BBC Four has introduced a new award for foreign films shown in cinemas in the UK.

The inaugural awards will be held at the end of the year, choosing the best foreign film of 2003.

The winner, picked by a panel of film experts, will be unveiled on BBC Four Film of the Year 2003 in January 2004.

It follows a period of unprecedented success for foreign cinema in the UK, from the French romantic comedy Amelie to Mexican road movie Y Tu Mama Tambien and the French serial-killer thriller Roberto Succo.

Y Tu Mama Tambien was a huge hit last year

"In the past 10 months BBC Four has already shown that there's much more to cinema than Hollywood and proved that viewers have a real appetite for brilliant film-making, whatever its language and country of origin," BBC Four controller Roly Keating said.

"Audiences have been flocking to cinemas to see films such as Together, Y Tu Mama Tambien and City of God and I'm delighted that the BBC Four Film of the Year will help to put films like these centre-stage," he said.

Foreign films in 2002

Y Tu Mama Tambien The Fast Runner Roberto Succo Talk To Her Time Out Abouna

BBC Four was launched in March last year and shows at least one foreign film each week during prime time.

The list for 2003 already includes City of God, the Brazilian thriller set in the slums of Rio and starring a cast of non-actors.

Palestinian fantasy-comedy Divine Intervention, based in the Gaza Strip, will also be in the running.

Films eligible if the awards were held for 2002 releases would have included Y Tu Mama Tambien, Roberto Succo, French drama Time Out and the Chadian film Abouna.