Peru looks deep into Oscar's eyes...

I can't say I didn't hope for this. The film did, after all, win the Berlin Film Festival. And the Peruvian Embassy and Consulate in the U.S. did a bang-up job promoting the film in Los Angeles.

But boy, oh boy, it still feels awfully good to see this just-released news:

9 Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar^® Race

Beverly Hills, CA (January 20, 2010) — Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards^®. Sixty-five films had originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

• Argentina, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Juan Jose Campanella, director;
• Australia, “Samson & Delilah,” Warwick Thornton, director;
• Bulgaria, “The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner,” Stephan Komandarev, director;
• France, “Un Prophète,” Jacques Audiard, director;
• Germany, “The White Ribbon,” Michael Haneke, director;
• Israel, “Ajami,” Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, directors;
• Kazakhstan, “Kelin,” Ermek Tursunov, director;
• The Netherlands, “Winter in Wartime,” Martin Koolhoven, director;
• Peru, “The Milk of Sorrow,” Claudia Llosa, director.

Unbelievable. It's not nominated yet (and in the pack are some strong films, including the Argentine, the Australian, the German and the French, the last of which I have seen) but it's so close. It would be Peru's first nomination. Fingers are crossed starting... now!