Yorgos Lanthimos' film Dogtooth was yesterday officially nominated for an Academy Award in the category of best foreign language film. The last time a Greek film was nominated for the Oscars was in 1977. It was Michael Cacoyannis’s film Iphigenia.

Culture Minister Pavlos Yeroulanos said in a statement yesterday that the nomination “goes beyond the sphere of cinema, arts, and culture. It concerns an entire country, its people, a new generation of creators who personify a 'Yes, it can be done' attitude in difficult period."

Dogtooth will compete along with Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's film Biutiful, Algeria’s Outside the Law (Rachid Bouchareb), Canada's Incendies (Denis Villeneuve) and Denmark's In a Better World (Susanne Bier).

The Academy Award ceremony will take place on February 27 in Los Angeles