France picks A Prophet as Oscar contender

France has chosen Un prophète (A Prophet), Jacques Audiard's film about a French-Arab man who becomes a mafia kingpin, as its Oscar contender in the foreign-language film category.

The film, released in August in France, is expected to be in commercial release in North America by December.

It stars Tahar Rahim as a troubled, aimless French-Arab man who is sent to jail where he has to learn to negotiate in the uncompromising French penal system. A Muslim who knows little of his own culture, he adapts by becoming as ruthless as his tormentor, the mob boss César.

The film won the grand jury prize in Cannes and is screening at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Audiard is a critical darling in France, mainly for genre films such as Sur mes lèvres (2001) and De battre mon cœur s'est arête (2005).

Other countries announcing their picks on Thursday:

• Finland,  Letters to Father Jacob, directed by Klaus Haro, about a paroled prisoner assigned to help a blind pastor.
• South Africa, White Wedding, directed by Jann Turner, a road comedy produced in Zulu, Afrikaans, Xhosa and English.
• Sweden, Involuntary, directed by Ruben Ostlund, a dark comedy.

Countries may nominate only one domestic film annually to compete for an Academy Award. Canada has yet to announce a foreign-language entry, but Germany previously announced Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon.