THE section world cinema online or in a shop is for many on par with world music-it means nothing as they would never go there to seek out new experiences.

That is choice and that is fine.

But over the past couple of years I have ventured into World Cinema.

Mainly it has been German, French, Swedish and Polish films.

I am no way a font of all knowledge at all. I usually go online and search out actors or actresses I have already seen in European films and try to find some of their other films.

Another way, and this takes so much time is to go through page after page, last time it was 61 pages on line to find five films.

I see the DVD box cover, read the synopsis and then decide does it look good enough to buy, then if I think it looks ok, I click add to basket.

Hardly scientific, more gut reaction.

I have had what you might call a decent 'hit rate' and have been delighted and more than surprised at the films I have seen. This is because if I had not decided to buy then I would have missed out.

A selection of films I have watched include:

- Wings of Desire (German)

- Downfall (German)

- Das Boot (German)

- Out of Darkness (Polish)

- Point Blank (French)

- The Connection (French)

- Potiche (French)

- The Lives of Others (German)

- The Counterfeiters (German)

- The Tunnel (German)

- The Hundred Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared (Sweden)

- Valkyrie (German)

- Rommel (German)

- The Sweeney Paris (French)

- The Wall (German)

- The Baader Meinhof Complex (German)

- Micmacs (French)

- Jack Strong (Polish)

- The German Doctor (Spanish)

- The Brand New Testament (co-production Belgium, France, and Luxembourg).

- In order of disappearance (Norway)

I would certainly recommend all the above.

The latest film I watched was last night.

This was a French thriller called Point Blank.

It lasted one hour 20 minutes and was fast paced from start to finish. I surrounds a male trainee nurse whose pregnant wife is kidnapped. I will not say anymore as you will pick up the story if you watch the film.

Each of those films I have listed have been a delight and a joy. I have spoken to some people who will not watch world cinema films as clearly they are out of their comfort zone or they cannot watch a film and read subtitles.

Others have said they do not recognise any of the actors, it is too much hard work looking at all the DVD boxes to pick a film and they do not like watching films they have not heard of.

It is all subjective. For me I love the adventure, I enjoy watching new films, I like films with subtitles. I am happy to invest my time into European films.

There is for me something vibrant and fresh in watching a genre of film (world cinema) which can be and is by the majority in the UK overlooked.

But the irony is they have seen World Cinema films but they do not know it.

This is when Hollywood remakes them and passes them off as a new film.

An example would be City of Angels starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan which is a remake of Wings of Desire.

My advice if you like cinema start seeing what the world has to offer.