diff --git a/pandora/annotation/managers.py b/pandora/annotation/managers.py
index 51acf801..5a79a07c 100644
--- a/pandora/annotation/managers.py
+++ b/pandora/annotation/managers.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
+import unicodedata
+
 from django.db.models import Q, Manager
 from ox.django.query import QuerySet
 
@@ -71,6 +73,8 @@ def parseCondition(condition, user):
         }.get(op, '__icontains'))
 
     key = str(key)
+    if isinstance(v, unicode):
+        v = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', v).lower()
     if exclude:
         q = ~Q(**{key: v})
     else:
diff --git a/pandora/annotation/models.py b/pandora/annotation/models.py
index b48a47d5..281eeece 100644
--- a/pandora/annotation/models.py
+++ b/pandora/annotation/models.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
 from __future__ import division, with_statement
 import re
+import unicodedata
 
 from django.db import models
 from django.db.models import Q
@@ -136,6 +137,7 @@ class Annotation(models.Model):
         if self.value:
             self.value = utils.cleanup_value(self.value, layer['type'])
             self.findvalue = ox.decode_html(ox.strip_tags(re.sub('<br */?>\n?', ' ', self.value))).replace('\n', ' ')
+            self.findvalue = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', self.findvalue).lower()
             sortvalue = sort_string(self.findvalue)
             if sortvalue:
                 self.sortvalue = sortvalue[:900]
diff --git a/pandora/event/managers.py b/pandora/event/managers.py
index 5d93a1d5..ca214f11 100644
--- a/pandora/event/managers.py
+++ b/pandora/event/managers.py
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
+import unicodedata
 
 from django.db.models import Q, Manager
 from ox.django.query import QuerySet
@@ -31,6 +32,8 @@ def parseCondition(condition, user):
     }.get(op,'__icontains'))
 
     key = str(key)
+    if isinstance(v, unicode):
+        v = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', v).lower()
     if exclude:
         q = ~Q(**{k: v})
     else:
diff --git a/pandora/item/managers.py b/pandora/item/managers.py
index 0666c1b9..20578da2 100644
--- a/pandora/item/managers.py
+++ b/pandora/item/managers.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
 from datetime import datetime
+import unicodedata
 
 from django.db.models import Q, Manager
 from django.conf import settings
@@ -130,6 +131,8 @@ def parseCondition(condition, user):
 
         k = str(k)
         value_key = str(value_key)
+        if isinstance(v, unicode):
+            v = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', v).lower()
         if k == '*':
             q = Q(**{value_key: v})
         elif in_find:
diff --git a/pandora/item/models.py b/pandora/item/models.py
index a471f1eb..59a89c68 100644
--- a/pandora/item/models.py
+++ b/pandora/item/models.py
@@ -239,11 +239,11 @@ class Item(models.Model):
             else:
                 k = filter(lambda i: i['id'] == key, settings.CONFIG['itemKeys'])
                 ktype = k and k[0].get('type') or ''
-                if ktype == 'text': 
+                if ktype == 'text':
                     self.data[key] = ox.sanitize_html(data[key])
-                elif ktype == '[text]': 
+                elif ktype == '[text]':
                     self.data[key] = [ox.sanitize_html(t) for t in data[key]]
-                elif ktype == '[string]': 
+                elif ktype == '[string]':
                     self.data[key] = [ox.escape_html(t) for t in data[key]]
                 elif key in ('episodeTitle', 'seriesTitle', 'episodeDirector', 'seriesYear'):
                     self.data[key] = ox.escape_html(data[key])
@@ -344,7 +344,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
                 update_poster = True
                 if len(self.itemId) != 7:
                     update_ids = True
-        
+
         #id changed, what about existing item with new id?
         if settings.USE_IMDB and len(self.itemId) != 7 and self.oxdbId != self.itemId:
             self.itemId = self.oxdbId
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
                     'selected': p == pos,
                     'url': '/%s/posterframe%d.jpg' %(self.itemId, p),
                     'height': f['height'],
-                    'width': f['width'] 
+                    'width': f['width']
                 })
                 p += 1
         return frames
@@ -600,6 +600,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
                     value = value and 'true' or 'false'
                 if isinstance(value, basestring):
                     value = ox.decode_html(ox.strip_tags(value.strip()))
+                    value = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', value).lower()
                 f.value = value
                 f.save()
             else:
@@ -719,7 +720,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
             sort_type = key.get('sortType', key['type'])
             if 'value' in key:
                 if 'layer' in key['value']:
-                   continue 
+                   continue
                 source = key['value']['key']
                 sort_type = key['value'].get('type', sort_type)
             if isinstance(sort_type, list):
@@ -818,7 +819,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
             s.cutsperminute = s.numberofcuts / (s.duration/60)
             s.wordsperminute = s.words / (s.duration / 60)
         else:
-            s.cutsperminute = None 
+            s.cutsperminute = None
             s.wordsperminute = None
         s.timesaccessed = self.accessed.aggregate(Sum('accessed'))['accessed__sum']
         if not s.timesaccessed:
@@ -1177,7 +1178,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
     def select_frame(self):
         frames = self.poster_frames()
         if frames:
-            heat = [ox.image.getImageHeat(f['path']) for f in frames] 
+            heat = [ox.image.getImageHeat(f['path']) for f in frames]
             self.poster_frame = heat.index(max(heat))
 
     def get_poster_frame_path(self):
@@ -1232,7 +1233,7 @@ class Item(models.Model):
                 elif '' in languages:
                     language = ''
                 else:
-                    language = languages[0] 
+                    language = languages[0]
 
             #loop over all videos
             for f in self.files.filter(Q(is_audio=True)|Q(is_video=True)) \
@@ -1393,7 +1394,7 @@ class Facet(models.Model):
         does not perform to well if total number of items goes above 10k
         this happens for keywords in 0xdb right now
     '''
-    
+
     class Meta:
         unique_together = ("item", "key", "value")
 
diff --git a/pandora/person/managers.py b/pandora/person/managers.py
index f22f3fc3..a0704a6a 100644
--- a/pandora/person/managers.py
+++ b/pandora/person/managers.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
+import unicodedata
+
 from django.db.models import Q, Manager
 from ox.django.query import QuerySet
 
@@ -60,6 +62,8 @@ def parseCondition(condition, user):
         }.get(op,'__icontains'))
 
     key = str(key)
+    if isinstance(v, unicode):
+        v = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', v).lower()
     if exclude:
         q = ~Q(**{key: v})
     else:
diff --git a/pandora/place/managers.py b/pandora/place/managers.py
index 6acbc647..9dd1a2b7 100644
--- a/pandora/place/managers.py
+++ b/pandora/place/managers.py
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
 # vi:si:et:sw=4:sts=4:ts=4
+import unicodedata
+
 from django.db.models import Q, Manager
 from ox.django.query import QuerySet
 
@@ -59,6 +61,9 @@ def parseCondition(condition, user):
         }.get(op,'__icontains'))
 
     key = str(key)
+    if isinstance(v, unicode):
+        v = unicodedata.normalize('NFKD', v).lower()
+
     if exclude:
         q = ~Q(**{key: v})
     else: