In addition to checking out some of the films mentioned here, you also might want to try a few tactics: for example, go to your local video store and inquire which foreign films are being rented the most (if they keep that kind of info); head to your local bookstore and thumb through books on world cinema; do a search on the web for the foreign films that have won Oscars for Best Foreign Film -- these will give you ideas on where to start and what to see. Granted, the films that get rented the most or that win Oscars may not necessarily be what foreign film buffs would consider the "best" films -- but that's ok. It's just a way to get your feet wet and figure out what you like. Also, check out the Criterion Collection web site, as well as the Criterion Collection forum (I don't have the URL for it, but if you do a search on google for "criterion collection forum," you should find it).