Ursula Meier’s feature debut Home has been selected by Switzerland to be entered for the Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The drama starring Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet had its world premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and picked up three Swiss Film Prizes in March for Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Emerging Actor. It was chosen by a committee of experts headed by Locarno Film Festival’s former artistic director Frederic Maire.

Switzerland’s Federal Office for Culture (BAK) announced the decision at the end of the first edition of a special festival presenting the nine candidates for the Swiss Oscar entry in public screenings at the Western Swiss town of Delémont.

The other films in the running at the “De Delémont à Hollywood” festival included the Venice title Pepperminta, Happy New Year, Marcello Marcello, Luftbusiness, Nomad’s Land, and Die Standesbeamtin.

Distributed internationally by Memento Films International, Home received the FIPRESCI Prize at the Reykjavik International Film Festival, the Silver Astor acting award for Huppert at the Mar de Plata International Film festival, the German-French Film Prize at the French Film Days in Tübingen, and the Audience Award at the Barcelona Women’s Film Festival, among many prizes.

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