A Welsh-produced movie starring Hollywood hot property Ioan Gruffudd has been nominated for the Oscars.

The multi-lingual Solomon and Gaenor is among this year's nominations for Best Foreign Language Film.

The film - starring Ioan Gruffudd and Nia Roberts - was recorded in three languages - Welsh, English and Yiddish.

The film is a classic tale of forbidden love.

Solomon and Gaenor tells the story of a Jewish pedlar (Gruffudd) masquerading as a middle-class Protestant.

He falls in love with the daughter of a miner in an early twentieth century south Wales mining community bedevilled by anti-semitic sentiment.

"I'm over the moon and thrilled for Paul Morrison who wrote and directed the film," said Ioan Gruffudd.

"It was brilliantly translated into the Welsh language. It's great to again show the world what Wales has to offer."

The S4C-produced movie follows in the footsteps of the Welsh-language World War I film Hedd Wyn - nominated in the same category five years ago.

Both stars of the film were warmly congratulated at the National Assembly following confirmation that Solomon and Gaenor had been nominated.

New First Secretary Rhodri Morgan described it as " a huge achievement" which would raise the profile of Wales, particularly among young people.

Transatlantic success

"It will also have a dramatic effect in helping us build up the media industry in Wales," he added.

Ioan Gruffudd has enjoyed immense success across the Atlantic in the past few years.

After a debut as a schoolboy in the longest-running BBC soap opera Pobl y Cwm, Gruffudd's career really took off when he played the title role in the TV series Hornblower.

He is the latest British actor being tipped to make it big in the US.

The success of the 26-year-old Cardiff-born actor comes hot on the heels of the Hollywood success of Swansea's Catherine Zeta Jones.

Benefits for Wales

Ms Zeta Jones, star of blockbusters The Mask of Zorro and Entrapment, has put her homeland on the Hollywood map.

S4C chief executive, Huw Jones, said: "This nomination is gratifying and exciting for all involved.

"I am particularly pleased for the two young lead actors, Ioan Gruffudd and Nia Roberts.

"International recognition such as this is beneficial to Wales in all sorts of ways."