Hungary will fieldLajos Koltai's Fateless as its entry for the foreign language Oscar innext March's Academy Awards.

The move come as Fateless,which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, preparesfor a Toronto screening in advance of its North American release.

Based on a novel by2003 Nobel literature prize winner Imre Kertesz (who also wrote the film'sscreenplay), Fateless was picked up by THINKFilm for North America afterthe Berlinale. The film tells the harrowing story of a 14-year-old Jewish boyfrom Budapest who is deported to a concentration camp and struggles to copewith life after the second world war.

The picture marksthe directorial debut of Koltai, a cinematographer and longtime Istvan Szabocollaborator, and drew strong reviews on its premiere alongside record boxoffice in Hungary where it attracted more than 400,000 admissions earlier thisyear.

The Academy ofMotion Pictures Arts and Sciences will announce the final five in the foreignlanguage Oscar race on January 31, 2006, with the 78th annual Academy Awardstaking place on March 5.