AceShowbiz - Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu is urging Oscars bosses to consider Javier Bardem for a Best Actor nod for his portrayal of a cancer victim in new movie "Biutiful". The star took home the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this year for his performance in the harrowing drama, but was left out in the recent Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations, which will see winners crowned next month.

However, Inarritu is hopeful Bardem will take Hollywood's highest honor at the Academy Awards ceremony in February - as he's convinced the actor only missed out on several nods because of the film's timing. He tells E! Online, "I think the fact that the film has not been out yet, that many people haven't seen it or we don't have the money to spend to put all the ads out there. They (awards bosses) have 40 DVDs to watch. Maybe 'Biutiful' will be the last one for them to watch because it's a subtitled film. There's many filters or challenges that we have to face."

"I have big hopes (for an Oscars nomination). I truly believe that once (they) see it (Bardem will be nominated)."

While Bardem admits filming the movie had a big impact on him, telling Reuters "It's been rewarding in the sense of putting yourself in front of a mirror where you face your limits and have to deal with them. This is, by far, the professional experience that has helped me the most when thinking about my craft, about my job, about my responsibilities."