* Each year that I do this... my sources and readers from other countries are invaluable to my preparation *
"Thank You"s for the 2003 film year foreign news go out to: Anthony, Boris, Brian, Chris, Enrique, Fede, Giovanni, Grace, Irvin, Ken, Kevin, Jaime, José, Krister, Manolis, Marco, Mikkel, Ortzi, Patrick, Pedro, Sina, Tony, Vitor & Yonatan (so far) If you have info that's not yet included here feel free to write!
Denmark to Korea
The following info is culled from the internet, private research, foreign film sites, and forwarded info from readers. The Academy reaction is based on hearsay, actual conversation, and then wild speculation. Awards races always have surprises so take everything with a grain of salt.
KEY GREEN = LOCK -be very surprised if this one is not nominated / YELLOW = DECENT SHOT at shortlisting / RED = DEBATABLE prospects but probably not / BLUE = DOUBTFUL -not going to happen
1 nom. 0 wins.
N€KYM€T…N ELINA / INVISIBLE ELINA
dir. Klaus Härön
32 noms. 9 wins.
BON VOYAGE
dir. Rappeneau
89 min (Danish)
Starring:
Marie Bonnevie (I Am Dina), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (The Idiots)
Premise:
A mysterious meditation on love and fate.
Other notes:
Shaping into a major festival hit.
Previous Awards:
C'amera Dor at Cannes, Best Nordic Debut, Grand Prize at San Sebastian, Cinematography at Chicago Festival, Euro Awards -Fassbinder Discovery Award
AMPAS Reaction:
Too experimental structurally for Academy tastes.
Not Selected:
Arven (The Inheritance)
directed by Per Fly -the second film in a trilogy on the social classes. The first was the well received "The Bench".
?
Starring:
Khaled Abol Naga, ?
Premise:
Romantic comedy about four young couples.
Other notes:
My website was also indirectly mentioned (not named) in the article about this film's selection. I'm both honored and a little embarassed as the favorites named were random based on nothing really (before we knew anything about this year's crop.)
Previous Awards:
?
AMPAS Reaction:
Considered to be "lightweight" but the thing with AMPAS is sometimes they do nom pictures they don't seem overly enthused about if they're easy to like -which this one supposedly is, despite being "generic"
Not Selected:
The other finalist for submission was MaÕali Al-Wazir.
80 min (Finnish/Swedish)
Starring:
Natalie Minnevik & Bibi Anderson
Premise:
A filmabout the inner emotional-life of a child. Elina is Finnish living in Sweden and refuses to learn Swedish.
Other notes:
tba
Previous Awards:
A favorite award winner in youth film festivals
AMPAS Reaction:
Mixed to positive.
Not Selected:
Sibelius -Timo Koivusalo's epic biopic about the composer, Pearls and Pigs/Helmmia Ja Sikoja -Perttu Leppa's comedy about a group of brothers running a fraudulent business. Mosku -The Last of his kind -Tapio Suominen, a Lappland set film about the "Reindeer Emperor", Mika Kaurismaki's Honey Baby, and Nousukausi/Upswing
114 min (French)
Starring:
Isabelle Adjani, Gerard Depardieu
Premise:
The 1940s in a famous hotel during the Nazi occupation of Paris.
Other notes:
Jean Paul Rappeneau has been an Oscar presence twice before -once with a writing nomination and also in 1990 for Cyrano De Bergerac.
Previous Awards:
tba
AMPAS Reaction:
All star foreign cast, said to be "hugely entertaining" and probably the Academy's cup of tea.
Not selected:
Cannes entries La Petite Lili and Strayed and most notably, the much ballyhooed animated Triplets of Belleville.
121 min (German)
Starring:
Daniel Bruhl
Premise:
A mother and son dramedy set against the backdrop of the fall of the Berlin wall .
Other notes:
Shaping into a major festival hit.
Previous Awards:
European Film Awards Best Picture & 5 other awards/ 9 German Oscar nominations and 7 wins including Best Picture.
AMPAS Reaction:
A likely finalist given it's award grabbing nature already -reaction was mostly quite positive.
Not selected:
Margarethe Von TrottaÕs Rosenstrasse a WW II -era drama but from a less trodden angle: Telling the story of Aryan wives of Jewish husbands.
4 noms. 0 wins.
THINK IT OVER / Tha To Metaniossis
dir. Katerina Evangelakou
1 nom. 0 wins.
NOI ALBINO
dir. Dagur Kari
never nominated
THE STRINGLESS VIOLIN
dir. Sekar Ayu AsmaraNo Info PALM PICT. (tba)
)
Starring:
)
Premise:
A e.
Other notes:
Sh
Previous Awards:
Thessaloniki Festival Winner
AMPAS Reaction:
Considered to be confusing (multiple flashbacks) and they will probably not respond.
Not Selected:
Theo Angelopoulos (who has been submitted before) has The Weeping Field/To Livadi Pou Dakrizi . There's also the Scorsese produced Brides, set in the 20s about a mail order bride voyaging to New York. Finally, there is a film called The World Again.
