Jordan has the first film to compete for an Oscar nomination, local daily The Jordan Times reported on Friday.

The Royal Film Commission (RFC) has officially sent the feature film Captain Abu Raed to the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for an Oscar nomination in the Best Foreign Film category, said the report.

"We are extremely glad and happy to have, for the first time, Jordan competing for an Oscar nomination and we hope that Captain Abu Raed will get a special mention," RFC communications and culture manager Nada Doumani was quoted as saying.

"This shows that the film industry in Jordan has matured enough to compete in international festivals, and we hope for many others to follow," she added.

Written and directed by Amin Matalqa and produced by Kevin Pritchard, Captain Abu Raed tells the story of a reclusive airport janitor, played by Nadim Sawalha, who dreams of seeing the world, but has to make do with books and brief encounters with passengers.

The film has received the World Cinema Audience Award for a dramatic piece at the Sundance Film Festival among other awards, as it touches upon themes such as poverty, child labor and domestic violence through everyday characters.

Oscar nominations are expected in late January of next year, with the 81st Academy Awards to be presented in Hollywood, California on Feb. 22, 2009.

(Xinhua News Agency September 5, 2008)