The ninth time may be the charm for Mexico at the Oscars. The Mexican Film Academy has chosen Roma, by Alfonso Cuaron – as its bid for a best foreign language film nomination.

Roma won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

It’s a deeply personal film for the director of Gravity and Children of Men.

Roma is Cuaron’s first movie in Spanish – and the first filmed in his native country since his 2001 breakthrough Y Tu Mama Tambien.

Mexico has competed for the Oscar eight times – most recently in 2011 with Biutiful by Alejandro G. Inarritu – but has never won.

Academy Award nominations will be announced on January 22nd.