25/09/2013 - Five former Yugoslav countries have submitted their Oscar candidates while Kosovo's Film Centre's submission is not yet eligible until the country becomes part of the UN

The selection of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award in the territories of the former Yugoslavia ended on Tuesday, when Slovenia decided on Rok Biček's Class Enemy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rok Biček
interview: Rok Bicek
interview: Rok Bicek
film profile] as its candidate.

Class Enemy was in competition for the Lion of the Future in Venice, where it picked up the FEDEORA Award, and recently won seven Slovenian national Vesna awards, including Best Film, at the Portorose Film Festival.

Serbia is sending Srdan Golubović's Circles [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nikola Rakocevic
interview: Srdan Golubovic
film profile], which started off with a Special Jury Prize at Sundance, followed it with the Prize of Ecumenical Jury in Berlin, and in August won the Audience Award at Sarajevo.

Another Berlinale prize winner, Danis Tanović's An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Danis Tanović
film profile] (photo), which picked up two Silver Bears, will run for the Oscar for Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Croatia will send Arsen Anton Ostojić's Halima's Path [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], winner of three prizes, including the audience award, at the 2012 Pula Film Festival, and awards at Cottbus, Tallinn and Festroia.

Montenegro has selected Draško Djurović's action thriller Bad Destiny, starring Michael Madsen.

Interestingly, Macedonia's selection commission opted not to submit either of two eligible films for Oscars - Aleksandar Popovski's Balkan Is Not Dead and Igor Ivanov's Piano Room - with the explanation that “neither would appeal to the Academy.”

Kosovo's Film Centre was informed by the Academy that its potential submission would not be eligible due to the fact that the country is not yet a member of the UN.