Stephen Chow's kung fu and soccer comedy, Shaolin Soccer, led the pack in the nominations for the 21st Hong Kong Film Awards with 13 nods including best film and best director.

The record-breaking film, which became Hong Kong's biggest-grossing local production ever last year, with a box office haul of $7.4m (HK$60m), also scored in the technical categories with nominations for cinematography, editing, action choreography and visual effects. Chow was also nominated for best screenplay and best actor.

Stanley Kwan's gay-themed melodrama Lan Yu scooped the second highest number of nominations with 11 nods including best film, best director and best screenplay. It was also nominated twice in the best actor category for Hu Jun and Liu Ye.

Ann Hui's July Rhapsody, which screened in the Panorama section of this year 's Berlin Film Festival, picked up eight nominations including best film, best director, best screenplay and best actress for Anita Mui. Hui also picked up a best director nomination for ghost story Visible Secret.

Popular Hong Kong actress Sammi Cheng bagged three nominations in the best actress category for romantic comedies Fighting For Love and Love On A Diet and costume comedy Wu Yen.

This year's awards will feature two new categories - Best Visual Effects and Best Asian Film - which according to organisers were introduced to underscore Hong Kong's position as a hub of Asian film-making.

Nominees for the Best Asian Film Award - described as the Asian equivalent to the Oscars' Best Foreign-language Film Award - include A One And Two, from Taiwan's Edward Yang, Japanese animation Spirited Away, Korean director Ji-Woo Jung's Happy End and two films from mainland China - Yu Zhong's Roots And Branches and Zhang Yang's Shower

The awards will be presented on April 21.

FULL LIST OF NOMINATIONS:

Best Film
Shaolin Soccer (Exec prod - Yeung Kwok Fai)
Beijing Rocks (Exec prods - John Chong, Solon So, Alex Law)
July Rhapsody (Exec prods - Derek Yee, Ann Hui)
Love On A Diet (Exec prods - Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai)
Lan Yu (Exec prods - Zhang Yong Ning, Kwan Siu Wai)

Best Director
Shaolin Soccer (Stephen Chow)
July Rhapsody (Ann Hui)
Visible Secret (Ann Hui)
Love On A Diet (Johnnie To, Wai Ka Fai)
Lan Yu (Stanley Kwan)

Best Screenplay
Shaolin Soccer (Stephen Chow, Tsang Kan Cheong)
July Rhapsody (Ivy Ho)
Merry-Go-Round (GC Goo-Bi)
You Shoot, I Shoot (Vincent Kok, Pang Ho Cheung)
Lan Yu (Jimmy Ngai)

Best Actor
Stephen Chow - Shaolin Soccer
Jacky Cheung - July Rhapsody
Andy Lau - Love On A Diet
Hu Jun - Lan Yu
Liu Ye - Lan Yu

Best Actress
Sammi Cheng - Fighting For Love
Sylvia Chang - Forever And Ever
Anita Mui - July Rhapsody
Sammi Cheng - Love On A Diet
Sammi Cheng - Wu Yen

Best Supporting Actor
Wong Yat Fei - Shaolin Soccer
Patrick Tam - Born Wild
Lee Wai Sheung - From The Queen To The Chief Executive
Lam Ka Tung - Dance Of A Dream
Simon Yam - Midnight Fly

Best Supporting Actress
Josie Ho - Forever And Ever
Karena Lam - July Rhapsody
Wai Ying Hung - Visible Secret
Cecilia Yip - The Avenging Fist
Su Jin - Lan Yu

Best New Performer
Niki Chow - Dummy Mommy, Without A Baby
Karena Lam - July Rhapsody
Lawrence Chou - Merry-Go-Round
Zeny Kwok - Glass Tears
Charlene Choi - Funeral March

Best Cinematography
Shaolin Soccer - Kwen Park Huen, Kwong Ting Wo
Beijing Rocks - Peter Pau
Visible Secret - Arthur Wong
Peony Pavilion - Chung Yau Tim
Lan Yu - Yang Tao, Zhang Jian

Best Film Editing
Shaolin Soccer - Kai Kit Wai
Fulltime Killer - David Richardson
The Accidental Spy - Kong Chi Leung
The Legend Of Zu - Marco Mak
Lan Yu - William Chang

Best Art Direction
July Rhapsody - Man Lim Chung
The Legend Of Zu - Ho Kim Hung, Fu De Lin
Peony Pavilion - Lou Zhong Guo, Yan Zhan Lin
Wu Yen - Bruce Yu
Lan Yu - William Chang

Best Costume & Make-up Design
Shaolin Soccer - Choy Yim Man
The Legend Of Zu - William Fung, Kwan Mei Po, Lee Pik Kwan
Peony Pavilion - Yon Fan
Wu Yen - Bruce Yu
Lan Yu - William Chang

Best Action Choreography
Shaolin Soccer - Ching Siu Tung
My Schoolmate, The Barbarian - Ching Siu Tung
The Avenging Fist - Yuen Kwai
The Accidental Spy - Tung Wai, JC Stuntmen Team
The Legend Of Zu - Yuen Wo Ping, Yuen Bun, Ku Huen Chiu, Yuen Shun Yi

Best Original Film Score
Shaolin Soccer - Raymond Wong
Beijing Rocks - Henry Lai
My Life As McDull - Ho Shung Chi
Midnight Fly - Mei Lin Mou
Lan Yu - Zhang Ya Dong

Best Original Film Song
Shaolin Soccer
Beijing Rocks
Para Para Sakura
Peony Pavilion
Love On A Diet

Best Sound Design
Shaolin Soccer - Kinson Tsang
Beijing Rocks - Kinson Tsang
Visible Secret - Tu Duu Chih
The Accidental Spy - Kinson Tsang
The Legend Of Zu - Martin Chappell

Best Visual Effects
2002
Shaolin Soccer
The Avenging Fist
The Accidental Spy
The Legend Of Zu

Best Asian Film
A One And A Two (Taiwan)
Spirited Away (Japan)
Happy End (Korea)
Roots And Branches (China)
Showers (China)