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Jordan has withdrawn Sareen Hairabedian’s documentary My Sweet Land as its official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards, reportedly after coming under pressure from Azerbaijan, Deadline has learned.

The award-winning documentary follows 11-year-old Vrej, who dreams of becoming a dentist in his village in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which has been at the heart of a violent dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the 1980s.

The choice of the film by Jordan sparked controversy in Azerbaijan where its sympathetic account of the Armenians displaced by the conflict was viewed as taking an overtly anti-Azerbaijani stance.

Deadline understands the Azerbaijan government wrote to Jordan’s Foreign Ministry requesting it reconsider the film’s selection as its Oscar entry, which in turn put pressure on the Jordan’s Royal Film Commission to withdraw the film.

Sources at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences confirm Jordan withdrew My Sweet Land for consideration as Best International Feature Film. This leaves Jordan without an entry in that category for the 97th Academy Awards.

Director Sareen Hairabedian and producer Azza Hourani tell Deadline exclusively, “This is very devastating news for our team that an emotional intimate story of a child’s love for his home and family was banned and silenced. As documentary filmmakers, this censorship compels us more than ever to share My Sweet Land protagonist Vrej’s story, which reflects the experiences of countless children around the world today, who deserve to dream freely without the threat of war and conflict.”

After Jordan withdrew the film as a contender for Best International Feature Film, the Academy told filmmakers they could submit My Sweet Land for consideration as Best Documentary Feature, if they followed standard qualification procedures. The filmmaking team has scrambled to arrange a qualifying run in the U.S.

“My Sweet Land will have its North American premiere at DOC NYC on November 16th and 17th, and our qualifying theatrical release will take place at Laemmle Theatres [in Los Angeles] starting November 29th,” Hairabedian and Hourani tell us. “We remain committed to sharing our truthful story, undeterred by the obstacles we face.”