful Mind''; Cameron Diaz, ``Vanilla Sky''; and Frances O'Connor, ``A.I.''

Besides Scott and Field, the directing nominees were Robert Altman for ``Gosford Park'' and David Lynch for ``Mulholland Drive.''

``The Sopranos'' led TV dramas with three nominations: for dramatic series, actor James Gandolfini and actress Edie Falco. ``Everybody Loves Raymond'' had nominations for comedy series, actor Ray Romano and actress Doris Roberts.

``Anne Frank'' was nominated for best TV movie or mini-series, and had acting nods for Ben Kingsley and Hannah Taylor Gordon.

The awards are the newest in a crowded schedule of film honors leading up to the Oscars on March 24. Golden Globe nominations will be announced Thursday, and Hollywood trade unions such as the Screen Actors and Directors guilds announce their nominees early next year. Oscar nominations come out Feb. 12.

The AFI list mixes contenders from critically acclaimed, populist and obscure films. Blanchett for the comedy ``Bandits'' is not viewed as a serious contender for other top awards. Cox gives a captivating performance as a man who is both paternal figure and predator for a teen-age boy in ``L.I.E.,'' a movie that played well at festivals but has been scarcely seen in theaters.

AFI nominees were chosen by two 13-member committees _ one each for movies and television _ which include AFI trustees, industry workers, film and TV scholars, and critics. The film panel included critics Roger Ebert and Richard Schickel, actress Marsha Mason, director Mimi Leder and musician and producer Michael Nesmith. The TV committee included producers Diane English, Marian Rees and Frank Spotnitz, former Disney television executive Richard Frank and director Thomas Carter.

Winners are to be picked by a 100-member jury of industry experts, employees and critics.

AFI, best known for its annual lists ranking all-time top American films or stars, provides industry training, holds screenings and conducts movie-preservation efforts.