Spanish films Bad Education and The Sea Inside and Germany's Head-On lead the pack in the nominations for this year's European Film Awards.

The three films have been nominated alongside Lukas Moodysson's A Hole In My Heart, Christophe Barratier's The Chorus (Les Choristes) and Mike Leigh's Vera Drake for the best European film prize.

Head-On, The Sea Inside and Bad Education also picked up nods in the best director and best screenwriter categories.

In the acting categories, Javier Bardem's Venice winning performance in The Sea Inside was recognised with a best actor nomination for the EFAs. And Imelda Staunton acclaimed performance in Vera Drake earned her a best actress nomination. Sibel Kekilli, who won a best actress award at this summer's German Film Awards for her role in Head-On, was also nominated in the category.

Meanwhile, nine films were nominated for the Screen International sponsored Non-European Film Award. Four were from Asia - Wong Kar-Wai's 2046, Kim Ki-duk's 3-Iron, Park Chanwook's Old Boy and Zhang Yimou's House Of Flying Daggers. Ousmane Sembene's Moolaade - a Burkina Faso, Morocco, Tunisia and Cameroon co-production - was also nominated, as were four films from North and South America - Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries, Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 and Joshua Marston's Maria Full Of Grace.

The winners will be announced during the Awards Ceremony at the Barcelona International Convention Center CCIB on Saturday, December 11.

European Film 2004
A Hole In My Heart, Sweden/Denmark, directed by Lukas Moodysson
Head-On, Germany, directed by Fatih Akin
Bad Education, Spain, directed by Pedro Almodovar
The Chorus (Les Choristes) France/Switzerland directed byChristophe Barratier
The Sea Inside, Spain/France/Italy, directed by Alejandro Amenábar
Vera Drake, UK/France, directed by Mike Leigh

European Director 2004
Fatih Akin for Head-On
Pedro Almodovar for Bad Education
Alejandro Amenabar for The Sea Inside
Theo Angelopoulos for Trilogy - The Weeping Meadow
Nimrod Antal for Kontroll
Agnes Jaoui for Look At Me (Comme une Image)

European Actress 2004

Sarah Adler in Notre Musique
Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi in 5 x 2
Penelope Cruz in Don't Move (Non Ti Muovere)
Sibel Kekilli in Head-On
Asi Levi in Avanim
Imelda Staunton in Vera Drake

European Actor 2004
Javier Bardem in The Sea Inside
Daniel Bruehl in The Edukators
Bruno Ganz in Downfall
Gerard Jugnot in The Chorus
Bogdan Stupka in Our Own
Birol Ünel in Head-On

European Screenwriter 2004
Fatih Akin for Head-On
Pedro Almodovar for Bad Education
Alejandro Amenabar & Mateo Gil for The Sea Inside
Jean-Luc Godard for Notre Musique
Agnes Jaoui & Jean-Pierre Bacri for Comme Une Image (Look At Me)
Paul Laverty for Ae Fond Kiss

European Cinematographer 2004
Javier Aguirresarobe for The Sea Inside
Jose Luis Alcaine for Bad Education
Lajos Koltai for Being Julia
Alwin Kuchler & Marcel Zyskind for Code 46
Eduardo Serra for Girl With A Pearl Earring
Andreas Sinanos for Trilogy -The Weaping Meadow

European Composer 2004
Bruno Coulais for The Chorus
Alexandre Desplat for Girl With A Pearl Earring
The Free Association for Code 46
Alberto Iglesias for Bad Education & Take My Eyes
Eleni Karaindrou for Trilogy - The Weaping Meadow
Stephen Warbeck for The Alzheimer Case

European Film Academy Discovery 2004 - Prix Fassbinder
Brodeuses (A Common Thread) by Eleonore Faucher /France
Certi Bambini (Stolen Childhood) by Andrea & Antonio Frazzi /Italy
Kroko by Sylke Enders /Germany
Or (Mon Tresor) by Keren Yedaya /Israel
Ta Divna Splitska Noc (A Wonderful Night In Split) by Arsen Anton Ostojic /Croatia
Vremya Zhatvy (Harvest Time), by Marina Razbezhkina /Russia

European Film Academy Non-European Film 2004 - Prix Screen International
2046, by Wong Kar-Wai
3-Iron, by Kim Ki-duk
The Motorcycle Diaries, by Walter Salles
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, by Michel Gondry
Fahrenheit 9/11, by Michael Moore
Maria Full Of Grace, by Joshua Marston
Moolaade, by Ousmane Sembene
Old Boy, by Park Chanwook
House Of Flying Daggers, by Zhang Yimou

European Film Academy Short Film 2004 - Prix Uip
Prix UIP Ghent: J'attendrai Le Suivant... by Philippe Orreindy /France
Prix UIP Valladolid: Les Baisers des Autres by Carine Tardieu / France
Prix UIP Angers: Poveste La Scara "C" by Cristian Nemescu /Romania
Prix UIP Berlin: (A) Un Cartu De Kent i Un Pachet De Cafea by CristiPuiu / Romania
Prix UIP Tampere: Fender Bender by Daniel Elliott / Estonia
Prix UIP Cracow: Alt I Alt by Torbjorn Skårild / Norway
Prix UIP Grimstad: Panique Au Village: Les Voleurs Des Cartes by VincentPatar and Stephane Aubier /Belgium/France
Prix UIP Vila do Conde: Love Me Or Leave Me Alone by Duane Hopkins / UK
Prix UIP Sarajevo: Ich Und Das Universum by Hajo Schomerus / Germany
Prix UIP Edinburgh: La Nariz De Cleopatra by Richard Jordan / Spain
Prix UIP Venezia: Goodbye by Steve Hudson / Germany
Prix UIP Drama: 7:35 De La Mañana by Nacho Vigalondo, Spain

In addition to the awards listed above, the following will presented during theAwards Ceremony:

European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award
European Achievement In World Cinema 2004
European Film Academy Critics Award 2004 - Prix Fipresci
European Film Academy Documentary 2004 - Prix Arte
The Jameson People's Choice Awards 2004 for Best European Actor, Best EuropeanActress And Best European Director