Dominik Mendzi’s road movie Riders, about two friends from a small town who embark on a journey of personal discovery with two motorcycles, is Slovenia’s nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The film “Riders” won three awards at the Slovenian Film Festival last year, including Best Actor and Best Editing.

The film premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival last year and was nominated for Best New Film at this year’s Beijing International Film Festival.

Dominik Medcej’s first film project has gained international attention and it is only right that he continues his daring journey around the world, the Slovenian Federation of Filmmakers’ Associations said in the nomination announcement.

Set in 1999, the film follows the two protagonists as they travel through the newly independent countries of Slovenia and Croatia. Along the way they take with them a woman who has escaped and an elderly cyclist.

The story focuses on a dangerous journey, in which problems lurk behind every turn of the road, creating situations that push the protagonists to cut ties with their old perceptions of the world.