Joyeux Noel stars turned out for the Berlin premiere

Joyeux Noel - a contender for the best foreign film Oscar - deals with a brief ceasefire between French and German troops in 1914.

Christian Carion said DVDs of the film have been sent to UK soldiers in Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence could not confirm his claims that the film's makers had been in touch with the army.

An MoD spokesman said unsolicited DVDs could be sent to military post offices abroad.

'Touching' discovery

Joyeux Noel - or Merry Christmas - has topped the box office and set a sales record for a subtitled film in France since its release on 9 November.

The movie has been selected as France's entry for the best foreign language Academy Award.

Earlier this year the decision to pick the film over documentary March of the Penguins, the country's most successful film at the US box office, was queried as it had only been on a limited release at the time.

The film, starring Guillaume Canet, Benno Fuermann, Diane Krueger and Gary Lewis is told from the perspective of French, German and British soldiers.

Carion said Joyeux Noel will also be screened to German troops on peace keeping missions abroad.

But in an interview with Reuters ahead of the film's international premiere in Berlin, Carion said the French army refused to co-operate with its making.

"It's a film about humanity," he said.

"I was touched to discover this had happened. These soldiers decided in a war, by themselves, to just stop fighting.

"I love the idea of soldiers doing that, forgetting all the hatred."

He said the film's UK distributor had "proposed screenings and sending DVDs" to British soldiers.