Rings sees first award nominations

Lord of The Rings: Tipped to be a blockbuster

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring has won its first award nominations before it is even released.

On Monday the American Film Institute announced nominations for the first annual AFI Awards in 19 film and television categories.

The Middle Earth epic, which opens internationally on Wednesday, is one of 10 films nominated for best movie - alongside Moulin Rouge, Shrek and In The Bedroom.

It has also been nominated for best editor, best digital artist and best composer.

The awards will be presented in Los Angeles on 5 January 2002 and broadcast live on TV.

Todd Field's film has won praise from critics

The recipients will be chosen by a ballot of a 100-strong jury of film industry experts.

Todd Field's story of family tragedy, In The Bedroom, and Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down share the top honours, with five nominations apiece.

In the Bedroom was recently named film of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics' Association.

Tom Wilkinson has been nominated for the male actor award for his role in the film, along with Russell Crowe for A Beautiful Mind and Billy Bob Thornton for The Man Who Wasn't There.

Best script

Female actor award nominations include Sissy Spacek for In The Bedroom and Halle Berry for Monster's Ball.

In The Bedroom also received a nod for the best script, written by director Todd Field and Rob Festinger.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, as it is known in the US, received a nomination for its digital effects artists Robert Legato, Nick Davis and Roger Guyett - as did Jim Rygiel for his work on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

TV dramas which received nods included the Emmy-winning series The Sopranos and The West Wing.