Sorrentino is in the running for a second Oscar.

The Hand of God by Italian film director Paolo Sorrentino has been nominated for an Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday.

The coming-of-age film, whose original Italian title is È stata la mano di Dio, is now among the five hopefuls vying for a prize in the academy's best international feature movie category.

Going global with this year’s nominees for International Feature Film. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/WV7fAfXL3d

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) February 8, 2022

The news means that the 51-year-old Neapolitan director has a chance of bringing home a second Academy Award on 27 March, eight years after his movie The Great Beauty won an Oscar in 2013.

• Italy: Netflix launches Sorrentino film The Hand of God

Telling the story of a teenage boy in Naples in the 1980s, Sorrentino's largely autobiographical film stars Filippo Scotti, Toni Servillo and Teresa Saponangelo.

The story spans several years from the arrival of Diego Maradona to play for Napoli to the team's first Italian title success, during which time the young boy has to cope with the death of his parents.

• Italy pins Oscar hopes on Sorrentino movie

Sorrentino's movie was released in Italian cinemas in November, after wining the Grand Jury Silver Lion at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and has been available to stream on Netflix since December.