Kazakhstan has selected Yermek Tursunov's "Stranger" as the official entry for Foreign-Language Category of Oscars.
The film marks Tursunov's sixth feature that has made it to the Oscar race. His "Kelin" made it to to the shortlist in 2010 and Shal (The Old Man) was nominated in 2013, said The Hollywood Reporter.
"Stranger," a 105-minute account of Kazak nomads struggling to live in the harsh environment of the steppes, will have the world premiere next month at the Toronto Film Festival.
The film revolves around a young man, Ilyas, played by Yerzhan Nurymbet, who survives the famine of the 30s, Stalinist deportation and WWII by taking a escape in a cave to and finds himself battling with the society in a bid to retain his freedom.
The film is based on a screenplay that the filmmaker wrote while studying at Moscow's leading film school, VGIK.
