A still photo from The Assassin. [Photo/Xinhua]

Taiwan's Motion Picture and Drama Association has entered Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's acclaimed martial arts film The Assassin in the 2016 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

According to a statement released by the association on Wednesday, The Assassin stood out among 13 candidates thanks to "its high degree of proficiency in cinematography, lighting, arts and character shaping, which succeeded in demonstrating natural personalities of people in a classic setting."

"The director shows great ambition in creating a new film language style," the statement read.

Set in ancient China, the film tells about a general's daughter named Nie Yinniang who was trained by a nun to become an assassin.

The film won Hou Hsiao-hsien the best director award at the Cannes Film Festival in May.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon directed by Ang Lee is the only Taiwanese film crowned by the Oscars.