"Voices from Chernobyl" will represent Luxembourg at the Academy Awards. Directed by Pol Cruchten, the film premiered at the Trieste Film Festival in Italy and later was showcased at the Luxembourg City Film Festival.

The film depicts the world of Chernobyl, about which we know very little. It also depicts eyewitness reports of thos that survived. The submission is one of the boldest this year as the Academy generally does not nominate documentaries in the Foreign Language category. The last time it did was in 2013 with "The Missing Picture." However, that film had buzz after winning the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes. "Voices from Chernobyl" will have an uphill battle but if it picks up steam with the Academy, then it could be one of the big surprises.

Luxembourg has a relatively short history with the Academy as it only began submitting in 1997 and has never been nominated. Last year the country submitted "Baby (Alone). The film had relative success across Europe but never bowed in North America.

This year Luxembourg has tough competition from many diverse regions. Among them include Germany ("Toni Erdmann"), Spain (Julieta") and Romania ("Sieranevada"). Venezuela ("From Afar"), Cuba ("The Companion"), Dominican Republic ("La Flor de Azucar"), Finland ("The Happiest Day in the Life of the Olli Maki"), and Croatia ("On the Other Side") have also submitted award winning films.

In recent years the Academy has awarded "Son of Saul," "Ida," "The Great Beauty," and "A Separation" the best foreign language film of the year. Other winners include "In a Better World" and "The Secret in Their Eyes."

The deadline to submit for the foreign language category is Oct. 3. On Jan. 17 the Academy will announce the nine finalists from among the eligible films and on Jan. 24 nominations will be announced. The winner will be announced at the Oscar ceremony on Feb. 26, 2017.