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65 foreign language films accepted by Academy for 2010 Oscar consideration
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foeign languge films ©A.M.P.A.S.®
The path of foreign language films on their way to a Best Foreign Language Oscar for 2010 is one of numbers: from 65 down to 9 on a first cut; then to 5 nominees to be announced 2 February 2010; then to 1 winner announced on 7 March 2010.
This year’s batch of Oscar-hopefuls cover the world from Albania to Vietnam, with stops in Bangladesh, Finland, Kazakhstan, Peru, and other locales along the way, each vying for at least a nomination and preferably a little gold statuette.
Non-English language films from 65 countries have been accepted for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards®. Each county outside the U.S. can nominate one “feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States of American with a predominantly non-English dialogue track,” according to the Academy. Accurate English-language subtitles are required.
Film Experience best resource on list of foreign film hopefuls
The full list of 65 films—and indeed the best resource available on them—can be found on Nathaniel Rogers’s site "The Film Experience". His compilation of data on the Foreign Language Film contenders is second to none and its an excellent place to find the most up-to-date information on these films as a group. His whimsical Google map of foreign language film submissions and his analyses of Oscar records by country are highly recommended.
Rogers also gives information on U.S. distribution of the films. As of 15 October, only 8 of the 65 films have distributors in the US and only one has been released in the US, the UK’s submission Afghan Star (directed by Havan Marking). One can only hope distributors will do better than this to make these accessible for filmgoers with tastes beyond the mega-hit cineplexes.
Foreign Language features on the film festival circuit
Several of the motion pictures under consideration have been actively present on the film festival circuit. Let’s highlight 4 here. Look for future features in this column for in-depth discussions of individual films in the 2010 foreign language category between now and the Awards ceremony in March.
Promo poster, Samson & Delilah
Australia—Samson and Delilah
Australia’s entry, Samson and Delilah, took the Camera D’Or at Cannes, presented to the best “first feature” screened at the festival. Set in a wasteland and exploring the wastelands of the soul, this story of love and survival between two outcast Australian Aboriginals isn’t conventional, but each review is a testament to its power. It is set for its UK premier at the London Film Festival on Sunday and Monday. Samson and Delilah is currently the highest-grossing film of the year in Australia, with $3.17 million in receipts. The film was directed by Warwick Thornton and stars newcomers Rowan McNamara and Marissa Gibson; while dialogue is spare, what’s there is mostly in the Aboriginal language Warlpiri. The 101-minute film has its UK premiere on Sunday and Monday at the London Film Festival.
Promo poster, The White Ribbon
Germany—Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)
Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon), the German entry, also left Cannes in triumph with the Palm D’Or in hand. It also has been named to receive the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) Grand Prix 2009 for the Best Film of the Year. Directed by Austrian Michael Haneke, the story is set just before World War I in a small German village characterized by repressive religion, rigid patriarchy, and violent authoritarianism. Viewers are drawn in as witnesses to a series of mysterious events that marks an unnamed horror. Shot in black and white, it is both an echo of German expressionism and a break-thru to a story-telling that refuses easy answers, forcing one off the screen and back into history—and human nature—to forge one’s own resolution. The 144-minute film is in German and Italian. Das Weisse Band has been picked up by Sony Pictures Classic and is scheduled for limited release in the US 29 December.
Promo poster, About Elly (2009)
Iran—Darbareye Elly (About Elly)
The Ours d’Argent (silver bear) of the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival for best director went to Iranian Asghar Farhadi for Darbareye Elly (released in France as A Propos D’Elly). About Elly has received awards at film festivals in Brisbane, Fajr, and at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it was honored with the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. The narrative focuses on a young teacher, Elly, who goes missing during a holiday with three Iranian families on the Caspian sea. It is also a cautionary tale of the consequences of upholding social convention at all costs, when obscuring truth carries with it a loss of humanity. About Elly has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Here Media, with an unspecified 2010 release date.
Promo poster, The Milk of Sorrow (2009)
Peru—La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow)
The Golden Bear of the 2009 Berlin Film Festival went to Peru’s submission to the Academy, La Teta Asustada (The Milk of Sorrow) was written, directed, and produced by Claudia Llosa. It also took the FIPRESCI Critics’ Prize in Berlin as well as prizes for best film and best actress at festivals in Lima and Guadalajara. La Teta Asustada is a delicate journey into the fears of a young woman forced to deal with life’s terrors in whatever ways she can upon her mother’s death. Afflicted with a disease visited upon the children of women raped during the 1980s war in Peru, Fausta (Magaly Solier) is obsessed with superstitions and caught between fulfilling her obligations to bury her mother properly and her family who dismisses her every need. This 95 minute film is in Spanish and Quecha.
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