Georgia has chosen House of Others as its selection for best foreign-language Oscar at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017, the Georgian National Film Center announced Tuesday.
The debut feature of Georgian director Rusudan Glurjidze, a haunting tale of a family that occupies a deserted home in an area that has been ethnically cleansed after a bitter civil war, premiered at Karlovy Vary last month where it won the East of the West competition.
The nomination is the first from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union.
Glurjidze’s poignant film, which critics noted has echoes of the auteur filmmaking styles of directors such as Andrei Tarkovsky and Andrei Zvyagintsev, is a co-production between Georgia, Russia, Spain and Croatia.
The semi-autobiographical film stars Zurab Magalashvili, Olga Dykhovichnaya and Salome Demuria. Kiev, Ukraine-based Tatofilms is handling international sales.
The 89th edition of the Academy Awards is due to be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 2017.
