LOS ANGELES — The new drama fantasy, I Lost My Body, has been nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Feature category. 

The character of the father is voiced in English by Algerian American actor and filmmaker Anouar Smaine.

Smaine resides in Los Angeles, where he’s often developing new creative projects. He says acting in a film that is being recognized by the Oscars feels surreal.

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“When you come to Hollywood specifically, you think of two things: the Hollywood sign, and the Oscars. For some reason, I don’t know what it is,” said Smaine.

That quintessential, Hollywood dream is no longer a dream for Smaine. He’s actively working in the industry, but never forgets his roots, having left his native country of Algeria due to a civil war.

“My home country of Algeria was sinking into a major, major civil war, so I came with a broken heart. And so, to quote a Hollywood actor, 'You need to take your broken heart and make into art,' that’s kind of what I’m doing,” Smaine explained.

His latest venture in I Lost My Body — now available on Netflix — highlights the perspective of a North African family, where his son, played by Dev Patel, must adjust to French society.

Smaine speaks both Arabic and French and says these moments of recognition, big or small, have substantial significance for a creative like himself.

“It confirms maybe that you didn’t come for nothing. It confirms that you followed your gut for something that’s right,” he said.

Sharing news of the Oscar nomination with his French Algerian community abroad, Smaine is excited about the award show, but says he’s busy working on what’s next. He encourages fellow creatives to stay focused, and dream big.

“As long as you believe in what you’re doing. As long as you put in the work. As long as you, express your ideas, while accepting and hearing other people’s ideas, you can go really really far, beyond anything you could have dreamed of,” Smaine said.