It's been an epic year for movies.

From James Cameron's return to the big screen with "Avatar," to "Star Trek" re-imagined to the star-studded cast of Rob Marshall's "Nine," Hollywood has been going big guns this year.

Meanwhile over in independent film a new star was born - Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe - the abused, overweight teen who grabs your heart and won't let go in "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire."

And a few foreign language films - "The White Ribbon" and "A Prophet," in particular - simply blew critics' socks off.

We canvassed a diverse group of movie experts to find out what films they thought were the best of 2009.

To read more click here.

Scorsese and The Auteurs put cinema classics online for free

Groundbreaking new website that combines social networking with movies on demand collaborates with U.S master filmmaker to show cinema masterpieces restored Scorsese's World Cinema Foundation online for free.

Haneke finally crowned King of Cannes

It was a case of fifth time lucky for Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke who took the Palme D'Or for "The White Ribbon," a depiction of the cruel punishments meted out at a rural German school before the First World War.

Have Tarantino and his 'Inglourious Basterds' got what it takes?

"Inglourious Basterds" received mixed reviews from the critics at Cannes but Austrian soap star Christoph Waltz took home the best actor prize for his portrayal of of a multilingual Nazi in the World War II film.

In pictures: Stars come out in Cannes for premiere of Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'

Hollywood eyes $70 zombie movie wowing Cannes

A budding British director is enjoyed success on a shoestring at Cannes with "Colin," a zombie feature that cost a scarcely believable $70 to make.

'Ghandi' returns to India in Bollywood movie

In the most high-profile amalgamation of Indian and western talent yet, Academy Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley stars with Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan in a drama about a pair of maths geniuses.

In pictures: Blood, elephants and naked cyclists: 10 Cannes publicity stunts

In pictures: Star power on full wattage at Cannes

Iranian filmmaker's pain of fiancee's jail time

As award-winning Iranian film-maker Bahman Ghobadi walked down the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of his new feature, his fiancee American-Iranian journalist Roxana Saberi had just been released from jail in Iran.

Cannes 2009: The movies to watch out for

The Screening Room asked a blogger, a critic and a film buyer attending the festival what films they will be watching out for at this year's event.

All that glitters: five iconic Palme D'Or winners

Five of the most groundbreaking and iconic Palme d'Or winners from around the world since the award's inception in 1955.

Interactive: Cannes: the Palme D'Or contenders

A rundown of the 20 films in contention for the top prize at Cannes Film Festival 2009.

Ledger's final film to feature at Cannes

The film Heath Ledger was making when he died, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," featured at this year's festival

All The Screening Room's video from Cannes in one handy place!

French flair and talent
Past winners include Francois Truffaut and Mathieu Kassovitz, but what do French entrants have on offer at this year?s Cannes Film Festival.

Beyond the red carpet
With budgets from lean to luxurious, The Screening Room looks at some of the highlights of this year's Cannes Film Festival.

May means Cannes
Can the world's most famous film festival recreate the glamour of past years and draw Hollywood's elite in spite of the global recession?

Hollywood partners Bollywood
CNN's Neil Curry looks at the strengthening ties between Hollywood and Hindi film industry, Bollywood.

Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds'
More from Cannes as The Screening Room takes an in-depth look at Quentin Tarantino's latest offering, "Inglourious Basterds".

More on 'Inglourious Basterds'
Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino talk about their new film "Inglourious Basterds". CNN's Mylene Klass reports.

Searching for Sir Ben Kingsley
At Cannes it can be hard to find your interviewee amid all those yachts, as Neil Curry found out.

'Looking for Eric'
Soccer star Eric Cantona has become the focus of attention at the Cannes Film Festival.

Inside Cavalli's yacht
Myleene Klass gives us the high-life backstory of the Cannes Film Festival.

Behind the scenes of Cannes
Producer Katie Walmsley takes us on a tour of the hot spots at the Cannes Film festival.

Should filmmakers care?
After the home of a 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor was razed, CNN's Neil Curry asks Cannes regulars if they should care.

Filmmaker responsibility
CNN's Neil Curry reports on the movie world showing its compassionate side.

