Hungary has picked harrowing Holocaust drama Son of Saul as its nomination for the 2016 best foreign language film Oscar, less than three weeks after it won the runner-up Grand Prix prize at the Cannes film festival.
The Hungarian National Film Fund announced that its seven-strong selection committee had “voted unanimously” for László Nemes’s feature debut to go forward to the Academy award longlist. It appears to be the first official entry for next year’s Oscars.
Son of Saul was a multiple prizewinner at Cannes, where it received its world premiere on 15 May, taking the Fipresci prize, the François Chalais award, and the Vulcain prize for its sound designer Tamás Zányi.
Last year, 83 films were submitted for the award, which was eventually won by Poland’s entry Ida. Hungary’s entry, White God, did not make it to the final shortlist of five.
The 2016 Oscars are due to be held on 28 February in Los Angeles.
