Firth to hand out film accolade

Heart-throb Colin Firth and former Cabinet Minister Chris Smith will be in the spotlight this weekend - handing out Evening Standard British Film Awards at the Savoy.

Firth - who has now played "Darcy" in three films - will be accompanied by his wife Livia as he presents the Alexander Walker Special Award.

Named after our late film critic, this accolade is reserved for those who have given their utmost to the British film industry.

Past winners include Michael Winterbottom, Sir Michael Caine, Christopher Lee and David Niven.

The former culture secretary has received widespread praise in recent days for his courage in revealing he has been HIV positive for 17 years. This Sunday Mr Smith, 53, will join Britain's film elite

to present our best screenplay award. Dame Judi Dench, Mike Leigh, Emilia Fox, Timothy Spall, Miranda Richardson, Simon Pegg, Tara Fitzgerald, Jerry Hall, Terry Gilliam, John Hurt, Charles Dance and Nick Moran are just a few of the leading lights who will grace the Savoy.

The eight Evening Standard film awards are: best film, best actor, best actress, technical achievement award, the Peter Sellers award for comedy, best screenplay, the ITV London most promising newcomer award and the Walker special award.

This year we have given Standard readers the chance to vote for film of the year.

We invited you to select the Standard readers' film of 2004 chosen from a shortlist of the year's six top British boxoffice films, Bride and Prejudice, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Layer Cake, Shaun of the Dead, Wimbledon and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

The winning film will be announced on Sunday.