Dror Shaul's drama Sweet Mud has been named as the official Israeli submission for thisyear's foreign-language Oscar category. The film, set in a kibbutz in the1970s, follows a 12 year-old boy and his attempts to navigate the needs of hisemotionally fragile mother.

Sweet Mud was given four Ophir awards in Sept from the Isreali FilmAcademy including best picture, which it shared with Aviva, My Love. It wasdeveloped at the Sundance Institute's Screenwriters' & Directors' Lab am dosa co-production of Sirocco Production (Israel), Heimatfilm (Germany), Tu VasVoir (France), Cinephil (Israel), NHK Asian Film Festival (Japan) and Dash HamLtd (Israel), with backing from the Israeli Film Fund, Filmstiftung NRW,Israeli broadcasters Keshet and yes and Kolnoa Investments (Israel).

Bavaria Film International recentlypicked up international rights to the film; Metacinema took Italian rights soonafterwards.