Actress Halina Reijn’s directorial debut Instinct has not made the shortlist for best foreign film at next year’s Oscars, Dutch media report.

The film was earlier chosen as the Dutch entry but faced competition from 92 other films, of which ten were chosen. Among the top contenders for the prize is Pedro Amodóvar’s autobiographical Dolor y Gloria, with Antonio Banderas.

Van Reijn’s film is about an experienced psychologist, played by Carice van Houten, who works at a psychiatric prison and has to decide whether to let a sex offender (Marwan Kenzari) out on leave.

Unlike the rest of her team she is not convinced he can be trusted and a power struggle between the two ensues, in which he tries to manipulate her into believing he has changed.

The film won the Variety Piazza Grande Award at the Locarno film festival in September.

Dutch animator Floor Adams did make the shortlist in the category short animation film with Mind My Mind, about the life of an autistic person.

The finalised nominations for the Oscars will be announced on January 13 2020.