Salumäe, born in Pärnu, won the first Olympic gold medal for Estonia after the country regained independence in 1991.

The selection was made by an independent committee convened by the Estonian Film Institute. The drama will be entered in the Best International Feature Film category.

The committee said "Meie Erika" is a nostalgically tinged drama about an important episode in Estonia's recent history that helped strengthen the drive for independence.

The committee highlighted actress Karolin Jürise's selfless and memorable performance as a female athlete making her way in the male-dominated world of Soviet sports, whose story intertwines themes of both gender emancipation and national self-determination.

Golub said this is a great honor for the entire film crew.

"Erika's victories and her extraordinary journey belong to Estonian history, but at the heart of this very special sports story is something universal – how far a person can go in pursuit of their dream and love," he said. "It is also nice that 'Meie Erika' will not be making this journey from the Baltics alone – Latvia's sports legend 'Ulja' will be joining her."

In 2020, Golub won the Academy's Student Academy Award in the International Narrative Film category for his Baltic Film and Media School graduation film "Mu kallid laibad" ("My Dear Corpses.")

The Oscar nominees will be announced on January 21, and the awards ceremony will take place in Los Angeles on March 14.

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