Drafthouse film in Oscar final five

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) - Last weekend, Alamo Drafthouse celebrated the film, "Bullhead," with two special screenings after it was announced the Belgian foreign film was one of nine films put on the Oscars' shortlist , chosen from 63 entries.

Tuesday morning, there is more reason to celebrate, as the film is now one of the final five nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Film category.

Drafthouse Films bought the Belgian film after it won the audience award at Austin's Fantastic Fest in 2011. Belgium then picked it as its film submission for the international film category. The Austin company will distribute "Bullhead" early this year, date yet to be announced.

"It feels like going to the world championship!"said "Bullhead" director Michael R. Roskam after hearing of the nomination.

"Michael Roskam is an incredibly exciting new director. We are so happy that the Academy thinks as highly of him as we do," said Tim League, CEO and founder of Drafthouse Films.

" Bullhead ," the directorial debut of Roskam, has gathered international acclaim, winning 25 awards to date including "the "Best Actor" prize at Palm Springs IFF 2012, going to Matthias Schoenaerts for his "superb portrayal of an innocent and sensitive man trapped in a truculent body", and the "New Auteurs Audience Award" and "New Auteurs Critic's Prize For Best Actor" at 2011 AFI festival. Roskam has also been named one of Variety's "10 Directors to Watch."

"Bullhead" will be shown at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2012 next week.

"Bullhead" is an emotionally driven tale of revenge, redemption and fate set against the backdrop of the Belgian bovine hormone mafia. It is an exciting tragedy about fate, lost innocence and friendship, about crime and punishment, but also about conflicting desires and the irreversibility of a man's destiny. Domineering cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts in a ferocious breakout performance ), constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, initiates a shady deal with a notorious mafioso meat trader. When an investigating federal agent is assassinated and a woman from his traumatic past resurfaces, Jacky must confront his demons and face the far-reaching consequences of his decisions.