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.