Li was nominated for best actor at the Chinese equivalent of the Oscars for his portrayal of a 19th century mercenary in Hong Kong director Peter Chan's epic 'The Warlords,' one of the 12 awards the movie is competing for.

Better known for his action prowess, the 45-year-old former martial arts champion has already won best actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards in April for the same performance.

The home crowd in Taiwan will be eagerly watching to see if 'Cape No. 7,' the self-ruled island's most successful movie in years and its No. 2 all-time box office earner, can bag all 10 of the awards it's nominated for, including best movie, best director for Wei Te-sheng and best supporting actor.

The movie, about a disillusioned rock musician who falls in love with a Japanese publicist, has already sparked controversy because of its references to Taiwan's 50-year colonial rule under Japan that ended in 1945.

Chinese officials have reportedly decided to block the film, worrying that it may be offensive to nationalist sentiment on the mainland. Many mainland Chinese are still upset about atrocities Japanese troops committed in China in the World War II era.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949 and have been separately ruled since.

Also up for best movie is 'Assembly,' set against the Chinese civil war in the 1940s, Taiwan's 'Orzboyz,' and Hong Kong's 'Ocean Flame,' about the relationship between a man and a waitress.

Others nominated for best director were Chan for 'The Warlords,' up-and-coming Hong Kong director Pang Ho-cheung for 'Trivial Matters' and Sylvia Chang for 'Run Papa Run,' about a gangster torn between his family and a life in crime.

In the best actor category, Li is competing against Zhang Hanyu from 'Assembly,' Liao Fan from 'Ocean Flame' and Louis Koo from 'Run Papa Run.' The best actress competition features a diverse mix of performances from little-heard movies.

Hong Kong actress Prudence Liew was nominated for playing a prostitute and drug addict in 'True Women for Sale' and Sandrine Pinna is in contention for her portrayal of a happy-go-lucky half-French, half-Taiwanese teenager who falls in love with her female friend in 'Miao Miao.' Karena Lam from 'Claustrophobia' and Monica Mok from 'Ocean Flame' were also nominated. -- AP