"Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe" has been selected by Austria to represent the country at the Academy Awards. Directed by Academy Award nominee Maria Schrader, the movie was originally shortlisted by Germany as one of eight films but was not chosen.

"Stefan Zweig" premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and later went on to get nominated for the German Film Awards for Best Director and Best Actress in a supporting role.

This is the first time Schrader represents Austria at the Oscars. Her previous film "In Darkness" represented Poland and was nominated alongside Iranian winner "A Separation."

Austria has won two Academy Awards in the past for the films "Amour" in 2012 and "The Counterfeiters" in 2007. The country was also nominated in 2008 for "Revanche" and in 1986 for "'38--Vienna Before the Fall."

Since its 2012 win the country has not been nominated. However, it has had strong contenders. Last year Austria took a bold risk and submitted the acclaimed horror film "Goodnight Mommy." That film premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was a box office hit. However, it did not resonate with the Academy.

"Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe" looks to be a strong contender but first it must compete against Germany's critically acclaimed "Toni Erdmann" and Pedro Almodovar's "Julieta," which will represent Spain. Other strong contenders include the Golden Lion winner "From Afar" from Venezuela and the Cannes Film Festival selection "Sieranevada" from Romania. Iraq will also compete with the festival darling "El Clasico while Georgia submitted the Karlovy Vary Selection "House of Others."

In recent years the Academy has awarded "Son of Saul," "Ida," "The Great Beauty," and "A Separation" the best foreign language film of the year. Other winners include "The Secret in their Eyes" and "In a Better World."

The deadline to submit for the foreign language category is Oct. 3. On Jan. 17 the Academy will announce the nine finalists from among the eligible films and on Jan. 24 nominations will be announced. The winner will be announced at the Oscar ceremony on Feb. 26, 2017.

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