France Selects Paul Verhoeven’s ‘Elle’ As Foreign Language Oscar Submission

France has chosen to put forth Paul Verhoeven’s first French-language film, Elle, as its submission for the Foreign Language Oscar race. The selection committee at national film board the CNC made the decision on the Isabelle Huppert-starrer Monday, after “long and passionate debates.” It chose from a field of four movies that had been shortlisted. They also included François Ozon’s Frantz; Anne Fontaine’s Agnus Dei; and Danièle Thompson’s Cézanne Et Moi.

Elle was a hit in Cannes where many had pegged Huppert for a Best Actress prize in a career high performance. The film is a blackly comic thriller about a woman’s life and past that opens with her rape at the hands of a masked intruder. Where it goes from there has provoked discussion as Huppert’s steely businesswoman is caught in a game of cat and mouse on the trail of the rapist.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired early on in Cannes and is planning a November 11 release. Verhoeven has previously represented Holland four times at the Oscars and scored a nomination for 1973’s Turkish Delights. This is the first time the Basic Instinct and Total Recall director is working in French and the first time he reps France.

Said Ben Said’s SBS Productions produced and sold the film internationally. It was released in France in May, selling over 550K tickets.

France scored a nomination last year with Deniz Gamze Erguven’s Mustang — the first time the country managed a nod since 2009’s A Prophet. The six-year dry spell was the longest gap between nominations for France in the history of the Oscars.

Some industry insiders were surprised not to see Houda Benyamina’s Divines make the French shortlist. The film won the Camera d’Or prize in Cannes after running in Directors’ Fortnight — also the discovery ground for Mustang.

The French selection committee this year was made up of Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, César academy president Alain Terzian, Unifrance president Jean-Paul Salomé; CNC exec Teresa Cremisi; actresses Sandrine Bonnaire and Léa Seydoux; and director Eric Tolédano.

• 2016 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions

• Afghanistan – Parting – Navid Mahmoudi
• Albania – Chromium – Bujar Alimani
• Algeria – The Well – Lotfi Bouchouchi
• Armenia – Earthquake – Sarik Andreasyan
• Australia – Tanna – Bentley Dean & Martin Butler
• Austria – Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe – Maria Schrader
• Belgium – The Ardennes – Robin Pront
• Bolivia – Sealed Cargo – Julia Vargas-Weise
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Death in Sarajevo – Danis Tanovic
• Brazil – Little Secret – David Schurmann
• Bulgaria – Losers – Ivaylo Hristova
• Chile– Neruda – Pablo Larrain
• Colombia – Alias Maria – José Luis Rugeles Gracia
• Croatia – On the Other Side – Zrinko Ogresta
• Cuba – The Companion – Pavel Giroud
  Czech Republic – Lost in Munich – Petr Zelenk
  Denmark – Land of Mine – Martin Zandvliet
  Dominican Republic – Sugar Flower – Fernando Baez Mella
• Egypt – Clash – Mohamed Diab
  Estonia – Mother – Kadri Kõusaare
• Finland – The Happiest Day inn the Life of Olli Maki – Juho Kuosmanen
• France – Elle – Paul Verhoeven
• Georgia – House of Others – Rusudan Glurjidze
• Germany – Toni Erdmann – Maren Ade
• Greece – Chevalier – Athina Rachel Tsangari
• Hong Kong – Port of Call – Philip Yung
• Hungary – Kills on Wheels – Atilla Till
• Iceland – Sparrows – Rúnar Rúnarsson
• India – Visaranai – Vetrimaaran
• Indonesia – Letters from Prague – Angga Dwimas Sasongko
• Iran – The Salesman – Asghar Farhadi
• Iraq – El Clásico – Halkawt Mustafa
• Israel – Sand Storm – Elite Zexer
• Italy – Fire At Sea – Gianfranco Rosi
• Japan – Haha to Kuraseba – Yoji Yamada
• Kosovo – Home Sweet Home – Faton Bajraktari
  Kyrgyzstan – A Father’s Will – Bakyt Mukul & Dastan Japar Uulu
  Latvia – Dawn – Laila Pakalniņa
  Lebanon – Very Big Shot – Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
  Lithuania – Seneca’s Day – Kristijonas Vildziunas
  Luxembourg – Voices from Chernobyl – Pol Cruchten
  Mexico – Desierto – Jonas Cuaron
  Montenegro – The Black Pin – Ivan Marinovic
  Morocco – A Mile in My Shows – Said Khallaf
• Nepal – The Black Hen – Min Bahadur Bham
• The Netherlands – Tonio – Paula van der Oest
• New Zealand – A Flickering Truth – Pietra Brettkelly
• Norway – The King’s Choice – Erik Poppe
• Pakistan – Mah e Mir – Anjum Shahzad
• Panama – Salsipuedes – Ricardo Aguilar Navarro & Manuel Rodríguez
• Peru – Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes) – Juan Daniel Fernández
• Philippines – Ma’ Rosa – Brillante Mendoza
• Portugal – Letters from War – Ivo M. Ferreira
• Romania – Sieranevada – Cristi Puiu
• Russia – Paradise – Andrei Konchalovsky
• Saudi Arabia – Barakah Meets Barakah – Mahmoud Sabbagh
• Serbia – Train Driver’s Diary – Miloš Radović
  Singapore – Apprentice – Boo Junfeng
• Slovakia – Eva Nová – Marko Škop
• Slovenia – Houston, We Have a Problem – Žiga Virc
• South Korea – The Age of Shadows – Kim Jee-woon
• Spain – Julieta – Pedro Almodovar
• Sweden – A Man Called Ove – Hannes Holm
• Switzerland – My Life as a Courgette – Claude Barras
• Thailand – Karma – Kanittha Kwanyu
• Tunisia – The Flower of Aleppo – Ridha Behi
• Ukraine – Ukrainian Sheriffs – Roman Bondarchuk
• United Kingdom – Under The Shadow – Babak Anvari
• Uruguay – Breadcrumbs – Manane Rodriguez
• Venezuela – From Afar – Lorenzo Vigas
• Vietnam – Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass – Victor Vu