In a press release today The British Acadaemy of Film and Television Arts has accouned that two actresses, Dame Judi Dench and Michelle Yeoh, are both contenders for a BAFTA Award when the awards ceremony is held on February the 25th.

Dame Judi Dench, who has played the role of M in the last three James Bond movies and will do so again in Bond 20, has been nominated for “Performance By An Actress In A Supporting Role” for her portrayal of Amande Voizin in Lasse Hallström’s ‘Chocolat’. Chocolat also starred Johnny Depp (Sleepy Hollow) and Juliette Binoche (The English Patient). Binoche has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award for “Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role”.

Michelle Yeoh, who was made famous to Bond fans with her portrayal of Chinese Agent Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies, has been nominated for “Performance By An Actress In A Leading Role” for her portrayal of Shu Lien in Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. Yeoh, and her Bond character of Wai Lin, are both rumoured to make a reappearence in Bond 20 when it is released in 2002.

Good luck to both of them, especially Dame Judi cause she’s just fabulous! You can see the full list of nominees at BAFTA’s homepage. If we missed anyone else from the Bond series be sure to let us know.

And just as an after thought this years BAFTA Awards are being present exactly one month before this years Academy Awards. Using the BAFTA Awards as an indication we may just see Dench and Yeoh up for Oscar Nominations when the nominees for the 73rd Anual Academy Awards are announced on February 13 at 5:38 a.m. Pacific Time.

The full press release is as follows:

January 31, 2001
The Orange British Academy Film Nominations Announced

Today’s nominations for The Orange British Academy Film Awards showed the competition to be wide open, with both Gladiator and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon receiving 14 nominations and British hit Billy Elliot receiving 11.

The announcement, by this year’s ceremony host Stephen Fry at BAFTA’s London headquarters, also included Julia Roberts for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Erin Brockovich, which received a further 5 nominations, and a posthumous nomination for Oliver Reed for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in Gladiator.

The first Orange British Academy Film Awards since the pivotal move pre-Oscars®, this year’s star-studded event will again take place at the Odeon Leicester Square on 25th February exactly one month before Hollywood’s ceremony.

The performance categories see Jamie Bell battling against Russell Crowe, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks and Geoffrey Rush for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Whilst Julia Roberts, Juliette Binoche, Kate Hudson, Hilary Swank and Michelle Yeoh line up for the Best Actress in a Leading Role.

Simon Relph, Chairman of BAFTA comments, “This year’s race is truly international and one of the most open in recent memory. Our move to go before the American Academy Awards® has greatly increased national and international interest. Our Awards - the only other international awards apart from the Oscars® - continue to be a celebration of excellence by the British Academy which reflects British filmmakers and cinema-goers’ ongoing passion for the movies.”

The public-voted Orange Audience Award is again hotly contested with box office favourites including the UK’s Chicken Run and Billy Elliot taking on the US hits Gladiator and The Grinch.

In addition, the Academy Council will bestow further awards dedicated to excellence in film. These include The Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, The Alexander Korda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year and, most notably, the Academy Fellowship whose previous recipients include Michael Caine, Elizabeth Taylor, Sean Connery, Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg.

Broadcast live on Sky One, with a highlights programme to be screened on BBC1 the following evening, presenters already confirmed include Robert Altman, Annette Bening, Claudia Schiffer, Rachel Weisz, Kate Beckinsale, Christina Ricci and Dame Maggie Smith.

Again good luck to both of them!

Updated!:
Just to let you know the official Academy Awards site for the 73rd Annual Academy Awards has now opened and announced that the nominees list will be released on February the 13th and the awards ceremony will take place on March the 25th. We’ll keep our eye on this and keep you posted!