[FILM NEWS] JIRGA Gets Oscar Nod

Outstanding Australian film Jirga, written and directed by Benjamin Gilmour, produced by John Maynard and starring Sam Smith is Australia’s Official Submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar®.

Jirga is currently screening in cinemas around the country.

Director/writer Benjamin Gilmour said ‘We are thrilled about the honour of representing Australia. For us it’s the recognition of what Jirga has to say and the fruits of human cross-cultural collaboration.  Being selected for the Oscars is also about the company our film is in. I hope Jirga will now reach a much bigger audience.’

Producer/distributor John Maynard said ‘Following the Cinefest Oz Best Film Prize and the film’s international premiere at Toronto, I could not be happier to see this film receive this new international honour.’

Jirga is a Felix Media production. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Definition Films. Executive producers are Bridget Ikin and David Gross.

Set and shot in Afghanistan in extraordinary circumstances, Jirga stars Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan to find the family of a civilian he accidentally killed during the war. Seeking forgiveness, he puts his life in the hands of the village justice system – the Jirga.