Ananova:

A US black civil rights group has nominated Bend It Like Beckham for its annual best film award.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has honoured ethnic performers in film, TV, music and literature since 1962.

Bend It Like Beckham will compete with Bad Boys II, The Fighting Temptations, Deliver Us From Eva and Whale Rider.

It is the first British film to be nominated for an NAACP award since Othello in 1996, which was a joint UK/US production and starred Laurence Fishburne in the title role.

Beyonce Knowles has been nominated in the best actress category, with winners announced in Los Angeles on 8 March, reports BBC Online.