Soxie Topacio?s ?Ded na si Lolo? has been picked as the country?s entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 82nd Oscar Awards next year, according to Leo Martinez, director-general of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP).

FAP is the local body tasked to choose the country?s Oscar entry.

?Ded na si Lolo??one of six movies produced by APT Entertainment and the Directors? Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) as part of the Sine Direk series?is a comedy that revolves around the wake of a family?s patriarch.

Topacio told the Inquirer that the Oscar derby was the farthest from his mind when he wrote the script of ?Lolo.?

He said he just wanted to submit a script to Sine Direk, and that he went in seclusion and wrote it in three days.

Now he feels daunted: ?I?m tense. It?s as if there?s a big expectation for us to do well. [But] I?m happy, excited and thankful ??

Producer Tony Tuviera told the Inquirer: ?We are elated that our film was chosen. From the start, our intention was noble. The ?Sine Direk? series was primarily conceptualized to benefit a scholarship program for movie workers? children who are in need. That it has been given this honor is an incredible blessing.?

According to the FAP website, ?Lolo? was picked by an eight-man committee.

Among the films viewed by the committee were ?Kamoteng Kahoy,? ?Last Viewing,? ?Pitik Bulag,? ?Concerto,? ?Baler,? ?Jay,? ?Bente,? ?100,? ?Lola,? ?Adela,? ?Manila? and ?In My Life.?

According to the site, these local films were exhibited for ?at least seven consecutive days ? from Oct. 1, 2008 to Sept. 30.?

?Ded na si Lolo? and the other Sine Direk movies are currently screening at the UP Film Institute in Diliman until Sept. 30, except Friday and Sunday.