BUSAN, South Korea: China is reportedly set to spring a surprise by submitting the Chinese-French production “The Nightingale” as the nation’s Oscars entry for best foreign film.

Directed by Philippe Muyl, the film follows a journey undertaken by an old man and young girl in southern China and is an adaptation of the director’s 2002 French film “The Butterfly.”

No Chinese entry had been received for the 2015 Oscars when the deadline for submissions past last Wednesday.

However reports emanating from the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Sunday claim the delay had been down to the fact China’s two-day National Day holiday started on the same day.

“‘The Nightingale’ was chosen shortly before the National Day public holiday and will be announced officially after the holiday,” an industry source told the Hollywood Reporter.

Academy Awards officials have so far not commented on the report.

More than 60 countries met last Wednesday’s official deadline for submissions, with many nations revealing their entries — but China, home to a fast-growing film industry, was not among them.

Film buffs had thought Chinese officials were debating whether to offer up “Coming Home,” a family-led drama set during the tumultuous Cultural Revolution, or gritty contemporary thriller “Black Coal, Thin Ice.” But no official explanation behind the delay had previously been given.

“We haven’t heard anything,” said Zhang Zhao, producer of “Coming Home,” on the sidelines of BIFF in South Korea.