Pedro Almodovar has hailed the success of Alfonso Cuaron’s film Roma as a triumph for Spanish language cinema.

The black and white film about the director’s childhood in Mexico City has been nominated for a string of Baftas and scored Cuaron a best director Golden Globe.

It is widely tipped for Oscar nominations and would furnish Netflix with its first best picture nod from the Academy.

Spanish director Almodovar, best known for films such as Volver, All About My Mother, Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown and Julieta, said he was thrilled to see the Netflix film achieve so much success.

Arriving at the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, where he will be honoured with the Dilys Powell award for lifetime achievement, he told the Press Association: “Spanish language film is becoming bigger and bigger not only in Latin countries but around the world and in the United States.”

“Roma is really huge triumph for the Spanish language, it is very very important because it’s not easy for a movie in Spanish to win gold at these awards and American awards so I feel very proud of of my language and very grateful they award a Spanish director because I know it’s not usual.”

Discussing his excitement at winning the award, he said: “It’s wonderful, as I’m getting older I appreciate the awards so much more.”