The Sundance Institute andJapan Broadcasting Corporation NHK have announced the winners of the 2006Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Awards.

Now in its 10th year, the awards honour the best in this year'sindependent voices from around the world and supports the work of emerging filmdirectors from four global regions.

The winners will each receive a $10,000 director's award and aguarantee from NHK to purchase the Japanese television broadcast rights uponcompletion of their project.

The winning projects are: Patrice Toye for The Spring Ritual from Europe; Fernando Eimbcke for LakeTahoe from LatinAmerica; Cruz Angeles for Don't Let Me Drown from the US; and Kanji Nakajima for TheClone Returns To The Homeland from Japan.

'These awards are one ofthe ways Sundance Institute supports distinctive new work thorough the featurefilm programme,' Sundance Institute founder and president Robert Redfordsaid.

'In the 10th anniversary of the award, we're pleased torecognise the inspired storytelling of a talented group of filmmakersrepresenting the best in independent voices from around the globe.'

'We are grateful to NHK for their continuing commitment toemerging international filmmakers,' Sundance Institute feature filmprogramme director Michelle Satter added.

'Their dedication toproviding financial resources to filmmakers at the incipient stages of theirprojects is crucial to completing the films.'