MUMBAI: UK pubcaster BBC's channel BBC Four celebrates the wealth of contemporary international cinema by bringing viewers dedicated programming which highlights the work of leading directors and actors across different continents.

In January 2006 BBC Four will air the three -part series, Asian Invasion on East Asian cinema presented by Jonathan Ross. The series explores some of the most innovative cinema in the world today.

He travels to Japan, Hong Kong and South Korea to discover the best current cinema on offer and interviews the hottest directors and actors. It also features interviews with key personalities in the Asian film industry including award-winning directors Park Chan-wook and Kim Ki-duk, Ryuhei Kitamara, who directed the first Godzilla movie to have been made in the last 10 years, and actor-turned-director Derek Yee, whose intense dramas have crossed cultural boundaries. He also meets Stephen Chow, a charming comedian and most popular Asian superstar, and takes a nostalgic look at all-time heroes Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan.

Ross will also host the third annual BBC Four World Cinema Award. The award, which is announced live on 26 January 2006, is given to the best foreign language film of 2005 chosen by a panel of judges from a six film shortlist announced in early January.

To accompany the series, BBC Four will air several foreign films like Ping Pong (Japan) and Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter... And Spring (South Korea).