Oscars: Spain Submits 'Loreak' for Foreign-Language Category

The drama focusing on romance and remembrance is the first Basque-language entry to represent Spain.

The Spanish Film Academy has chosen Basque-language drama Loreak (Flowers) as its submission for the Oscar for best foreign-language film.

The movie is the first-ever, Basque-language film to become Spain’s official Oscar entry.

Directed by Jon Garano and Jose Maria Goenaga, Loreak won the Cine Latino Award at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and was nominated for two Goya awards and a host of other accolades at the various festivals it has played over the past year, including San Sebastian and Zurich.

In the film, a woman named Ane mysteriously receives flowers regularly. After her secret admirer is unexpectedly killed in a car accident, she discovers the truth of his identity. When she begins to leave flowers at the site of his death once a week, it catches the attention of the man’s widow and mother, who discover there was more to him than they knew.

U.S. rights to Loreak are still available; Film Factory handles international sales.

The most recent of Spain’s four Oscar wins was in 2005 for Alejandro Amenabar’s The Sea Inside.