Christophe Barratier's The Chorushas been voted Best Picture by France's foreign press. Organisers of theLumiere awards, the local equivalent to the Golden Globes, announced today.

Jean-Pierre Jeunet took thedirecting prize for his epic A Very Long Engagement.

Continuing their reign as awardsroyalty this year, Emmanuelle Devos and Mathieu Almaric won the top actingawards for Arnaud Desplechin's Kings And Queen.

Lola Naymark, Marilou Berry andDamien Jouillerot were all named best new actors for their work in A CommonThread, Look At Me and Les Fautes D'Orthographerespectively.

Each of the winners is alsonominated for a Cesar, France's equivalent to the Oscar, in the samecategories.

Jeuent's film is up for 12 Cesars intotal and two Oscars for cinematography and art direction while The Chorushas eight shots at a Cesar with two Oscar nominations for song and foreignfilm.

The Lumiere awards have been in existence since 1986.