Telefilm Canada announced on Wednesday that Quebec director Denis Villeneuve’s Incendies, which picked up the Best Canadian Film award at the Toronto International Film Festival, is Canada’s Oscar submission in the best foreign film category for the upcoming Academy awards, which will be held February 27.

The film, which had its world premiere at the Venice Mostra and was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in the United States, has also been sold in France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Israel and the Middle East.

Produced by Luc Déry and Kim McKraw of micro_scope, Incendies was adapted from the intensely moving stage play by Canadian playwright Wajdi Mouawad. It follows twins Jeanne and Simon as they fulfill their mother’s dying wishes – to hand deliver letters to the father they thought dead and to the brother they never knew existed who live in a war-torn Middle-eastern country.

“One cannot help but be moved by the depth of the subject matter and the cinematic excellence of Incendies,” Telefilm executive director Carolle Brabant said in a statement. “Denis Villeneuve’s track record makes him one of the leading filmmakers in Canada. We salute his talent and wish the film the international exposure it deserves.

A Canada-France co-production, the film was produced by micro_scope (Montréal) in association with the PHI Group (Montréal) and TS Productions (Paris).

Telefilm Canada chairs the pan-Canadian Oscar selection committee, which comprises 25 voting members representing major film industry associations and government agencies. This year, Incendies was selected from among 26 eligible films. The nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards will be announced on January 25, 2011.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited over 90 countries to submit their top film for consideration as a possible Best Foreign Language Film nominee. Only one film per country is accepted. The Academy will then vote to choose the five films to be nominated for this category.

Last year, I Killed My Mother (J’ai tué ma mère) by director Xavier Dolan was Canada’s Oscar pick, but the film was not subsequently selected as one of the official nominees. Over the years, four Canadian films have been nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar. Deepa Mehta’s Water was nominated in 2006, and three films by Denys Arcand have been so honored: Le Déclin de l’empire américain (The Decline of the American Empire) in 1986, Jésus de Montréal (Jesus of Montreal) in 1989, and Les Invasions barbares (The Barbarian Invasions), which won an Oscar in 2003.

Released theatrically in Quebec last week, Incendies is set for English Canadian release later this year. It will also be released in the U.S., across a number of European countries and in the Middle East.