Dustin Hoffman and Dame Judi Dench received International Emmy nominations on Monday for their roles in the BBC One TV movie Roald Dahl’s Esio Trot.

Brazil had a leading seven nominations, followed by Britain with six, including best actor and actress for Dustin and Judi.

Dame Judi Dench celebrates at the Olivier Awards
Dame Judi Dench (Joel Ryan/AP/PA)

The two Oscar-winning acting veterans were honoured for their roles in Esio Trot, based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel about a lonely, ageing bachelor who tries to woo the tortoise-loving widow in the flat below.

Germany had five nominations, including best TV movie/miniseries and best actor (Florian Stetter) for Nackt Unter Wolfen (Naked Among Wolves), an adaptation of the novel by East German author Bruno Apitz about Buchenwald concentration camp prisoners who risk their lives to hide a Polish-Jewish boy.

Dustin Hoffman (Brian Bettencourt/Invision)
Dustin Hoffman (Brian Bettencourt/Invision)

Canada and South Korea each had three nominations, while Argentina, France and the Philippines had two apiece.

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said 40 nominees from 15 countries would be competing in 10 categories for the International Emmys, which honour excellence in TV programming outside the U.S. The awards will be presented on 21 November at a gala hosted by Alan Cumming at the Hilton New York Hotel .

Brazilian nominees include Alexandre Nero (best actor) for A Regra do Jogo (Rules of the Game) and Grazi Massafera (best actress) for Verdades Secretas (Hidden Truths), Zorra (The Mess) in the comedy category and Adotada for non-scripted entertainment.

Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming (Jimi Celeste/AP)

The other British nominees are Hoff the Record (comedy), My Son the Jihadi (documentary), Gogglebox (non-scripted entertainment), and Capital (TV movie/miniseries).

Taiwanese actor James Wen was the only other best-actor nominee for Echoes of Time. Other best-actress nominees are Jodi Sta. Maria of the Philippines for Pangako Sa ‘Yo (The Promise) and Germany’s Christiane Paul for Unterm Radar (Under the Radar).

Also competing in the comedy category are France’s Dix Pour Cent (Call My Agent) and South Africa’s Puppet Nation ZA.

TV's Shonda Rhimes (Michael Zorn/Invision/AP)
TV’s Shonda Rhimes (Michael Zorn/Invision/AP)

Nominees for best drama series are Canada’s 19-2, Argentina’s La Casa Del Mar, Germany’s Deutschland 83 and the United Arab Emirates’ Waiting for Jasmin.

Shonda Rhimes, writer, executive producer and creator of hit TV series such as Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal, will be presented the honorary International Emmy Founders Award. Maria Rorbye Ronn, CEO and director general of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, will receive the honorary International Emmy Directorate Award.