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Celebrating the best of contemporary international film-making and highlighting ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four's commitment to international cinema, the channel today announces the shortlist of nominations for the sixth ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Award.

Additionally this year a new special award will mark the career of a great film maker with Werner Herzog receiving the inaugural ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Achievement Award at this month's ceremony.

Richard Klein, Controller of ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four, says: "This is proof positive of what a terrific year it's been in international film. Each of the shortlisted films enthrals, challenges and entertains in equal measure.

"And – in an exciting first for us – it's an honour to celebrate the work of one of film's finest storytellers, the indefatigable Werner Herzog."

The shortlist of nominations for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four's World Cinema Award 2009 recognises the wealth of contemporary international film-making.

In conjunction with the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Award, selected cinemas including the BFI Southbank (London), The Cornerhouse (Manchester), the Filmhouse (Edinburgh), the Eden Court Theatre (Inverness), Tyneside Cinema (Newcastle upon Tyne), the Lighthouse (Poole), Dundee Contemporary Arts and the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre (Dumfries) will be showing the five shortlisted films in January and February.

Check local listings for other UK screenings of the shortlisted films.

Showcasing Werner Herzog's talents, ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four will broadcast a season of four of his best films: Aguirre Wrath Of God, Fitzcarraldo, The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser and Nosferatu The Vampyre.

This season also includes Werner Herzog On The Culture Show, featuring an interview he originally did with Mark Kermode which first aired on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Two's The Culture Show.

More than 200 UK-wide film critics were invited to choose one title each from the list of around 150 foreign language films released in the UK in 2008.

A specially assembled jury will debate the films and select an overall winner.

The director of the winning film will receive the award at a special television ceremony at the BFI Southbank in London, to be broadcast on Saturday 31 January and presented by Jonathan Ross.

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Award shortlist:

Gomorrah
Director: Matteo Garrone
Five dark fictional stories are woven together bringing to life the struggles of the residents from the provinces of Naples and Caserta. Living within the oppressive parameters of the Camorra (Mafia), normality is a luxury for only a few who escape their ruthless regime.

Persepolis
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
This film is the story of Marjane, a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic revolution. Bright and determined, her defiant attitude leads to a poignant tale of her life's journey, a future inextricably linked to the experiences in her past.

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Director: Julian Schnabel
Based on his true story, Jean-Dominique Bauby wakes from a stroke to discover he is cocooned in a paralysed body, with movement ability restricted to just the blinking of his left eye. Although trapped in his body, his imagination continues to soar.

The Orphanage
Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Laura returns to the orphanage she grew up in – with her husband and seven-year-old son Simon – with the dream of re-opening it. But Simon's behaviour becomes increasingly sinister in this new home, convincing Laura the house holds terrible secrets from the past.

4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days
Director: Cristian Mungiu
Otilia and Gabita are friends who work together at a university in a small town in Romania under Communist rule. When Gabita becomes pregnant, Otilia accompanies her when she goes for an illegal abortion. The film depicts the girls' gritty situation as they make tough decisions and deal with the consequences.

The sixth annual ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Awards ceremony will be held on Tuesday 27 January and shown in a special programme on ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four on Saturday 31 January.

Notes to Editors

The ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Award will be judged by a panel of four people with an expert knowledge of international cinema past and present (former jurors have included Gillian Anderson, Kevin MacDonald, Bjork and Peter Capaldi). More details on the judging panel will be announced shortly.

2008 Award Winner: Pan's Labyrinth (Dir: Guillermo Del Toro, Mexico/Spain/USA).

Nominated: Climates (Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan,Turkey/France). The Lives Of Others (Dir: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany). The Science Of Sleep (Dir: Michel Gondry, France/Italy). Syndromes And A Century (Dir: Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul, Thailand).

³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four has put international cinema at the heart of its schedule since its launch in March 2002, and now concentrates on airing seasons of film premieres and classic foreign language films.

Allan Campbell is the producer of the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Four World Cinema Awards, a ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ Scotland production. The executive producer is Andrea Miller.

LK