Guatemala has made history as it has submitted its first film to the foreign language category of the Oscars.

The feature entitled "Ixcanul (Volcano)" is one of the most hailed Latin American films of the year. It was directed by first-time director Jayro Bustamante and was first screened at San Sebastian's Films in Progress festival. It later went on to win at the Berlin Film Festival, where it took home the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize and later topped the Guadalajara and Cartagena, Mexico and Colombian Film Festivals. This is an enormous feat for a small country like Guatemala.

The announcement was made at Guatemala's Unidad de Cine, part of its Ministry of Culture and Sports. It was also made right before "Ixcanul" showed in Guatemala at a gala screening.

The film has received rave reviews. It tells the story of a young Mayan woman, living in a community of Kaqchikel-speaking coffee farmers, whose unwanted pregnancy brings her into final - and shocking - contact with the modern world she dreamt so much about.

Guatemala could make history like Mauritania did last year with "Timbuktu" and Estonia did with "Tangerines." Both countries were nominated for the first time at the Academy Awards.

Meanwhile Switzerland finally revealed that it will be submitting "Iraqui Odyssey," a documentary that is slated to premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. The movie is a rather shocking choice, given the rarity of documentaries showing up on the final shortlist. However, it is important to note that Cambodia was nominated a few years ago for the documentary "The Missing Picture."

Switzerland has had a long history with the Academy Awards, and even won in 1990 for "Journey of Hope" and in 1984 for "Dangerous Hopes." The last time the country was nominated was in 1990, and the last time the country made the final nine shortlist was in 2012 for the film "Sister."

Meanwhile Palestine submitted the film "The Wanted 18." The documentary premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received mixed reviews. The film is a bit of a shock, given the controversy surrounding it and the subject matter.

Palestine is definitely not new to the Academy Awards, as Hany Abu-Assad's films "Omar" and "Paradise Now" were nominated in 2013 and 2005.

10 countries have already submitted, and the race is shaping up to be competitive. However, it seems that, at this point, Hungary has the strongest contender in "Son of Saul." That film has been called the Oscar front-runner since it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won universal acclaim and won the Grand Jury Prize.

Other films that have been submitted include Romania's "Aferim!" and Luxembourg's "Baby (a)lone." Germany shocked most when it elected "Labyrinth of Lies" rather than the German Film Awards winner "Victoria," while Croatia elected the Un Certain Regard winner "The High Sun."

The Academy Award nominations will be announced Jan. 14 and the final day for the foreign countries to submit is Oct. 1.

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