The four nominations were chosen from 63 entries by a committee of members of the International Federation of Film Critics (www.fipresci.org) and board members of the European Film Academy (www.europeanfilmacademy.org), the academy said in a statement Sept. 27. It represents Kiziltan's directorial debut in feature-length films but he has directed three television series.

A Man's Fear of God (www.takva.com.tr) tells the story of Muharrem, an extremely devout Muslim, whose beliefs are upset by temptation and the modern world. The film received various festival awards, among them the Heart of Sarajevo for Best Film and the Critics' Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. It was produced by Turkish-German director Fatih Akin's production company Corazón International (www.corazon-int.de/)

As part of the European Film Awards, the category "European Discovery" is presented to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. The other nominees are The Band's Visit by Eran Kolirin of Israel, Control by Anton Corbijn of the U.K., and Counterparts by Jan Bonny of Germany. The four nominated films will now be made available to all 1,800 members of the European Film Academy for voting.

The winner will be announced at the 20th European Film Awards on Dec. 1 in Berlin