Iraq tragedy with Yorkshire roots in the running for Oscar glory

Son of Babylon, made by Human Film, in Woodhouse, Leeds, has been chosen as Iraq's official entry for the annual movie awards and is in the running for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 2011 Academy Awards.

It has made a longlist of 65 films, which will be whittled down to a shortlist of 10 before next February's event.

Set in 2003, the film follows a woman's quest to find her son, a soldier, who has been missing since the first Gulf War in 1991.

She is joined on the journey by her 12-year-old grandson and they set off to mass graves uncovered in another part of the country, revealing the hidden horrors of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Producer Isabelle Stead, 30, who lives in Pudsey, said: "I think we stand a good chance of making the shortlist which isn't announced until weeks before the Oscars. Our director, Mohamed Al-Daradji, was an adviser on the film Green Zone, working with Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass."

Mohamed, originally from Baghdad but now living in Leeds, spent six months filming Son of Babylon in his homeland last year.