PARIS -- "Amelie" and "No Man's Land" may have to duke it out with three other contenders for the foreign-language Oscar, but in Gaul they've won their own kudos.
The French Union of Film Critics, with over 200 members, gave the Prix Melies for French film of the year to "Amelie," Jean-Pierre Jeunet's bittersweet Montmartre-set comedy. The award, handed out at a gala dinner Monday, began in 1946.
"No Man's Land," Danis Tanovic's dark comedy about the idiocy of war, won the Prix Moussinac, which since 1967 has designated the best foreign film of the year. Four hundred movies from nearly 50 countries were eligible.
In a new category begun last year, Orso Miret's "De l'histoire ancienne," (Ancient History) was voted best first film among 60 French contenders.
Le Syndicat Francais de la Critique de Cinema programs and administers the Intl. Critics Week at Cannes. This year will be the 41st lineup of the festival's oldest sidebar.
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