Poland Picks Pawlikowski's 'Fatherland' as Its Oscars International Entry

Poland has named 'Fatherland', Paweł Pawlikowski's post-war drama starring Sandra Hüller, as its contender for the international feature category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

The black-and-white film centres on the German novelist Thomas Mann, played by Hanns Zischler, and his daughter Erika, portrayed by Hüller, as they travel across Germany in 1949. It had its world premiere in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where Pawlikowski took home the Best Director award.

Pawlikowski wrote the screenplay with Henk Handloegten. The cast also includes August Diehl, Devid Striesow and Anna Madeley.

For 'Fatherland', the Polish director worked again with key collaborators from his earlier films, among them cinematographer Łukasz Żal, costume designer Aleksandra Staszko, and production designers Katarzyna Sobańska and Marcel Sławiński. Although the story unfolds in Germany, the production was shot largely in Poland.

Poland's selection lands as countries firm up their picks for the international feature race. France has submitted the Cannes favourite 'Minotaur', while Spain has gone with 'La Bola Negra'.

India, too, has confirmed its entry: the Marathi film 'Gondhal', directed by Santosh Davakhar. The film features Kishor Kadam, Ishita Deshmukh, Yogesh Sohoni, Nishad Bhoir and Anuj Prabhu in lead roles.