The acclaimed film "Chevalier" will represent Grecce at the Academy Awards. Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari, the movie premiered at numerous Film Festivals including Locarno (World Premiere) Toronto, New York, SXSW, Vienna, Seattle, San Francisco and Sydney. It also won the Best Picture award at the London Film Festival.

In the summer it was released by Strand Releasing and has continued to be a huge success at the box office around the country. The movie tells the story of six men on a fishing trip on a luxury yacht who decide to play a game. During this game things get out of hand.

The movie marks the second film Strand Releasing sends to the Oscars. The distributor also has "From Afar" which is representing Venezuela and which was also a huge festival success.

Greece began submitting to the Academy Awards in 1957 and has since obtained five Oscar nominations. Its last nomination came in 2005 for the film "Dogtooth." That film by Yorgos Lanthimos won the Grand Prize in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes before going on to get nominated.

Last year the country submitted the LGBT drama "Xenia." The movie premiered at the Cannes and Toronto Film Festivals and was also released by Strand Releasing.

"Chevalier" is among the favorites this year to get nominated and with such acclaim it would not be surprising to see it make the January shortlist. "Chevalier" joins a number of other acclaimed films including "Neruda," "Death in Sarajevo," "Letters from War," "On the Other Side." "Toni Erdman," "Julietta," and "The Happiest Day in the Life of the Olli Maki."

The Academy is known for choosing some of the most critically acclaimed films out of the festival circuit. Most films that win the category have distribution deals lined up out festivals and have buzz from the beginning of awards season. Recently "Son of Saul," "Ida," "The Great Beauty," and "A Separation" won the Best Foreign language category.

The Foreign Language Film deadline to submit 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.

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