Jean van de Velde’s The Silent Army has been named as the Netherlands’ best foreign language submission for the 2010 Academy Awards.

Based on the true stories of child soldiers in Africa, The Silent Armywas selected for the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year.  Dutch singing star Marco Borsato heads up the cast alongside Thekla Reuten, Abby Mukiibi Nkaaga and Andrew Kintu.

The film is produced by Chris Brouwer, Richard Claus and Paul Brinks for The Entertainment Group Films. Van de Velde, whose credits include Leak and Wild Romance, also wrote the screenplay.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will announce the nominees on February 2. The ceremony takes place on March 7.