(Photo: still from Ave Maria)
The Palestinian short film Ave Maria by Basil Khalil is on the list of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences 2016 Oscars nominations.
Ave Maria, which is listed in the Live-Action Short Films section, will be the first film in Arab cinema to run for an Oscar in this category.
The 14-minute comedy short tells the story of Palestinian nuns living in the middle of the West Bank and who have their daily routine of silence and prayer disrupted when a family of Israeli settlers breaks down outside their convent at the beginning of the Sabbath. The family needs to get home but can't operate the phone, while the nuns have taken a vow of silence.
Another Arab film to make it to the Oscars nominees list is the Jordanian film Theeb, which will run for the Best Foreign Language Film award.
The 2016 Oscars winners will be announced 28 February during the 88th Academy Awards ceremony.
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