Despite international acclaim and recognition, the California-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has disqualified the Palestine themed movie. Private is an unflinching portrayal of a Palestinian family whose refusal to evacuate their home results in their cohabitation with Israeli troops who occupy the house. Its past honors include the Golden Leopard for Best Film at the Locarno Film Festival, the FIPRESCI Jury Prize at the San Francisco Film Festival, and the Italian David di Donatello Award for filmmaking. Leading man Mohammad Bakri also won lauds for Best Actor at Buenos Aires and Locarno film festivals. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Private received the required 4/5 majority vote among the 17-member selection committee set up by Italy's motion picture association, ANICA. However, the film has been rejected by the Academy based on technical difficulties resulting from the Academy's Best Foreign Language Film Award policy, which states "films involving subcultures that speak a non-English, non-official language may qualify if their subject matter concerns life in the submitting country." Final determination of eligibility is left to the Academy's discretion. According to the Italian newsgroup, ANSA, Instituto Luce, the company which co-produced and distributed Private in Italy, said it had consulted Italian and American lawyers before putting the movie forward, and had been told it qualified. The director, who employed a hand-held verite-style filming technique in order to present a realistic and honest narrative, responded by saying "If the film had been made in Italian it would have been laughable."