鈥淓ternal Spring,鈥� an animated documentary about religious persecution in China, will be Canada鈥檚 contender for a nomination in the Best International Feature Film category at next year鈥檚 Academy Awards.

Telefilm Canada announced Wednesday that it would submit Jason Loftus鈥檚 film for consideration in the category formerly called Best Foreign Language Film, a move the filmmaker hopes will draw further attention to human rights abuses in China.

The movie tells the story of the banned spiritual group Falun Gong, who were targeted by police raids after a faction of members hacked into a state TV signal in 2002 in an effort to correct the record about their practice.

The comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, was forced to flee to North America, and initially blamed the hijacking for worsening the group鈥檚 violent repression. He changes his mind after meeting the only known surviving hacker to escape China.

The Mandarin-language film combines present-day footage and 3D animation inspired by Daxiong鈥檚 art.

鈥淚t felt deeply rewarding to be able to carry on, with these people, the story that they weren鈥檛 able to get to share widely,鈥� Loftus said in a virtual press conference announcing the selection. 鈥淪ome people suffered so much or are no longer with us.鈥�

He said spotlighting wrongdoing in China can be risky for a filmmaker. The Chinese government is a powerful player in business, and Loftus said some festivals have opted not to screen 鈥淓ternal Spring鈥� because of it.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole lot of people who really feel strongly that the stories are important to tell,鈥� he said. 鈥淧erhaps even because they are sensitive, it鈥檚 even more important to tell them.鈥�

A pan-Canadian selection committee of 20 members from various government agencies and film industry associations chose the movie.

It鈥檚 the first time Canada will submit an animated feature, a documentary and a Mandarin-language film for consideration, said Telefilm Canada CEO Christa Dickenson.

鈥淚t really shows where stories are going, and the type of creators and stories that Canada and the system is supporting,鈥� she said.

The Academy accepts only one submission in the category from each country for consideration. If selected, 鈥淓ternal Spring鈥� would become the ninth Canadian movie to receive an Oscar nomination in the category.

Only one 鈥� Denys Arcand鈥檚 鈥淟es Invasions barbares鈥� 鈥� has ever won, in 2004.

鈥淓ternal Spring鈥� has already played at several festivals, and will hit Canadian theatres across Canada on Sept. 23 鈥� a condition of eligibility in the multistage Oscars race.

The Academy will release a short list of 15 films on Dec. 21, and the nominees will be announced Jan. 24.

The Oscars ceremony is set for March 12.

鈥擭icole Thompson, The Canadian Press