Winning an Oscar nomination for the year 2005, the South African production Yesterday is a well-received depiction of pain and hope in the fight against HIV/AIDS epidemic in the country.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of the United States on Tuesday announced all nominations of the 77th annual Academy Awards, with Yesterday entering into the best foreign-language film category.

It will compete with Spanish movie "The Sea Inside," France's "Les Choristes," Germany's "Downfall" and "As it is in Heaven" fromSweden.

Directed by Darryl Roodt, Yesterday is South Africa's first Zulu-language feature film and has won praise from critics both athome and abroad since its release early September, last year.

Shot in rural KwaZulu-Natal, the film deals with the role womenplay in a society racked by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

The already-difficult life of Zulu woman Yesterday (her father named her this because he said that everything was always better yesterday), starred Leleti Khnmalo, was shattered after she got HIV from her mine worker husband, played by Kenneth Kambule.

However, the two people in love managed to live in harmony withthe circumstances of their lives without pointing fingers at one another.

In the film, Yesterday tells her doctor that all she wants to live for is to see her daughter Beauty attend her first day of school. The scene was described by some critics as "heartbreaking,honest and real."

With a population of 46.58 million, South Africa has some 5 million people living with HIV/AIDS and is among the hardest-hit countries around the world.

The film was awarded the inaugural Human Rights Film Award at last year's Venice International Film Festival and picked the BestFilm Award at the 3rd Pune International Film Festival in India last week.

Darryl Roodt's works also include The Stick, A Place of Weeping,Sarafina, Cry the Beloved Country and Job Man.

It is reported that HBO Films will release the film in North America and is also handling worldwide distribution.