The Vatican is set to submit a film for Oscar consideration for the first time in the 97-year history of the Academy Awards. Vatican-produced documentary short ‘Green Lava’ will enter the Best Documentary Short Film race after a Los Angeles theatrical run, entertainment news outlet Variety reported yesterday.

Directed by Lia Beltrami and Ali Aksu, the 39-minute film follows Giacomo Mattivi, a young Italian man living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as he copes with the death of his brother Mattia, who also had the condition.

Set in the Dolomites, the film explores independence, resilience and the strength of community.

‘Green Lava’ will screen from September 18 to 24 at the Lumiere Music Hall in Beverly Hills. The production team will complete the paperwork for Oscar consideration after the theatrical run, according to the film’s publicist, the Variety report stated.

The submission would mark the first time a Vatican-produced film enters the Academy Awards race, although ‘Green Lava’ will not formally represent the Vatican.

Unlike the international feature category, documentary shorts do not require an official government or country-specific committee submission or endorsement.

The film was produced by Beltrami’s Emotions to Generate Change in collaboration with Vatican News, Radio Vaticana and Vatican Media.

Paolo Ruffini, head of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, described the film as a celebration of “life and friendship”.