Return of the King Tipped for Best Film at Oscars

The final part of the epic Lord of the Rings trilogy is emerging as a favourite for the best film prize at the Oscars ceremony next February.

The first group of awards for the best films and performances of 2003 indicate that Peter Jackson's newly released film could win the prize that eluded the first two movies in the much acclaimed series.

The powerful New York Film Critics Circle, not an organisation known for its mainstream tastes, chose The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King as its best film, reflecting glowing reviews in the US media for the three-hour movie based on JRR Tolkien's novel.

The same organisation chose Sofia Coppola as best director for her highly praised Lost in Translation, the story of a middle-aged actor, a young woman and jet lag in a Tokyo hotel.

Bill Murray was chosen as best actor for playing the main part in the film.

The New York critics' best actress award went to Hope Davis for her roles in American Splendour and The Secret Lives of Dentists.

City of God, the true story of the brutal rivalry between street gangs in Rio de Janeiro, won the best foreign language film prize.

A further pointer to likely Oscar nominees was given by the American Film Institute, which also announced its top 10 films of 2003. Films that made the list included The Return of the King, Finding Nemo, The Last Samurai and Master and Commander.

In San Francisco, the critics yesterday gave their top prize to Lost in Translation and named Peter Jackson best director.

The award-giving season has been complicated by the row over whether "screeners" - videos of contenders - should be sent out to award-giving organisations. Some critics decided to make no awards in protest at the screeners ban, imposed because the industry claimed the practice could lead to piracy. But last week, a New York district court judge threw out the screeners ban, forcing the studios into a climbdown.

It had been thought that a ban would damage smaller films, such as House of Sand and Fog, starring Ben Kingsley, which have shorter runs in cinemas. Now those films will be hoping for an equal chance with their big-budget rivals.

Good reviews last week for Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give mean her name is likely to appear as an Oscar nominee alongside Naomi Watts (21 Grams), Charlize Theron (Monster) and Cate Blanchett (Veronica Guerin and The Missing).

Contenders alongside Bill Murray for the best actor award are Sean Penn (Mystic River), Paul Giamatti (American Splendour) and Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean).