JOHANNESBURG — Darrell Roodt’s “Little One” is South Africa’s choice for a nomination in the Oscar foreign-language film category.
Pic was chosen by the South African Academy Awards selection committee, which is hoping it can repeat the success of 2006 Oscar winner “Tsotsi.”
“Little One” is Roodt’s second appearance on the Oscars stage, after the 2005 nomination of “Yesterday.”
Pic tells the story of a young rape victim who is left for dead in a township near Johannesburg and rescued by a middle-aged woman. After rushing the girl to the hospital, the woman becomes entangled in her life, ultimately launching her own investigation into the girl’s attack.
A powerful tale of hope and redemption, Roodt called it “a film for the new South Africa,” where an estimated one in three girls is raped by the time they turn 21.
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In praising the film, the selection committee described it as “a universal story made local,” calling it “a poignant, moving and minimalist narrative which is unapologetically South African.”
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominees for best foreign film on Jan. 10. The 85th Academy Awards ceremony takes place Feb. 24.