97 min (Cantonese)
Starring:
Tony Leung & Andy Lau
(no it does not get better than that combo)
Premise:
I don't want to give anything away because it's a delightfully twisty police thriller.
Other notes:
Already slated for an American remake
Previous Awards:
16 Hong Kong Oscar nominations and 7 wins. It's chief competitor and the winner of a lot of the other awards was last year's Oscar Foreign Film nominee Hero (which Miramax still has not released---damn them all to hell. What IS their problem with that film?)
AMPAS Reaction:
Positive. They don't nominate a lot of police dramas but this one is highly satisfying with a great performance from Tony Leung -which is no surprise if you've been following his terrific career.
90 min (Hungarian)
Premise:
Reportedly some sort of mood piece, multi character drama.
Other notes:
Last year Hungary submitted and "art" film and seems to have done the same thing this year. So Oscar chances are minimal.
Previous Awards:
Berlin Festival award
AMPAS Reaction:
Not for them. Digitally shot and you know they love gorgeous cinematography in this category. Plus like last year's submission, it is experiemental
Not selected:
Rose's Song (A R—zsa Žnekei) which was well received at the Karlovy festival.
min ()
Starring:
Tomas Lemarquis (in what is supposed to be a very engaging performance)
Premise:
The film is about a boy plotting to get out of his nowhere town.
Other notes:
?
Previous Awards:
?
AMPAS Reaction:
Mixed. Considered too bleak for AMPAS tastes.
min ()
Starring:
Dicky Lebrianto, Nicholas Saputra
Premise:
The story of a woman caring for a badly disabled child as penance for an abortion and a musician who falls in love with her.
Other notes:
?
Previous Awards:
?
AMPAS Reaction:
Not enthusiastic.
1 nom. 0 wins
DEEP BREATH / NAFAS-E AMIQ
dir. Parviz Shahbazi
6 noms. 0 wins.
ASONOT SHEL NINA / NINA'S TRAGEDIES
dir. Savi Gavison
10 noms. 0 wins.
THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI
dir. Yoji Yamada
? min (Farsi)
Starring:
Maryam Palyzban
Premise:
Though I'm sure it's much different this film, like Y Tu Mama Tambien, involves two young friends of differing economic prospects who pick up a woman on a roadtrip who changes their perspective.
Other notes:
tba
Previous Awards:
tba
AMPAS Reaction:
Had its fan but mostly a negative reaction apparently. Perhaps too youthful energy wise for the nominating committee
Not Selected:
Cannes Un Certain Regard lineup included Crimson Gold a socioeconomically heavy tale of a murder/suicide.
? min (Hebrew)
Starring:
Ayelet Zorer
Premise:
The story of the teen-age nephew of a widowed woman who is falling in love again. Subtitled "A Very Sad Comedy"
Other notes:
tba
Previous Awards:
7 nominations at the Israeli Oscars.
AMPAS Reaction:
Mixed to negative. Reportedly it didn't grab them.
Finalists:
Matana MiShamayim (Gift From Heaven) by Dover Kosashvili, (Late Marriage), Bonjour Mr. Shlomi, Cafe Stories, and James Journey to Jerusalem.
min ()
Starring:
)
Premise:
A former winning director in this category (for Mediterraneo) Salvatore returns to the Oscar race with this tale of a a kidnapped boy and his kidnapper's son in a small village in Sicily.
Other notes:
.
Previous Awards:
?
AMPAS Reaction:
Positive. Easy to empathize with the main characters and once again, beautiful photography helps.
Not Selected:
Bellochio's Good Morning, Night Rubini's L'Anima Gemella Virzi's My Name Is Tanimo Barbareschi's Il Trasformista Giordan's The Best of Youth Milani's Il Posto dell'Anima and Ozpetek's Facing Window.
Withdrew from competition:
The Heart is Elsewhere and Never Forget Me.
Details:
130 min (Japanese/Cantonese)
Starring:
Miyazawa Rie
Premise:
A widowed swordsman cares for two daughters and finds new love.
Other notes:
'Twilight Samurai' is a derogatory nickname for the protagonist within the film.
Previous Awards:
The Best Picture winner (Japanese Oscars) for 2002
AMPAS Reaction:
Very positive. Said to be superbly acted and moving.
Not Selected:
Sharasojyu was at Cannes. Takeshi Kitano's Zatoichi was also a notable festival hit.
103 min (Korean)
Premise:
The poetically told life story of a Buddhist monk.
Other notes:
Shaping into a festival hit.
Previous Awards:
4 awards at the Locarno Film Festival
AMPAS Reaction:
The Academy ignored Korea's Oasis which many people really loved. And the same could happen here but "phenomenally beautiful photography" is a big plus in awards competition, so we shall see.Afghanistan to Czech Republic
Denmark to Korea
Lebanon to Slovakia
Slovenia to Venezuela
( OR WERE SUPPOSED TO SUBMIT BUT DIDN'T END UP ON THE LIST )
