BBC Four World Cinema Award shortlist announced

BBC Four has announced the shortlist for its World Cinema Award 2005, chosen by the UK's leading critics, film school heads and exhibitors.
The nominated films are: 'Bad Education' (Pedro Almodovar/Pathe Distribution); 'Hero' (Zhang Yimou/Buena Vista); 'Motorcycle Diaries' (Walter Salles/Pathe Distribution); 'The Return' (Andrea Zvyaginstev/UGC Films); 'Uzak' (Nuri Bilge Ceylan/Artificial Eye); and Zatoichi (Takeshi Kitano/Artificial Eye).
Jonathan Ross will host the live award programme on BBC Four on January 27 and announce one film as the overall winner.
He said: "This is a shortlist which is long on inspiration. There's more foreign talent here than in the Premiership. But let's hope that the standard of refereeing is a little better."
It is notable that the shortlist contains two Asian martial arts films (Hero and Zatoichi) and, in a bizarre twist, two films in which lead actors died shortly after filming was completed (The Return and Uzak).
A special preview of the event, presented by Stuart Maconie, will be transmitted on BBC Four today (Friday January 7) at 7.30pm.
This is the second BBC Four World Cinema Award. Last year's winner - as voted by Bjork, Mike Figgis, Robert Carlyle and Alex Cox - was 'Belleville Rendezvous', directed by Sylvain Chomet.
(GB)