ScreenInternational has teamed up with the Hollywood Film Festival and its HollywoodAwards as well as filmfestivals.com to launch the festival's World and Europeancinema awards.

A blue ribbonselection committee comprising 20 international judges will select 10 picturesfrom a list of 40 as nominees for the Hollywood World Awards and will nominatea further 10 for the Hollywood European Awards.

The new awardswill be presented as part of the Hollywood Awards gala show on Oct 18 inBeverly Hills, and are designed to serve as an Academy Awards launchpad for foreign language contenders.

Previousattendees at the awards show have included a virtual "who's who" ofHollywood's A-list talent and executives including Steven Spielberg, MartinScorsese, Harrison Ford, Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Arnold Schwarzenegger,Robert Towne, John Travolta, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Drew Barrymore, Halle Berry,Sandra Bullock, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Ron Howard and Amy Pascal, among others.

This year'sfestival is scheduled to run from Oct 12-18 at Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood."Because we are an international competitive event, we are committed, more thanever, to implementing our mandate: bridging the gap between establishedHollywood and the global creative community," executive director Carlos deAbreu said in a statement.

"ScreenInternational and Screendaily.com are thrilled to be partnered with Carlos deAbreu on this exciting initiative," Screen editor-in-chief Colin Brownsaid.

"This gives theHollywood community the opportunity to get a valuable pre-Oscar look at what'shot in international cinema this year."

"We Europeanswill always look for new ways of presenting our diversity and creativity in theart of film-making to demanding film fans and Hollywood decision makers.

"Providing afast track to European film-makers through this established event, in front ofsuch a powerful community, is our challenge for the months to come.

"We are so thankful to theexceptional network of film personalities that is gathering and ready tocontribute to the success of the Hollywood European Awards."

Qualifyingpictures must be completed between Sept 1 2003, and Oct 1 2004.