Andrius Blaževičius’ “How to Divorce During the War” has been selected as Lithuania’s entry for the Academy Award for best international feature film.

Blaževičius’ third feature won the directing award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. The film was picked up for theatrical distribution in North America by Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, and will be released on Aug. 21.

Set in Vilnius in 2022, it’s a story of a high-flying executive Marija, who chooses the worst possible moment for an honest conversation with her husband Vytas about divorcing – just one day before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine goes into full scale. Now the couple must navigate the process of separation as it collides with a refugee and mid-life crisis.

“How to Divorce During the War” played in more than 30 festival competitions, winning prizes in Hong Kong, Las Palmas and Uruguay. It has sold to multiple countries, with world sales handled by Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales.

In his review for Variety, Guy Lodge described the film as “a drily witty, subtly searing comedy.” He added that it is “both empathetic and surgical as it examines both partners’ attempts to sublimate selfish angst into social activism.”

The selection, announced Tuesday by the Lithuanian Film Centre, was made by Lithuania’s National Selection Committee, and has been approved by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Ignas Miškinis, chair of the National Selection Committee, and a film director himself, said, “One of the key reasons we chose this film was its relevance and sense of proximity – it brings together universal human relationships and geopolitical reality, as suggested by the title itself. The presence of war can be felt in the background of the film – something happening right next to us – while at the same time, it speaks about universal experiences: anxiety, tension, uncertainty about the future, the breakdown of a relationship and its impact not only on two people but also on the entire world around them. These themes are recognizable regardless of country or context.”

“How to Divorce During the War” was produced by Marija Razgute of M-Films (Lithuania), with co-producers Red Lion (Luxembourg), Feline Films (Ireland), and Bionaut (Czech Rep.).

The film’s DP was Narvydas Naujalis, the editor was Anna Johnson Ryndová, the production designer was Greta Vileikytė and the composer was Jakub Rataj.

The project benefited from participation in the New Nordic Films Co-Production Market and the Berlinale Co-Production Market.

The 99th Academy Awards ceremony will take place on March 14. The submission deadline for the international feature film category is Sept. 30.

Other countries that have selected their entries for the category include Kosovo, which chose Blerta Basholli’s “Dua,” a player at Critics’ Week in Cannes; Slovakia, which selected Martin Gonda’s “Flood”; and Turkey, which went for Tunç Davut’s “Like a Limbless Tree.”

According to a rule change by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in May, there are now two ways to submit a film for consideration for the international feature film category. In addition to a film being submitted as an official selection by a country or region, a non-English language film can now be submitted for consideration by winning best film at a major film festival. Under this rule, the following films qualify: İlker Çatak’s “Yellow Letters” (Berlin), Cristian Mungiu’s “Fjord” (Cannes), and Visar Morina’s “Shame and Money” (Sundance, World Cinema Grand Jury Prize). The other qualifying festivals are Venice, Toronto (Platform Award) and Busan.