12:40pm UK, Sunday February 22, 2004

Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has warmed up for next week's Oscars by scooping a British award.

The Return of The King, final instalment of the Rings trilogy, won best international film at the Directors Guild of Great Britain inaugural awards.

Rings director Peter Jackson

The movie was named best film at this month's Bafta ceremony where Jackson, surprisingly, missed out on best director to Master and Commander's Peter Weir.

Director Michael Winterbottom won the prize for best British film with refugee drama In This World at the Guild awards.

German director Wolfgang Becker's post-cold war comedy Goodbye Lenin! was named best foreign film.

Richard Curtis, director of romantic comedy Love Actually, accepted an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Film and Television.