A Palestinian film about a man who is arrested and beaten by Israeli intelligence agents, and then forced to become an informant for Israel, is among the nominees for Best Foreign Language film at next month’s Academy Awards.

“Omar” won the Jury Prize at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. It will now compete against films from Belgium, Italy, Denmark and Cambodia for the prestigious Oscar.

The film’s director, Hany Abu-Assad, was born and raised in Nazareth. He told the Jerusalem Post earlier this month: “We live in a time when the politicians have failed. And if you look at any time in history when politicians have failed, it’s the artists who have forward to try to make sense of the world.

“I wish I could rely on our politicians, but they have no real power. It’s politicians from the US, Europe and Israel who have the power to solve the conflict, not the Palestine politicians.”

Jonah Hill is among a shortlist of Hollywood’s in-demand actors vying for an Academy Award.

The 30-year-old is nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role in The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorcese.

The winners will be announced at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles . The ceremony will be broadcast live in over 200 countries.