Oscars: Hungary Chooses 'Kills on Wheels' for Foreign-Language Category

Attila Till's dark comedy about wheelchair-bound assassins premiered in July at the Karlovy Vary film festival.

Hungary's Oscar selection committee on Wednesday announced Attila Till's dark comedy Kills on Wheels as the country's submission for best foreign-language film Oscar consideration.

The committee includes Hungarian government film commissioner and Hollywood producer Andy Vajna and Hungarian Film Fund CEO Agnes Havas among its members.

Kills on Wheels, which was released theatrically in Hungary in April by A-Company Hungary, had its international premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July.

In Till's second feature, the plot is structured around a bizarre story of two young disabled Hungarians who strike up an unlikely friendship with a cantankerous killer who is paralyzed from the waist down before embarking on a series of hits for a Balkans crime boss.

The director had the idea for Kills on Wheels after working as a volunteer with disabled people and chose to cast non-professional actors who are actually disabled in the lead roles, affording the film a raw authenticity.

"It was crucial to me to make a movie about disabled people where they finally aren’t played by actors, but they get the opportunity to act themselves and be the real heroes," said Till.

Produced by Judit Stalter/Laokoon Filmgroup, world sales for Kills on Wheels are being handled by the Hungarian National Film Fund.

Hungarian director Laszlo Nemes in February won an Oscar for best-foreign language film for Holocaust drama Son of Saul.