The 9th Empire Awards ceremony (officially known as the Sony Ericsson Empire Awards), presented by the British film magazineEmpire, honored the best films of 2003 and took place on 4 February 2004 at The Dorchester Hotel in London, England.[1] During the ceremony, Empire presented Empire Awards in nine categories as well as three honorary awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award was renamed to Career Achievement Award this year but was reverted to its former name at its next and last presentation. The ceremony was televised live in the United Kingdom by Sky Movies 1 with highlights and exclusive backstage interviews airing on Sky One Mix on 5 February.[1] English actor Bill Bailey hosted the show for the first time.[1][2] The awards were sponsored by Sony Ericsson for the second consecutive year.[1][3]