South Africa's ''Life, Above All'' in the Oscar category for best foreign language film, advances to the top 9 list.

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More movie news than TV news but I can be first to tell that South Africa's Oscar entry in the foreign language film category - Life, above All - has advanced to the next round and is now one of the top 9 movies out of which the eventual 5 competing films for the category will be chosen.

Life, above All by director Oliver Schmitz has just advanced to the top 9 list out of which 5 foreign language films will now be chosen - quite an impressive feat for South Africa considering that 66 films had originally qualified in the category for the 83rd Academy Awards taking place on 27 February this year.

The Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences just sent me the list of the top 9 films and Life, above All will now compete against Algeria's Hors la Loi, Canada's Incendies, Denmark's In a Better World, Dogtooth from Greece, Confessions from Japan, Mexico's Biutiful, Spain's Tambien la Lluvia and Simple Simon from Sweden.

The 83rd Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, 25 January when we'll find out if Life, above All will be a category contestant at this year's ceremony.