In less than two weeks, the first imported movie for 2009 -- Madagascar: Escape to Africa, will premiere at Chinese mainland cinemas. As the new year commences, we look back at five of last year's best foreign films.

Atonement

No.5 Atonement

Art house films are traditionally not cinema favorites. But Ian McEwan's morality tale "Atonement" is an exception. The film lures viewers into a story set in an English country manor in 1935. The fluid and elegant camera work and intriguing plot ensure the film has had an impressive performance at the box office. The film came amid a flurry of action films giving audiences an alternative movie treat.