London, Dec 15 (IANS/EFE) Pedro Almodovar unveiled the first footage from his new film, "Los amantes pasajeros" (I'm So Excited), during a Hollywood tribute to the Spanish filmmaker here.

Almodovar chose the intimate and moving retrospective by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to show the trailer for his much-anticipated film, a comedy that unfolds on board a plane and whose cast includes Javier Camara, Cecilia Roth, Antonio Banderas and Penelope Cruz.

The film is due to premiere in Spain in March.

A scene in which three flight attendants dance in front of the passengers to the tune of The Pointer Sisters' song "I'm So Excited" was shown at the end of Thursday's tribute.

The maker of films such as "Volver" (To Return) and "Todo sobre mi madre" (All About My Mother) was surrounded by family and friends during the ceremony, including his brother and producer Agustin.

Also in attendance were leading figures in British cinema including director Stephen Frears and actors Miranda Richardson and Kristin Scott Thomas.

US filmmaker Quentin Tarantino also paid tribute to Almodovar in a videotaped message, calling him the contemporary director he most admired.

Almodovar said he was deeply moved by the expressions of affection and admiration during the long, entertaining retrospective and wished to thank everyone from the "bottom of his heart".

"I'm surrounded by family and friends and they are the ones who deserve this tribute because I do what I do thanks to them," the 63-year-old filmmaker said.

Almodovar, who gained fame in the 1980s with a series of sexually charged melodramas, has won a pair of Oscars for two of his more recent and less outrageous efforts - best original screenplay for the 2006 film "Hable con ella" (Talk to Her) and best foreign-language film for "Todo sobre mi madre" (All About My Mother), which was released in 1999.

--IANS/EFE

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