Pan's Labyrinth has been announced as Mexico's entry into the Oscars' foreign-language film category.

Directed by Guillermo DelToro, whose previous films include Hell Boy, Cronosand The Devil's Backbone, Pan's Labyrinth is a dark fairytale set in post-civil war Spain. In the movie, a young girl's fantasy world overlapswith real-life Fascist Spain.

Pan's Labyrinth was aMexican-Spanish-American co-production. UK rights belong to Optimum, which was recentlyacquired by France's StudioCanal.

Another country to haveannounced its Oscar entry is Belgium, with the Dutch-language film Someone Else'sHappiness. It is director Fien Troch'sfirst feature film, a drama about the hit-and-run killing of a child in avillage on the outskirts of Brussels.

Troch was recently selected as one of six directors toparticipate in the 2006 Cannes Film Festival Residence program, which begins inOct and goes through to Feb 2007.

Oscar nominees will beannounced on Jan 23, 2007.