Cannes Winner 'The Class' to vye for Oscar
Posted: 22 September 2008 1123 hrs

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PARIS: "The Class" has been chosen as France’s entry for the 2009 foreign film Oscar.

The winner of this year’s Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes, the semi-documentary film is based on a book by former teacher Francois Begaudeau, who plays himself in the film.

Directed by Laurent Cantet, the movie called "Entre les murs" in French chronicles the experience of a teacher in an underprivileged school located in the French capital.

The rest of the cast are all non-professionals; with students and the other teachers drawn from a junior high school in the 20th Arrondissement of Pairs, a racially mixed neighborhood.

Cantet told AFP that he was “delighted” by the French panel’s choice.

“I think the film’s message is universal enough to reach a foreign audience,” he said.

“Who would have thought that a film shot in such an experimental way, with such an open script, without professional actors, would go this far.”

France is one of several countries to unveil their foreign film submissions in the run-up to next year’s Oscars.

Earlier this week, it was announced that Germany’s entry would be a drama about the militant left-wing Baader Meinhof group.

1992 drama "Indochine" was the last French entry to win the foreign language film Oscar.

- CNA/jk