a 2012 interview. Accolades Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou ended the Cabinet meeting on 25 January 2011 by saying, "The news that the film Dogtooth by Yorgos Lanthimos is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film goes far beyond the world of cinema, arts and culture. It concerns the whole country, its people, the new generation of artists who follow the motto 'Yes, we can do it' during difficult times." He continued, "I won't say that the news shows that miracles happen, because the success of Yorgos Lanthimos is based on hard work, talent and his endless potential. Features that characterize the creative forces which lead Greece to a new era; forces which deserve our support and they will have it. Bravo Yorgos." The Greek Film Committee unanimously chose Dogtooth to represent Greece at the Oscars. Potential influences In 1970, Arturo Ripstein made a very similar film, The Castle of Purity, in which a man keeps his family isolated, the brother and sister have an unusually close connection, and the sister is the one to break the impasse with the outside world. According to Ripstein, his film was based on a case that appeared in newspapers in the 1950s of a man who isolated his family and did not allow them to leave. "There was a lot of talk about the case when I was a little boy." Two works came from that case; a novel by Luis Spota, La Carcajadas del Gato, and a play by Sergio Galindo, "Los Motivos del Lobos". Actress Dolores del Río was interested in the rights to the play and contacted Luis Buñuel, who declined, but recommended his protege, Ripstein. "Dolores del Río called and said, 'I would like to make an adaptation of the play', and I said, 'I would prefer to go directly to the source and take the case from the newspapers'." See also List of Greek submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film List of submissions to the 83rd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film References External links 2009 films 2009 drama films 2009 independent films 2009 LGBT-related films Greek drama films Greek LGBT-related films Films set in Greece Films shot in Athens 2000s Greek-language films Films directed by Yorgos Lanthimos Films about dysfunctional families Films shot in Greece Films about child abuse Incest in film Lesbian-related films 2000s psychological drama films