25 Jan 2017

Film shot on Vanuatu's Tanna Island nominated for Oscar

12:32 pm on 25 January 2017

A film shot on the Vanuatu island of Tanna, acted entirely by local people, has been nominated for an Academy Award.

A man and a woman in tradional Ni-Vanuatu clothing sit on a rock in a river

The main characters of Tanna Photo: Supplied

The film, Tanna, is among the five nominations for best foreign film at this year's Oscars.

The film is described as a Romeo and Juliet-style love story about a young couple caught up in a tribal war and traditional customs.

People from Tanna's Yakel tribe acted in the Australian-produced film which has already won several international awards.

Directed by Martin Butler and Bentley Dean, Tanna featured actors who had never watched a movie and learned their craft during filming.

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