In recent years , the Academy 's definition of the term " country " has itself caused debate . The submissions for the 75th Academy Awards , for instance , became shrouded in controversy when it was reported that Humbert Balsan , producer of the critically acclaimed Palestinian film '' Divine Intervention '' ( 2002 ) , tried to submit his picture to the Academy but was told it could not run for the Foreign Language Film Award since the State of Palestine is not recognized by the Academy in its rules . Because the Academy had previously accepted films from other political entities such as Hong Kong , the rejection of '' Divine Intervention '' triggered accusations of double standard from pro-Palestinian activists . Three years later , however , another Palestinian-Arab film , '' Paradise Now '' ( 2005 ) , succeeded in getting nominated for the Foreign Language Film Award . The nomination also caused protests , this time from pro-Israeli groups in the United States , who objected to the Academy 's use of the name " Palestine " on its official website to designate the film 's submitting country . After intense lobbying from pro-Israeli groups , the Academy decided to designate '' Paradise Now '' as a submission from the Palestinian Authority , a move that was decried by the film 's director Hany Abu-Assad . During the awards ceremony , the film was eventually announced by presenter Will Smith as a submission from the Palestinian Territories
awards ceremony
78th Academy Awards
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film