tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post1568922034451576292..comments2024-03-10T15:03:19.710-04:00Comments on Foreign Films: Predictions for the 2014 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film- EASTERN EUROPE + THE MIDDLE EASTdzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-16440756834225485952013-08-14T14:05:11.549-04:002013-08-14T14:05:11.549-04:00Hello dzong. The nominations for the Ophir are her...Hello dzong. The nominations for the Ophir are here and A Place is Heaven was shut down of the BP category. In TFE they made a coverage:<br /><br />http://thefilmexperience.net/<br />http://www.midnighteast.com/mag/?p=27292ICLP88https://www.blogger.com/profile/00341149222248011242noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-75265802954996171722013-08-07T05:48:44.850-04:002013-08-07T05:48:44.850-04:00Hello from beautiful Albania! I'm here on holi...Hello from beautiful Albania! I'm here on holiday. <br /><br />Several sources reported "Bird's Food" as the Greek oscar pick when the film won best picture at the Hellenic film awards in the spring. Here's one source:<br />http://cineuropa.org/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=235559<br /><br /><br />Interestingly, Pakistan has confirmed they will re-enter the oscar race for the first time in 50 years, and Nepal also announced a shortcuts after roughly a seven-year absence. dzong2https://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-70790134430890956972013-08-05T14:51:01.214-04:002013-08-05T14:51:01.214-04:00Romania officialy chose "Child's Pose&quo...Romania officialy chose "Child's Pose"... <br />BTW,I'm asking again, are you sure about Greek submission? Becasue I'd find any information about it in the net except your blog and HitFix calls Romanian subsmission 1st submission of this year...Spartakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02440700196844950543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-63613840394394935992013-07-18T16:34:41.672-04:002013-07-18T16:34:41.672-04:00Spartak,
Thanks so much for the explanation on I...Spartak, <br /><br />Thanks so much for the explanation on Israel. Since it seems "Inheritance" is not eligible, I'll replace it in my Ophir predictions with "Zaytoun". But I'm feeling good about "A Place in Heaven" and I'm glad you are too! :)<br /><br />Release dates: I don't always trust IMDB....Cinemagia.ro says "Everybody in Our Family" was released in April 2012 (not eligible), and I found a lot of press releases announcing that "Zero" was released in Morocco in December 2012 (eligible). As for "The Last Step", it was screebed at Fajr in February, but it is true I have absolutely no idea when it premiered in Iranian cinemas. I don't know of any online source....<br /><br />I should publish the 26 countries of The Americas and Africa over the weekend. I have one more country left...dzong2https://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-14204796969628761982013-07-13T07:00:09.020-04:002013-07-13T07:00:09.020-04:00Israel - Probably, I understimated your ability to...Israel - Probably, I understimated your ability to guess my country's possible submission :), but... <br />The biggest problem of my country's academy is that its rules are outdated and haven't been really changed in 20+ years of its existence... Unlike all the "normal" countries, where the film has to be shown in cinemas in order to participate in local academy awards, in Israel the only thing the has to be done is paying a fee of something like 500$ (which is less than a half of Israeli Minimum Wage) and each of them gets 2 screenings in Tel-Aviv Cinemateque for Academy members... So this year, there're 27 films (the full list of them can be downloaded from here:<br />http://www.israelfilmacademy.co.il/_Uploads/dbsAttachedFiles/featureinfo.doc <br /><br />The whole information is in Hebrew, though it has English titles written near the Hebrew ones) 20 in regular route and 7 in indie route (1 of them automatically gets a nom for Best Film, so there're 6 noms for Best Film a not five, though it chances to take the award home is close to zero)... <br /><br />Now regarding this years submission:<br />“Big Bad Wolves” - I really liked their (there're 2 directors), their 1st film, Rabies, so I can't wait to see this one. But it really has to get out of its skin to get a nom from old dinosaurs from the academy. Though it can be the 5th film.<br />“Inheritance” - Not participating, probably, it's not Israeli enough anyway.<br />“Zaytoun”, " “Hunting Elephants” - Still haven't seeb neither of them, but reviews are not very friendly.<br />“Not in Tel Aviv” - Never mind that it's just a not so good, but its main producer Itai Tamir is boyotting the academy and his films are not submitted (for example last years JFF winner, Sharqiya).<br />"Mivtza Hamaniya" - It was submitted, firstly, but than the producers pulled it out (it happens every that 3-6 films are pulled out and moving to the next year).<br />“Out in the Dark” - Participated in last years competition and didn't get even a single nom (not sure if it really deserved it).<br />“Snails in the Rain” - The film is in Indie route, so it can get a nom, though I highly doubt, cause the reviews are not so good (I'd say that it's a bit underrated).<br />“Cupcakes" - One of my own favourites, though it's a bit silly and it's a comedy, so probably you're right and it won't get any of the main noms.<br />BTW, there're only 6 films at Jerusalem Film Fest...<br /><br /><br />Now lets get to films that can actually be sent... At this early period, there're 4 of them...<br />Evertyhing is based on some buzz and rumors that I'm getting from cinema blogs...<br />The only one that I have seen is "Youth", lets say that it's watched "in one breath"... 2 days ago it won the main award at JFF (also prizes for Best Actor and Editing)... Most of the reviews are positive.<br />"A Place in Heaven" are also is among the main contenders.<br />And now, another 2 films that have a big buzz around them: "Magic Men" an Israeli-Greek co-production and "Bethlehem" about a young man, whose brother is the comander of a terrorist group and recruited by Shin Bet. <br />Mostly, the academy tries to choose the film that was as much as acclaimed as possible, so if any of those 2 gets to the main line-up of Venice film festival (or at least Locarno), it turns to be the main contender for the prize...<br /><br />Morocco - Are you sure that "Zero" is elegiable, by IMBD its premiere was more than year ago.Spartakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02440700196844950543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-41902050775465343782013-07-13T06:59:45.101-04:002013-07-13T06:59:45.101-04:00Algeria - I didn't like "The Repentant&qu...Algeria - I didn't like "The Repentant", as you can guess I don't feel any empathy to jihadist, but Allouache fails to build something more than something based on his anger about them. The screenplay has too many holes and the ending is worse part of it.<br /><br />Azerbaijan - Money or not, but untill now all their submission were from terrible to extremly terrible, IMHO.<br /><br />Bosnia - "An Episode..." is a warm-hearted film, made in documentary manner (to make myself clear, I mean cinematography and acting and not "mocumentary interviews"), which Obama could easily use in his campaighn for health insurance.<br />BTW, it's "A Stranger" and not "The Stanger"...<br /><br />Georgia - "In Bloom", didn't like it, the girls are charming, but the film fails to rise, it's too long even for its 100 minutes, while the main event of the film happens only after a half of the film (maybe even more)... The Georgian public will feel much more for the film than the foreighenrs.<br /><br />Greece - Caught "Boy Eating the Bird's Food" during last years Haifa Film Festival, I bought the tickets in last moment and also had to catch a taxi to get in time for this film... After the screening I was totally regrating for going for this film... Never mind... It seems that Greeks try to make as much surrealistic films as possible hopping to repeat the succes of "Dogtooth"...<br /><br />Iran - On IMDB “The Last Step” has its premiere date on February 11th, 2012... Are you sure that it's eligieble?<br /><br /><br />Romania - Yeah, it seems to be lock, but what about " Everybody in Our Family" (it took all the main awards at local "Oscars")?<br /><br />Turkey - I hated "Beyond the Hill", a total boredom.Spartakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02440700196844950543noreply@blogger.com