Swiss film Die Herbstzeitlosen (Late Bloomers) has not been included by the Oscar Academy on its shortlist for foreign language films.

The Swiss offering did not make it to the next stage of selection where a list of nine candidates will be whittled down to five nominees.

Bettina Oberli's film was seen by more than 600,000 people in Switzerland, making it the second-most successful Swiss production ever, behind 1978's Die Schweizermacher.

The comedy about how the opening of a lingerie shop scandalises a small village was selected by the Federal Culture Office to represent Switzerland.

The film, which has been compared with the British production Calendar Girls, owes much of its success to its leading lady Stephanie Glaser.

Glaser, a well-known Swiss television actress, took on her first major film role to play Martha, an 80-year-old who has lost her zest for life since her husband's death.

The nominations for the 2008 Oscars will be announced on January 22 and the awards ceremony is set to take place on February 24 in Hollywood – writers' strike permitting.

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