17/09/2012 - The recently created Portuguese Film Academy has chosen João Canijo's melodrama with social tones as a contender for the precious statuette.

João Canijo's Blood of My Blood [+see also:
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Blood of My Blood was chosen by a jury made up of producer Paulo Trancoso, actors Virgílio Castelo and Susana Borges, directors José Carlos Oliveira and Luis Galvão Teles, and film critic Lauro António.

The film was released last October, after its international premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival. It received great praise and was the most popular Portuguese film at the box office for 2011. According to the Portuguese Film and Audiovisual Institute's figures, the film was seen by about 22,000 people and made about €100,000 in Portugal.

Oscar nominations will be announced on January 10, 2013, and the industry's most famous awards ceremony will be held on February 24. No Portuguese film has ever won the much sought-after statuette.

(Translated from Spanish)