Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four today confirmed Jonathan Ross is to present the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Awards 2011 which are the foremost foreign-language honours in the UK. The channel also unveiled the shortlist of nominations for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Award 2011.

Now in its eighth year, the annual awards celebrate the best of contemporary international film-making and highlight Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four's commitment to foreign language films. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Award which was inaugurated in 2004, will be drawn from a shortlist as nominated by UK-wide film writers while The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Achievement Award celebrates the outstanding work of an international film maker.

Richard Klein, Controller, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four, commented: "As the home of arts and culture, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four provides a crucial platform for foreign language film. We are excited once again to be presenting the World Cinema Awards and celebrating the diverse range of international cinema available in the UK."

This year, some 200 UK-wide film writers were invited to nominate their favourite films for a shortlist from around 200 releases from the previous 12 months. The five films which polled highest were then shortlisted for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Award 2011. A specially assembled jury will debate the films and select an overall winner.

The award will be presented at a special television ceremony at the BFI Southbank in London on Tuesday 15 November 2011 and shown on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four on Sunday 20 November 2011. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Awards is a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland Arts production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Vision.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Award shortlist

Of Gods And Men (France. Dir: Xavier Beauvois)
Set in the 1990's in a monastery perched in the mountains of North Africa, eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers. But when a crew of foreign workers are massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group, fear sweeps through the region. The army offers the monks protection but they refuse, should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst they slowly realise that they have no choice but to stay, whatever the consequences.

The Skin I Live In (Spain. Dir: Pedro Almodovar)
Ever since his wife was burned in a car crash, Dr. Robert Ledgard, an eminent plastic surgeon, has been interested in creating a new skin with which he could have saved her. After 12 years he manages to cultivate, in his own laboratory, a skin that is sensitive to caresses but also a real shield against all the aggressions, both external and internal. Robert needed a human guinea pig, an accomplice and no scruples. Marilia, the woman who looked after him from the day he was born, is his most faithful accomplice. And as for the human guinea pig… over the course of each year dozens of young people of both sexes disappear from their homes. One of those young people will end up sharing the splendid mansion, El Cigarral, with Robert and Marilia, and will be doing so unwillingly.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand / UK / France / Germany / Spain / Netherlands. Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul)
Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in a remote forest, an important place from his childhood and, he believes, the possible location of his former existences. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him and the spirit of his long lost son returns. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave, the birthplace of his first life.

A Separation (Iran. Dir: Asghar Farhadi)
A Separation is a suspenseful and intelligent drama detailing the fractures and tensions at the heart of Iranian society. When his wife leaves him, Nader hires a young woman to take care of his suffering father. But what he doesn't know is his new maid is not only pregnant, but also working without her unstable husband's permission. Soon Nader finds himself entangled in a web of lies, manipulation and public confrontations.

Le Quattro Volte (The Four Times) (Italy/Germany/Swtzerland. Dir: Michaelangelo Frammartino)
An old shepherd lives his last days in a quiet medieval village perched high on the hills of Calabria, at the southernmost tip of Italy. He herds goats under skies that most villagers have deserted long ago. He is sick, but believes that he can find his medicine in the dust he collects on the church floor, which he drinks in his water every day. A beautiful and poetic vision of the revolving cycles of life and nature in the unbroken traditions of a timeless place, Le Quattro Volte appears as the metaphor of a soul that moves through four successive states of being.

Notes to Editors

The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Award nominations will be judged by a panel of experts (former jurors have included Gillian Anderson, Kevin MacDonald, Bjork and Peter Capaldi). More details on the judging panel will be announced shortly.

2010 Award Winner: The White Ribbon, Dir: Michael Haneke, a compelling drama set in a seemingly prosperous village in Germany just before the First World War. Other nominated films: Let The Right One In (Dir: Tomas Alfredson); I Am Love (Dir: Luca Guadagnino); A Prophet (Dir: Jacques Audiard); Waltz With Bashir (Dir: Ari Folman).

In 2009 a new award was introduced: The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Achievement Award was first presented to director Werner Herzog. In 2010 the recipient was Bernardo Bertolucci, director of Last Tango In Paris and The Last Emperor. This year's recipient will be announced shortly.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ 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.

Jonathan Ross returns as host of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Awards in 2011.

Allan Campbell is the producer of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Four World Cinema Awards, a Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland Arts production for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Vision. The executive producer is Andrea Miller.

AT