Companies are so impressed with Scotland-made feature they're fighting over distribution rights. Charlotte Gray, the £24 million wartime epic produced by the makers of Mrs Brown and telling the story of a young Scottish woman who travels to France during the second world war to find her love, is to be rush-released to make it eligible for next year's Oscars.

The film, which stars Cate Blanchett, was originally due to be released next spring, but Warner Brothers has decided to give Charlotte Gray a Christmas launch so that it can be considered for the 2002 Academy Awards.

The company behind it is Ecosse Films, whose first big success was the BBC co-production Mrs Brown, starring Dame Judi Dench as Queen Victoria and Billy Connolly as her ghillie. Ecosse also makes Monarch Of The Glen and is planning two big budget features set in Scotland, Bonnie Prince Charlie and The Water Horse, both of which could go into production next year if the finance is raised.

Producer Douglas Rae said even a nomination for Charlotte Gray would give his company the credibility it needs to attract big budgets to his next projects.

'If it gets a nomination it would obviously have a huge impact,' said Rae. 'If Charlotte Gray is a success, whether it gets an Academy Award or not, what it will show is that there is no reason why British film producers can't tackle bigger films on bigger budgets.'

The script is based on Sebastian Faulk's best-selling novel. The opening scenes of Blanchett, who plays the title role, leaving Scotland by train, were filmed in the Highlands on a railway viaduct between Fort William and Mallaig.

Hollywood studios were so impressed by early edits of the film they have been tussling over who would distribute it in the US. Universal, which holds distribution rights outside the UK and the US, tried unsuccessfully to convince Warner Brothers to let it handle the American market.

Warner confirmed last week Charlotte Gray would debut in Los Angeles, New York and Toronto on December 28. UK audiences, however, are likely to have to wait until next year.

The decision to bring forward the release date was taken after much deliberation because Blanchett is pregnant with her first child , and will be unavailable for press interviews.

The actor could also end up competing with herself for an Oscar nomination. She has three other films due out this winter: Bandits, in which she stars opposite Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thornton, The Shipping News and Lord Of The Rings, in which she plays supporting roles.

But Gillian Armstrong, the director of Charlotte Gray, seems confident. She has described Blanchett's part as 'the best role for a female actor in 20 years'.

Rae is aiming to produce both Charlie and The Water Horse on budgets equal to Charlotte Gray's, and the money will be spent in Scotland, as Ecosse is determined to make both films north of the Border using Scottish actors.

Rae said: 'We're not setting out to say we'll only make films over £20m but the stories we are choosing and the aspirations that we have are for big international films. Casting alone will dictate that, and the quality of the director.'

Neither film has a director or stars attached, although Rae hopes Jude Law could take the role of the Young Pretender in Charlie. The script, by Lucky Break writer Ronan Bennett, was delivered last week.

The Water Horse, based on Babe author Dick King-Smith's story about a Nessie-like monster hatched from an egg, is a £17m animatronix feature being developed for Miramax.