MUMBAI: After airing the Oscars live today (26 February), Star World will now air the 2007 British Academy Film Awards.

The awards, which are hosted by talk-show veteran Jonathan Ross from London’s Royal Opera House, will be aired on 27 February at 9 pm.

For 60 years, the British Academy Film Awards has recognized and honored outstanding achievements in film and 2007 offers a strong and diverse field of contenders. Reigning supreme at the top of the list is The Queen. The royals-in-ruin drama is nominated for 10 awards, including Best Film and Best Actress for Helen Mirren. Voters were also shaken and stirred by the latest James Bond adventure Casino Royale, which picked up nine nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Daniel Craig. Among the other stars vying for Best Actor honours are Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed), Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland) and acting legend Peter O’Toole (Venus).

Also in contention with seven nominations is the complex, cross-cultural drama, Babel. As well as nods for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, the Golden Globe-winning movie is also up for Best Film. In the latter category, Babel will compete against the Idi Amin biopic The Last King of Scotland, which is nominated in four other categories.

The 2007 line-up includes stars such as Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, Kylie Minogue and Sienna Miller.