The animated film “Ma vie de courgette” (My life as a zucchini) by Valais director Claude Barras is the first Swiss film to be considered for a Golden Globe. The winners of the prestigious American film and television awards will be announced in a Hollywood ceremony on January 8.

“Courgette”, which the Swiss film promotion board Swiss Films has called the nation’s “most successful animation film of all time and most successful cinema export”, has been nominated in the Best Animated Film of the Year category along with “Kubo and the Two Strings”, “Moana”, “Sing” and “Zootopia”.

The French-language stop-motion animation follows the challenges and friendships encountered by a little boy with an unusual nickname – Courgette – who is sent to an orphanage after losing his parents.

The 66-minute film has already won some 25 awards, including the European Film Award for Best Animation. The Federal Office of Culture has submitted the film as an official Oscar candidate to the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the category of Best Foreign Language Film.

The Golden Globes are the most important film ceremony in the US after the Oscars and are given by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Awards are also given for television work. Animated films have been eligible for awards in their own category since 2007.