According to the center’s director, Blerta Zeqiri, a technical glitch meant the email from the Academy Awards was never received, leaving Kosovo out of the running for the second year in a row.

“We had a problem with e-mails. I’m saying it’s a very technical problem,” Zeqiri explained in an interview. “By the time we noticed—‘Why didn’t the email come?’—it was too late.”

Despite efforts to catch up, including calls to the Academy, the deadline had already passed.

This bureaucratic blunder meant Kosovo didn’t open the usual competition for filmmakers to propose their works for Oscar consideration. It is the second year in a row the Balkan country has missed the opportunity to participate in the Oscars race.

The missed email has raised eyebrows and provided a touch of dark comedy to Kosovo’s Oscar saga. While the institution promises “bombastic premieres” in the coming year, it might first want to double-check its inbox settings.