China has selected Dead to Rights, a harrowing historical drama set amid the 1937 Nanjing Massacre, as its official contender for the 98th Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film category.

Directed by Shen Ao from a script he co-wrote with Xu Luyang and Zhang Ke, Dead to Rights centers on a humble postman, Ah Chang (played by Liu Haoran), who assumes the identity of a photo-developer within a Japanese-controlled studio. He covertly hides civilians and Chinese soldiers, while duplicating photographic evidence of atrocities. Operating under daily threat and surveillance, the studio becomes a crucible of moral sacrifice, artistic resistance, and survival.

The pick underscores China’s steady shift over the past decade of submitting large-scale historical narratives with potent national symbolism instead of the arthouse human dramas that more regularly win the country’s filmmakers acclaim overseas.

Released in July 25, Dead to Rights was an instant commercial hit in China, breaking a long blockbuster dry spell that extended through the spring. The film earned $57.2 million in its first weekend and it continued to perform powerfully throughout the summer. It’s total haul currently stands at $417.6 million.

The film is backed by the state-backed China Film Group and Omnijoi Media, among others.

Since its first attempt in 1979, the People’s Republic of China has submitted 39 films to the Best International Feature (formerly Best Foreign Language) Oscar race. The country has received two nominations — both for Zhang Yimou films; Ju Dou in 1990 and Hero in 2002 — but has not yet clinched an Oscar.