The Class, winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Festival, has been named as France's official entry for the 2009 foreign language film Oscar.
Directed by Laurent Cantet, the film depicts a year at a tough Paris school, featuring real students and teachers.
Titled Entre les murs in France, it will receive a gala screening at the London Film Festival next month.
France is one of several countries to unveil their foreign film submissions in the run-up to next year's Oscars.
Earlier this week it was announced that Germany's entry would be a drama about the militant left-wing Baader Meinhof group.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominees for the prize on 22 January.
Last year's winner was Austrian film The Counterfeiters, which told of concentration camp prisoners ordered to forge bank notes during World War II.
1992 drama Indochine was the last French entry to win the foreign language film Oscar.