Australia has chosen Charlie’s Country as its candidate for the best foreign-language category at the 2015 Oscars, Screen Australia announced Wednesday.
Charlie’s Country is a semi-autobiographical tale of Charlie (David Gulpilil) who, faced with renewed threats to the aboriginal community he lives in, heads into the bush, the vast Australian interior, where he returns to the old ways of his ancestors.
The film was co-developed, written, produced and directed by Rolf de Heer, with Gulpilil also instrumental in developing the film.
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Charlie’s Country made its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where Gulpilil received the respected Un Certain Regard Best Actor Award. The film has screened at 13 film festivals so far, including Toronto, and is currently invited to screen at 21 more.
If Charlie’s Country were to be nominated, it would be the first Australian film to make the shortlist for the best foreign-language category at the Oscars.
Oct. 2, 11:29 a.m. A previous version of this story incorrectly stated the number of festivals Charlie’s Country is invited to. THR regrets the error.
