Director Kawthar Ben Hania’s film was also selected in the preliminary list for the Best Documentary Feature Award.
Kawthar wrote on her Facebook page, “Tunisia is on the shortlist in not one, but two Oscar categories.”
The Moroccan film “White Lies” by director Asma El-Moudir was also selected in the preliminary list for the Best International Film Award.
Asmaa posted on her personal accounts on social media, “Morocco is here to stay…we did it again.”
On Thursday, the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the preliminary lists for a number of its award categories.
The list of best international films includes 15 films out of 88 films nominated by their countries to compete for the award, which is given annually to a film produced outside the United States whose duration is no less than 40 minutes and whose dialogue is not more than 50 percent English.
Each country has the right to nominate only one film of its own production to compete for the award, which no Arab film has ever won before.
The shortlist for the Best International Film Award is expected to be announced in January, and the name of the winning film will be announced at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 10 at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.
