Race for Oscars: China submits The Nightingale for foreign language Oscars

In what clearly comes as a surprise, China has submitted The Nightingale- the second ever official French-Chinese co-production- for the foreign language Oscars. The Nightingale, which stars Li Baotian, Yang Xinyi, Li Xiaoran and Qin Hao, is a Chinese take on Muyl's last feature, The Butterfly (Le Papillon).

In what clearly comes as a surprise, China has submitted The Nightingale- the second ever official French-Chinese co-production- for the foreign language Oscars.

French director Philippe Muyl has adapted his 2002 film centering on the bond that builds up between an old man and a young girl as they journey to a village in south-western China.

The-Nightingale

The Nightingale, which stars Li Baotian, Yang Xinyi, Li Xiaoran and Qin Hao, is a Chinese take on Muyl's last feature, The Butterfly (Le Papillon).

China has never won the Academy Award in the Foreign Language category, although Taiwanese director Ang Lee clinched one for his Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000.

The big Chinese directors in the race for the official submission this year were Jiang Wen with his Gone With The Bullets and Zhang Yimou with Coming Home. Both did not make the cut for one reason or the other.

Last year, Feng Xiaogang's Back to 1942 was China's official submission to the foreign language Oscars, but it failed to make it to the shortlist of nine movies from which the five nominees are chosen.