Oscar's foreign film contenders 2004
Nathaniel R
Afghanistan to Estonia / Finland to Norway / Palestine to Venezuela /
US Box Office for Foreign / Tally of past Oscar successes
_Afghanistan_ _to_ _Estonia_
never nominated
Earth and Ashes
Atiq Rahimi
1 nomination
Antares
Gotz Spielmann
1 nom / 1 win
Days and Hours
Pjer Zalica
102 min (Farsi)
starring
Abdul Ghani
synopsis
a drama of a deaf child, his father, and grandfather that's said to be "humanistic" and "well made"
misc info
This film is from the same producer as Globe nominated / Oscar snubbed Osama.
academy reaction:
Mixed to positive.
99 min (Spanish / Lithuanian)
starring
Daniel Hendler, Adriana Aizemberg, and Jorge D'Elia
synopsis
El Abrazo Partido is the story of a family of shopkeepers in the Jewish quarter or Buenos Aires.
previous awards
two awards at the Berlin festival
snubbed films
Luna de Avellaneda, a reteaming of the Son of the Bride team. La Nina Santa from the director of the critical smash La Cienaga --and like that film, it's also getting cineastes hot and hothered.
academy reaction:
Mixed to positive.
105 min (German)
starring
Dennis Cubic, Andreas Kiendl, & Petra Morze
synopsis
A film with a twisty chronology (uh oh) about families in a housing project in Vienna. Has a twisty chronology (uh-oh AMPAS likes their foreign films traditional) and a frank approach to sexuality.
misc info
a Locarno and Toronto Festival entry.
snubbed
Barbara Albert's Auswege and Das Edukators.
academy reaction:
Mixed to positive.
120 min (Dutch/French)
starring
Koen De Bouw, Werner De Smedt, and Jan Decleir
synopsis
an acclaimed police thriller about detectives on the trail of the murderer of an official and two prostitutes.
misc info
Jan Decleir is the lead from two past Oscar winners Antonia’s Line and Character.
academy reaction?
thrillers don't have a lot of luck with Oscar (as foreign politics often sail over the heads of American voters) but you never know... good response
94 min (Serbo-Coratian)
starring
Senad Basic & Halid Beslic
synopsis
Kod Amide Idrize is a film about a family still grieving several years later for losses suffered in the Bosnian war.
misc info
writer/director Pjer Zalica also directed last year's Bosnian submission Fuse.
academy reaction:
Mixed.
never nominated
Machuca
Andres Wood
141 min (Portugese)
starring
Camila Morgado & Caco Ciocler & Fernanda Montenegro
synopsis
A pregnant Communist leader is arrested and sent to Nazi Germany.
misc info
A big budget WW II drama that's said to be Oscary but critics weren't pleased with its submission.
snubbed finalists
The Other Side of the Street (Fernanda again) about a murder witness. Cazuza about a bisexual composer with AIDS. Benjamin, De Passagem, Redentor, and two soccer docs: Pele Eterno and Garrincha.
academy reaction:
mixed to positive.
95 min (Bulgaria)
starring
Vesela Kazakova
synopsis
A sixteen year old pregnant runaway finds a village that runs on marijuana production.
misc info:
Apparently low budget. The Oscar committee mostly likes the polished technicals.
previous awards:
First prize at the 2004 Sarajevo Film Festival.
academy reaction:
Mixed.
105 min (French)
starring
Robert Lepage
synopsis
Lepage plays two brothers in an abstract intellectual comedy (If the Academy can't handle Huckabees...)
misc info
the directed adapted this from his own play.
snubbed films
CQ2, Elles Etaient Cinq, Dans L'oeil du Chat, or Tiresias
academy reaction:
Mixed.
min (Spanish)
starring
Matias Quer, Ariel Mateluna
synopsis
a look at the Chilean political and social scene of 1973 right before Pinochet that is told from the eyes of two children.
misc info
blue -politically speaking.
snubbed finalists
seven of them: Subterra ( Ferrari) XS la peor talla López) El nominado (Agiró y López) B Happy ( Justiniano) Mala Leche ( Errázuriz) Azul y Blanco ( Araya y Wood) and finally Cachimba ( Caiozzi)
academy reaction:
mixed to positive.
119 min (Mandarin)
starring
Ziyi Zhang, Andy Lau, & Takeshi Kaneshiro
synopsis
wuxia epic about two military men in search of the title group of rebels and the blind girl (Ziyi) that could lead the way to their capture
misc info
Yimou considered Hero (a nominee in 2002) to be his "warmup" to Daggers
snubbed films
Zhuangzhuang's well regarded doc Delamu. Also Foliage, about a cultural revolution, The Goddess of Mercy, South of the Clouds, Passages, Drifters and another Zhang Ziyi vehicle and family drama Jasmine.
academy reaction:
positive (duh)
never nominated
Long Dark Night
Antun Vrdoljak
never nominated
Chronicles / Cronicas
Sebastian Cordero
never nominated
I Love Cinema
Osama Fawzy
? min (Serbo-Croatian)
starring
Goran Visnjic (ER)
synopsis
World War II drama about two friends on opposing sides (Communist and Nazi) and how it effects them over time. Considered ambitious and emotional.
misc info
...
previous awards
Critically acclaimed Duga Mracna Noc (Croatian title) was the Pula winner this year.
snubbed films
The Society of Jesus or That Beautiful Split Night
academy reaction:
positive.
