Stephen Daldry's Billy Elliot is one of 15 European titles competing for a $130,000 (FFr1m) prize at the 5th edition of the Forum of European Cinema to be held November 9-14 in Strasbourg.

The award - doled out by French film industry support organisation CNC - is intended to support distribution of the winning title in Europe.

The other competing titles are:

Vanessa Jopp's Vergiss Amerika (Germany),
Fintan Connolly's Flick (Ireland),
Katrin Ottarsdottir's Bye Bye Blue Bird (Denmark),
Mateo Gil's Nadie Conoce A Nadie (Spain),
Alessandro Piva's LaCapaGira (Italy),
Costas Kapakas' Peppermint (Greece),
Aku Louhimies' Levottomat (Finland),
Philippe Faucon's Samia (France),
Vincent Bal's Man Van Staal (Belgium),
Virgil Widrich's Heller Als Der Mond (Austria),
Dana Nechushtan's Total Loss (Netherlands),
Leonel Vieira's Zona J (Portugal),
Luis R. Vera's Bastards In Paradise (Sweden) and
Agnes Obadia's Du Poil Sous Les Roses (Luxembourg).

The event - built around three days of workshops and roundtables as well as a presentation of conclusions to the European Parliament - will also feature the world premiere of Gerard Corbiau's Le Roi Danse! and tributes to Moritz de Hadeln and Werner Herzog. Jose Luis Cuerda's Butterfly's Tongue will open the festival.