Is Cannes affected by the economy?
CNN's Neil Curry looks at how Cannes Festival keeps up the glam level in the recession.

Cannes Film Festival opening
CNN's Neil Curry mingles with the stars at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

The pornographic sex and visceral brutality in Danish auteur Lars von Trier's new film "Antichrist," generated outrage and disbelief from some quarters - with some going as far as to label the director a woman-hater.

Danish auteur Lars von Trier.

In an interview with CNN the 53 year-old provocateur and Dogme 95 mastermind says that he made the gothic thriller that tells the story of a bereaved couple who retreat to a remote cabin to deal with the death of their child as a form of therapy after he recovered from serious depression.

Read the story here, watch video of von Trier talking about the film at the Cannes Film Festival and look at images of his wierd and wonderful career.

What do you think? Is von Trier a woman-hater or an artist? Tell us below.

Play-acting on the pitch is usually frowned upon by fans of the game, but as Eric Cantona's upcoming role as himself in Ken Loach's "Looking For Eric," which is in competition at next month's Cannes Film Festival shows, that hasn’t stopped some of the world’s best players from combining the beautiful game with the big screen.

Cantona is no stranger to the movie world - the enigmatic Frenchman shocked the football by announcing his intention to launch a serious film career on his retirement from the game. A cameo role in the Oscar-nominated 1998 historical drama, "Elizabeth" was an atypically low key debut for the legendary striker, but Cantona has since amassed a substantial filmography of both English and French films.

Now Cantona takes on arguably his biggest role to date - that of himself. "Looking For Eric" is the story of a Manchester United-supporting milkman who experiences visions of Cantona as he attempts to escape a mid-life crisis. The film, directed by Ken Loach, has been tipped for success at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

The beautiful game’s universal appeal has captivated many a film-maker for generations, from Wim Wenders’ psychological take in "The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty" (1972), to Loach’s manic PE teacher in "Kes" (1969).

But it was 1981’s "Escape to Victory" that really kicked off the football film revolution. Pele and Bobby Moore’s star turns were never likely to be up for Oscar nominations, but seeing them share the screen with Sylvester Stallone and Michael Caine popularized the idea that footballers themselves could appear on celluloid.

Former Wimbledon and Chelsea hardman Vinnie Jones is one of the more unlikely players to embark on an acting career, enjoying success playing a gangster in Guy Ritchie’s "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels" and "Snatch." He subsequently got back into his football kit to appear in "Mean Machine" (2001), a soccer-based remake of the American football film "The Longest Yard."

The most famous player of them all, David Beckham, went one better and had a film named after him - "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002) - although his only "appearance" in the film was actually a lookalike posing as the free kick specialist. However, since his move to Los Angeles Galaxy in 2007, Beckham has been no stranger to the Hollywood lifestyle, and indeed did have a cameo in the first of the "Goal!" trilogy, alongside then Real Madrid team-mate Zinedine Zidane.

Zidane, a former World Player of the Year, was the sole star of a 2001 documentary, "Zidane: A Twentieth Century Portrait," in which his movement was closely tracked by a team of cameramen during the course of a Spanish Liga game.

And it seems that even the lure of merely appearing in your own movie isn’t enough to sate the footballing appetite for cinema, with some players starting to work behind the camera.

French international Vikash Dhorasoo released his video diary of the 2006 World Cup, "Substitute" (2007), to acclaim at the IDFA Documentary Festival in Amsterdam, documenting his frustration at being consigned to the bench during France’s run to the World Cup Final on Super-8 film.

As both the subject and director of the documentary, Dhorasoo stripped away the glamour of international tournaments, showing the boredom - and even depression - that permeates the lives of the perennial bench-warmer.

Of course, not every footballer after a film career has to make a film about football. England defenders Ashley Cole and Rio Ferdinand may currently have Chelsea and Manchester United’s Champions’ League campaigns to contend with, but both have signed up as executive producers on 50 Cent’s next film, "Dead Man Running," a gangster flick also starring "The Football Factory’s" Danny Dyer.

Which football movies hit the target for you? Which ones leave you as sick as a parrot?