NAIROBI — The Kenyan director of a film that was banned in her home country because it centered on a love story between two women is now suing the government so she can submit it as an Oscar nominee.

Wanuri Kahiu, the director of Rafiki, filed the lawsuit on Tuesday against the Kenya Film Classification Board (KFCB) and the country's attorney general.

In order to be eligible for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a movie must have been shown in the country submitting it, but Rafiki — which tells the story of two young women from different political backgrounds who fall in love — was denied a general release by KFCB.

The deadline for Oscar nomination submissions is Sept. 30.

Kahiu's complaint argues that in preventing the distribution of Rafiki, the classification board violated several articles of the constitution that protect free speech and freedom of creative expression.

In a statement sent to BuzzFeed News via email, Kahiu said the constitutional violations were the driving force behind the lawsuit.

"The petition is larger than awards eligibility or Rafiki’s theatrical run," she said. "It’s the fight for our human right to work in a creative space. It’s a petition for our constitutional rights as artists to freedom of expression and freedom of creativity. Our ability to express ourselves and tell our stories IS our humanity."