GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian Ministry of Culture has selected “It Must Be Heaven” — a satire written and directed by Elia Suleiman — to represent the country at the 92nd Academy Awards, scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 9, 2020.

The 97-minute film will compete with 29 other foreign-language films for best international feature film at the Oscars. "It Must Be Heaven," which contains strong visual language, centers on the story of a Palestinian fugitive in search of a new homeland as he flees from city to city. However, in every place he finds himself, the specter of Palestine haunts him in the presence of security agents and police, in weapons, in the militarization and repression, recalling the practices of the Israeli army in his home country.

The film is shot across three cities. The first part takes place in Nazareth, Israel, which is the hometown of the protagonist played by Suleiman himself. Next comes Paris, the first stop in his search for a new home, and finally, New York, which he ultimately leaves in despair.

The film competed for the 2019 Palme d'Or, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, receiving a special mention from the jury. It was also awarded the International Federation of Film Critics’ prize at the festival.