Tensions ran high in a small Johannesburg room on Tuesday afternoon as producers of Inxeba (The Wound) hosted a special live streaming event in anticipation of the 2018 Oscars nominations.

Unfortunately, the critically acclaimed local film was overlooked by members of the Academy, in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The Insult, Loveless, On Bodo and Soul, The Square and A Fantastic Woman were nominated in the category.

Co-producer Elias Ribeiro expressed great disappointment.

“[It’s a] huge disappointment. We worked very hard to get to this point,” he said

“It’s been a two-year journey for us producers just working strategically to get there. Unfortunately, the journey didn’t materialize. We are very disheartened.”

Co-producer Batana Vundla echoed Ribeiro’s words.

“I was trying to block out the emotions of it all and not get too excited, because I thought we had a good chance,” Vundla said.

“It is disappointing. I guess my emotions were caught up more than I realized. Nevertheless I’m very proud of the journey thus far.”

Directed by John Trengove, the film stars Nakhane Touré, Bongile Mantsai and Niza Jay Ncoyini in the lead. It follows a story of a closeted gay relationship between two men that arises in the mountains of the Eastern Cape during a period of the Xhosa initiation.