Renowned Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev's "Leviathan" has been nominated at the Golden Globe awards, in the best foreign language film category.
"Leviathan" will compete against films from Poland, Sweden, Israel and Estonia. The awards will be given out at the lavish ceremony in Beverly Hills on Jan. 11.
"Leviathan" has received much praise since it premiered at the Cannes International Film Festival in May, where it won the award for Best Screenplay.
The film has also been nominated for the top European Film Award at the European Film Awards, which will be handed out in Riga, Latvia, on Saturday. Zvyagintsev has been nominated in both the director and screenwriter categories, along with co-writer Oleg Negin. Alexei Serebryakov, who plays the lead role in the film, has been nominated for the best European actor award.
"Leviathan" tells the story of a provincial man who fights to keep his property out of the hands of a corrupt mayor.
In Russia, the film initially struggled to receive a screening permit because of a recent law banning expletives in public performances. The Culture Ministry finally gave "Leviathan" an +18 rating with the expletives bleeped out.
"Leviathan" will represent Russia in the best foreign-language film category at the next Academy Awards.
