This was reported by the Irish Film & Television Academy (IFTA) on its website.The Irish Ukrainian-language film Sanatorium was chosen to represent Ireland at the 98th annual Academy Awards in the category "Best International Feature Film."The "Best International Feature Film" category (formerly "Best Foreign Language Film") is a separate category for films made in languages other than English. Each country may submit only one film to this category.IFTA describes Sanatorium as an "incredibly unique and ironically humorous film," which provides a vivid cinematic observation of real-life community members seeking love, healing, and happiness within a wellness center near Odesa in southern Ukraine. The center features colorful characters, with staff and visitors determined to spend their vacation away from the outside world — a moment in their lives to recover despite the war, using unusual procedures, including "mysterious black mud that is said to treat infertility, physical defects, and various other ailments."The film was directed by Gar O’Rourke, and the producers were from Venom Films. Sanatorium was created in collaboration with 2332 Films Ukraine with support from Screen Ireland, BBC Storyville, MetFilm Sales, France TV, and Creative Europe. The film was edited by John Murphy, and the director of photography was Denys Melnyk. Irish distributor Eclipse Pictures will release the film in Irish cinemas on Friday, September 5.The world premiere of Sanatorium took place at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen as part of their main international competition, DOX:AWARD, at the end of March 2025. The film was later shown at international festivals, including Visions Du Réel in Switzerland, the Edinburgh International Film Festival, DocuDays UA, the Melbourne International Film Festival, and Galway Film Fleadh, where it won the award for Best Irish Feature Documentary of 2025.Sanatorium vividly depicts the Kuialnyk sanatorium, a large building from the 1970s near Odesa in southern Ukraine, where a small group of people seeks love, healing, and happiness, continuing mud treatments and Soviet-era therapies despite the war nearby.The Irish director offers a "unique perspective on the summer season in this unusual place, observing the staff working hard to provide care, comfort, and entertainment for visitors." For guests, it is a time to seek healing, love, and renewal."Having the privilege to represent Ireland on the world’s biggest cinematic stage is an incredible honor, and I am deeply grateful to IFTA and everyone who has been with us on this journey. Since the premiere of Sanatorium earlier this year, the international reaction has been overwhelming. This was a film meant to show the power of healing, the resilience of the community, and above all, the strength of the Ukrainian spirit in the face of such traumatic times. None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary dedication of our Ukrainian crew and co-producers at 2332 Films, the producers at Venom Films, and the invaluable support of Screen Ireland, among many of our other partners," added writer and director Gar O’Rourke.