108 min (Czech)
starring
Petr Forman & Emilia Vasaryova
synopsis
a comedy w/ a wide array of characters living in modern day Prague.
misc info
This director was a Czech nominee for Divided We Fall. The Czech Republic seems to know the game well, having quite a success rate for Oscar.
previous awards
...
snubbed films
Poets Never Lose Hope, a dramedy about a man in mourning, Champions, a sports comedy, Landscape of my Heart by director Jan Nemec, Farm Keeper, a mystery of some sort, and Bitter Coffee, the tale of foreign lovers living in Prague.
academy reaction:
positive.
90 min (Danish)
starring
the directors
synopsis
a filmmaking game involving multiple remakes of the short film "The Perfect Human" by Jorgen Leth and the infamous cinematic roscharch test Lars Von Trier (Dogville, Breaking the Waves) misc info
... a must-see film but an odd Oscar choice.
previous awards
snubbed films Brodre, an excellent family drama from Open Your Heart director Susanne Bier, In Your Hands, a dogme women's prison film, Aftermath, said to be like In the Bedroom, Oh Happy Day! about a Harlem minister visiting a small town in Denmark, King's Game, and Bagland
academy reaction:
divisive -but it's Von Trier, what do you expect?
108 min (Spanish)
starring
Alfred Molina, John Leguizamo & Damian Alcazar
synopsis
A crew of reporters (Leguizamo is the leader) are investigating child murders and questions of journalistic ethics arise.
misc info
a buzz title at this year's Sundance Festival
previous awards
Horizon award (San Sebastian)
academy reaction:
Positive but considered 'tough' and 'harsh' -which sometimes spell "snub" -think City of God's original Oscar fate.
starring
synopsis
a family comedy with a young boy and his worldview as the centerpiece (geez, how many foreign submissions star children this year? It's even worse than usual)
snubbed films
Two Cannes films: Door in the Sun an epic about the Palestinian people and Youssef Chahine's Alexandria...New York. Their submitted director last year (for Sleepless Nights) also had a new one called Girls Love.
academy reaction:
negative.
More Information:
Finland to Norway / Palestine to Venezuela /
US Box Office for Foreign / Tally of past Oscar successes
My thanks to readers who contributed information:
Aldo, Anthony, Ariel, Arkaan, Carlos, Carsten, Christian, Diego, Enrique, Felippe, Fernando, Geert, Irvin, Karol, Krister, Javi, Javier, Manolis, Marcelo, Marjobo, Michael, Mykkel, Patrick, Pepe, Ralph, Ryan, Sanan, Senad, Shay, Sina, Subhadeep, Tharadon, Thomas, Tony, Tuuli, Uri, and VitorHigh Profile films that were not submitted:
Bad Education (Spain) Maria Full of Grace (Colombia) The Motorcycle Diaries (Brazil/Chile/Argentina) A Very Long Engagement (France)
Countries that did not submit (and films they might have chosen):
Albania (Dear Enemy, The Moonless Night), Algeria (Bab el Web, Pere, Viva Algeria), Bangladesh (Lalon), Belarus (Mysterium Occupation), Bhutan, Bolivia (El Atraco), Chad, Georgia, Guatemala (What Sebastian Dreamt), Hong Kong (Running on Karma, One Nite in Mongkog, Infernal Affairs), Indonesia (Kejar Amerika, Arisan!), Kazakhstan (Fifty-Fifty, The Hunter), Kyrgyztan, Lebanon (In the Battlefields), Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco (In Casablanca, Angels Don't Fly, Fille de Prison, L'enfant Endormi), Nepal (Dui Kinara), Peru (Con Game, Dias de Santiago), Sri Lanka (Scent of a Lotus Pond), Tunisia, Turkey (Boats out of Watermelon Rinds, The Waiting Room), Ukraine (A Driver for Vera),United Kingdom, Vietnam
98 min (Estonian)
starring
Jass Seljamaa & Lilian Alto
synopsis
a youth rock and roll comedy -set in the 80s at a Communist youth camp.
misc info
Estonia submitting was something of a surprise. They didn't submit Names in Marble which was a giant hit there a couple of years ago
snubbed films
Somnabulance, a father/daughter WW II drama, and We Won't Sleep Tonight.
academy reaction:
mixed.
