The BiH candidate for the Academy Awards Foreign Language Film Category is Aida Begić's NEVER LEAVE ME, as decided by the Association of Filmmakers of BiH Committee consisted of director Ines Tanović, writer Elma Tataragić, writer Tina Šmalcelj, director Neven Samardžić, director Alen Drljević, writer Melina Alagić, producer Adnan Ćuhara, set designer Vedran Hrustanović, costume designer Lejla Graho and director Sabrina Begović Ćorić.

Film NEVER LEAVE ME premiered at last year’s Antalya Film Festival and was screened at Sarajevo Film Festival in Focus and BH Film programs. NEVER LEAVE ME is released theaters today in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the film has been screened ad dozen festivals worldwide including Edinburgh Film Festival. NEVER LEAVE ME is a story about pain, search for meaning in life and friendship of orphaned Syrian refugee children. The film was produced by Film House Sarajevo and was shot at the original locations in Turkey.

Association of Filmmakers of Bosnia and Herzegovina has been in charge of the candidacy of films for Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the past 18 years. As a reminder, Association of Filmmakers of Bosnia and Herzegovina nominated NO MAN’S LAND by Danis Tanović in 2001 and the film won the Oscar in March 2002.

According to the rules of the AMPAS, producers of Bosnian and Herzegovinian feature length films that have been distributed in cinemas in Bosnia and Herzegovina between October 1st, 2017 and October 1st, 2018 for 7 consecutive days, have DCP or 35 mm print of the film and are predominantly made in the language of the country they are coming from could apply for the nomination. For more details about the rules for candidacy for this award please check: www.oscars.org. Oscar Awards are awarded by the American Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences AMPAS and are considered as the most prestigious awards in the film world, while the award ceremony is one of the shows with the highest ratings in the USA.