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The recent submission of a Kenyan film to the Academy Awards will open up the country's movie industry to an international audience and provide a much needed boost to the local film culture, observers say.

"Nairobi Half Life", a Kenyan-German co-production, is one of a record 71 official entries competing for five nominations for the 2013 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award (the Oscars) in the Best Foreign Language Film category. South Africa, Algeria and Morocco are the only other African countries competing for the award.

The film documents the life of a Kenyan youth who migrates from a rural village to the city with hopes of a better life, but ends up living a life of crime to survive.

"The movie is a far cry from the normal stories told about Africa. It presents us a chance to tell our story," film director Tosh Gitonga told Sabahi.

He said international moviegoers are used to seeing Africa only as the land of famine, but with this movie they will be able to see the more complex reality of African cities, which mirror those of cities around the world.

According to Nathan Asiago, head of programmes at the Kenya Film Commission, the entry will lift Kenya's standing in the film industry.

"Kenya has had a queer culture -- movie halls have been deserted by the locals and left for tourists," he said, adding that the competition can turn this around. "Whether the film wins or not, the international limelight will awaken film watching culture locally."

Exposure from the Oscars will increase the visibility of Kenya's movie industry and attract investors and tourists to the region, but will also help revive interest in locally made movies, Asiago told Sabahi.

The film's submission will provide opportunities for Kenyan moviemakers to interact with international film producers, bringing home more skills and knowledge that will nurture and grow the local film industry, he said.

In July, "Nairobi Half Life" premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in South Africa, where lead actor Joseph Wairimu won Best Actor.

The film has generated a lot of interest in film circuits and began international screening on October 11th at Kino Koki in Lubeck, Germany, with additional screenings lined up in Hamburg, Bonn, Koln and other German towns before culminating on October 26th at the Passage in Leipzig.

The film will screen in Nairobi at Planet Media Cinemas Westgate and Century Cinemax Junction from October 19-25th.

In November, the film will be part of the American Film Institute's "breakthrough" section at AFI FEST in Los Angeles, California from November 1-8th.

Wairimu told Sabahi he expects the film's entry into the Academy Awards to spur interest among young actors and energise the local industry. "The exposure it has given us is good. I am optimistic the film will make the rest of the population here look at acting as a profession just like any other that must be appreciated," he said.

Actor Maina Olwenya, who also played a part in the movie, said he hopes the international exposure will showcase Kenyan talent on the world stage and open up opportunities abroad.

The film is a joint production by Kenya's Ginger Ink Films, Germany's One Fine Day and the German government-funded DW Akademie.

This is Kenya's second entry in the competition. "Heart of Fire", also a Kenyan-German co-production, was an entrant in 2008 for Best Foreign Language Film. It did not receive a nomination.

The nominations will be announced on January 10th, with final awards presented at a ceremony in Hollywood, California on February 24th.