BILLY Elliot, the film starring young North-East actor Jamie Bell, is set to gain another international accolade.

The film, which is tipped for Oscar success, has been announced as a contender for the film of the year award presented by the Producers' Guild of America.

In the awards' 11-year history, the winning film has gone on to be named Best Film at the Oscars eight times.

In Billy Elliot, Jamie, who is from Billingham, Teesside, plays a miner's son who swaps his boxing gloves for ballet shoes against the background of the 1980s miners' strike.

His performance has already earned him international praise after the film was shown at the prestigious Cannes film festival.

British-made Billy Elliot is up against Hollywood blockbusters Erin Brockovich and Gladiator, for the Producers' Guild award, as well as Almost Famous and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

The winning film will be announced on March 3.

Since the film was released, Jamie, 14, has starred on television with fellow-North-Eastener Robson Green and has become a local celebrity, invited to turn on the Christmas lights in Stockton.

Jamie has also been nominated for a prize at this year's awards of the London Film Critics' Circle, while the film was nominated in nine out of 15 categories.

Billy Elliot has received many other accolades, including two Golden Globe nominations which are seen as an indicator for the Oscars' line-up.

But the film failed to impress European movie buffs when it was overlooked in the European Film Awards.

Both the 14-year-old and his co-star, Julie Walters, had been nominated for best actor awards in the Paris ceremony

But Jamie, who is starring alongside Robson Green in the television legal drama Close and True, has always maintained that the only Oscar he is interested in is his pet dog.

The film also waltzed off with four major titles at the British Independent Film Awards, with Jamie, in the the title role as the talented youngster, named best newcomer at the ceremony in central London.