German hit The Lives Of Others, which was controversially snubbed by both Berlin and Cannes, has won six European Film Award nominations including those for film, director and screenwriter. The only other title with six nods was Pedro Almodovar's widely loved Volver.

Both films are considered frontrunners for this year's foreign-language Academy Award.

British films dominated the best film category with Ken Loach's Palme D'Or Winner The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Neil Jordan's UK/Ireland co-production Breakfast On Pluto, and Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross's The Road To Guantanamo all securing nominations alongside Golden Bear winner Grbavica, The Lives Of Others and Volver.

"It is fantastic," said Beta Cinema's Dirk Schueroff who is mopping up sales of The Lives Of Others here at the AFM. "We had the same feeling two years with Downfall."

The EFA awards ceremony takes place in Warsaw on Dec 2.

European Film Of The Year

Breakfast On Pluto (Ireland/UK), Neil Jordan
Grbavica (Austria/Bosnia-Herzegovina/Germany/Croatia) Jasmila Zbanic
The Lives Of Others (Germany) Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck
The Road To Guantanamo (UK) Michael Winterbottom
Volver (Spain) Pedro Almodovar
The Wind That Shakes The Barley (UK/Ireland/Germany/Italy/Spain) Ken Loach

European director of the year

Pedro Almodovar, Volver
Susanne Bier, After The Wedding
Emanuele Crialese, Golden Door
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives Of Others
Ken Loach, The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, The Road To Guantanamo

European actress of the year

Nathalie Baye, Le Petit Lieutenant
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Martina Gedeck, The Lives Of Others
Sandra Hüller, Requiem
Mirjana Karanovic, Grbavica
Sarah Polley, The Secret Life Of Words

European actor of the year

Patrick Chesnais, Not Here To Be Loved
Jesper Christensen, Manslaughter
Mads Mikkelsen, After The Wedding
Ulrich Mühe, The Lives Of Others
Cillian Murphy, Breakfast On Pluto and The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Silvio Orlando, The Caiman

European cinematographer of the year

Barry Ackroyd, The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Jose Luis Alcaine, Volver
Roman Osin. Pride & Prejudice
Timo Salminen, Lights In The Dusk

European screenwriter of the year

Pedro Almodovar, Volver
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, The Lives Of Others
Paul Laverty, The Wind That Shakes The Barley
Corneliu Porumboiu for 12:08 East Of Bucharest

European composer of the year

Alberto Iglesias, Volver
Tuomas Kantelinen, Mother Of Mine
Dario Marianelli, Pride & Prejudice
Gabriel Yared & Stephane Moucha, The Lives Of Others