Switzerland enters Oscars race with 'Eldorado'

It is now Switzerland which entered the Oscars race, by officially choosing the film 'Eldorado' as a worthy contender under the 'foreign language film' category.

'Eldorado', the documentary directed by Markus Imhoof, which talks about the plight of refugees, is inspired from the director's own childhood experiences, especially his relation to a young Italian girl post World War-II, reported Deadline.

His Swiss family took the young girl, Giovanna as a refugee, but unfortunately was sent back to her home country.

In the documentary, he draws a parallel between his personal loss and the refugee crisis.

He also shot the Italian Warships which took part in 'Operation Mare Nostrum' which was aimed to tackle the sudden surge of refugee migration. He even recorded asylum hearings where Swiss authorities denied entry to refugees.

The film received a Special mention from the jury of the Amnesty International Film Prize after premiering at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year.

Previously, Imhoff was nominated for the Oscars in 1981 for his drama movie 'The Boat Is Full'.

The 91st Academy Awards will be held on February 24, 2019.