Two Oscar-nominated films and a Cannes award-winner are among the ten films selected to screen in the World Cinema Showcase at the 12th Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) later this month.

An annual event, it takes place this year March 20-28.

One of the films, 'Revanche', was among the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at this year's Academy Awards.

Another animated feature, 'Waltz With Bashir' by Israeli director Ari Folman, was nominated in the same category.

The film tells the disturbing story of the director's involvement in the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and won this year's Best Documentary Screenplay award from the Writers Guild of America.

Also in the line-up is 'Hunger', the debut film by UK director Steve McQueen. It follows the harrowing last days of Bobby Sands, the Irish Republican Army hunger striker, in Belfast's Maze Prison, in 1981. The film won the Golden Camera award at the Cannes Film Festival, was named European Discovery of the Year at the European Film Festival and won the Diesel Discovery Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

'8', is a collection of eight films by directors from seven countries sharing their visions of the United Nations' Millennium Project, the goals of which include eradicating world poverty, universal primary education and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

The film won the Cinema for Peace Award for its contribution to the UN Millennium development goals.

Programme director David O'Beirne said BIFF was delighted to be able to screen such a diverse selection of films.

"With films from more than a dozen countries by some of the most talented and creative directors working in independent film, the World Cinema Showcase truly lives up to its name," he said.

"It's a line-up that is both entertaining and thought-provoking and we urge film lovers to book their tickets early!"

The ten feature length films selected for the World Cinema Showcase are '8', 'Citizen Havel', 'Empty Nest', 'Heaven on Earth', 'Hunger', 'Of Time and the City', 'Revanche', 'Summer Book', 'The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee "Scratch" Perry' and 'Waltz With Bashir'.

Tickets to BIFF 2009 go on sale March 11 at 10 a.m. on-line, www.biff.bm/box_office/tickets.html, and at the Festival's physical box office, 53 Front Street, Hamilton (next door to MAC).

Tickets for UnWrapped!, the Festival launch party featuring live bands Peculiar Gentlemen and Sugar Shack Burlesque, will also be on sale then.