tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11909502363630531642024-03-18T05:47:44.521-04:00Foreign Filmsdzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-91642106487780305302024-03-10T15:19:00.002-04:002024-03-10T15:19:24.455-04:00OSCAR NIGHT: Predicting a Spanish Surprise!<p> So, I got four out of five nominees, and I'm happy with that. I expected Documentary Feature favorite "20 Days in Mariupol" would manage to get an International Feature nominee....But the Academy went with Italy's grim human trafficking drama "Io Capitano" instead. I had Italy ranked 9th....but I wasn't surprised to see it make the list. </p><p>This year, every Oscar prognosticator is pointing out that "Zone of Interest" cannot possibly lose because it is also nominated in the Best Picture race. That makes sense, but I'm not convinced. </p><p>Last year's "All is Quiet on the Western Front" showed that Netflix is a powerful force in the category and that getting your movie seen is often just as important as good reviews. Survival drama "Society of the Snow" not only has Netflix behind it, but it's also arguably the better reviewed film, proved by higher ratings on IMDB and Letterboxd ("Zone of Interest" is ahead on Rotten Tomatoes). Ironically, "Perfect Days" ranks first on all three websites. </p><p>We've never had a Netflix film versus a Best Picture nominee before.....</p><p>I didn't personally like "Zone of Interest"....and that's probably why I'm predicitng a surprise win for Spain and the haunting (and Best Make-Up nominee) "The Society of the Snow". </p><p><b>FINAL PREDICTIONS:</b></p><p><b>1. SPAIN- "Society of the Snow" (50%)</b></p><p><b>2. UNITED KINGDOM- "Zone of Interest" (44%)</b></p><p><b>3. JAPAN- "Perfect Days" (5%)</b></p><p><b>4. GERMANY- "Teachers' Lounge" (1%)</b></p><p><b>5. ITALY- "Io Capitano" (0%....just happy to be nominated!)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-59724739008251010942024-01-22T22:43:00.003-05:002024-01-22T22:43:56.454-05:00FINAL PREDICTIONS<p>So, I got 12 out of 15.....That sounds like an amazing record....but it's not. Unfortunately, this category which used to full of surprises, now just picks the movies that the most people have seen. </p><p>The three I got wrong- "Blaga's Lessons" (Bulgaria), "In the Shadow of Beirut" (Ireland) and "Inshallah A Boy"- were wonderful films that I saw and loved and that deserved to make the shortlist. Unfortunately, this category no longer picks the best movies.....The three films that replaced them were Cannes documentaries "Four Daughters" and "Mother of All Lies" plus the dark horse from Armenia- "Amerikatsi" (which has an American director and got a lot of LA screenings plus an Amazon release). "Amerikatsi" is quite good and was a pleasant surprise. "Four Daughters" won Best Documentary at Cannes and was one of my alternates.....so not much of a surprise. Not sure how "Mother of All Lies" ended up on the list. </p><p>I've seen the five films streaming on Amazon (Armenia, Finland, Iceland, Tunisia and Ukraine) plus Mexico (available on Curzon Home Cinema) and Morocco.....I'll see "Society of the Snow" this week....Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the five films that I see in a virtual tie for 5th place, making it much harder to figure out which one will get the coveted nomination.</p><p>Here's how the precursors have shaped up so far:</p><p><b>Golden Globes: </b>Finland, Italy, Spain, UK + Anatomy of a Fall (Winner) & Past Lives</p><p><b>BAFTA: </b>Spain, Ukraine, UK + Anatomy of a Fall & Past Lives</p><p><b>Critics Choice: </b>France, Japan, Spain, UK + Anatomy of a Fall (Winner) & Godzilla Minus One</p><p><b>European Film Awards (Euro films only): </b>Finland, Italy, UK + Anatomy of a Fall (Winner) & Green Border</p><p><b>Satellite Awards: </b>Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK + Anatomy of a Fall</p><p><b>NBR: </b>Finland, Germany, Mexico, UK + Anatomy of a Fall (Winner) + La chimera</p><p>As we can see, the most popular film isn't eligible- "Anatomy of a Fall" scored four wins and is the frontrunner for the two that haven't happened yet...but France decided not to send it. "Zone of Interest" is in second place, scoring a nomination at all six. Finland and Spain also did very well....The shortlisted films from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico and Ukraine got at least one mention, while Tunisia got a number of Best Documentary nominations at these shows....Armenia, Bhutan, Denmark, Iceland and Morocco have largely been unrecognized. </p><p>And here are my predictions for the Oscar nominations that will be announced on Tuesday: </p><p><b><u>VIRTUAL LOCKS</u></b></p><p><b>1. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>UNITED KINGDOM- "The Zone of Interest"</b></p><p><b>2. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="750" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/23px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/35px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/45px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>SPAIN- "Society of the Snow" </b></p><p>These two films have been nominated for Best Foreign/International Film by almost every awards body, and they've both been mentioned in the Best Picture race....("Zone" as a frontrunner and "Snow" as an unlikely dark horse). They both have fantastic reviews, well-connected directors who have had their English-language films nominated for Oscars in the past, plus heavy and "important" subjects (WWII concentration camps and a fight-for-survival plane crash) and are certain to be nominated. <br /></p><p><b><u>VERY LIKELY</u></b></p><p><b>3. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>JAPAN- "Perfect Days"</b></p><p><b>4. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>UKRAINE- "20 Days in Mariupol"</b></p><p>These two seem to have what it takes. I originally predicted Ukraine would make the shortlist in Best International Feature, but only get nominated in Best Documentary Feature. I've changed my mind. While "20 Days in Mariupol" is not my choice for the Best International Documentary of the year (that would be Ireland's "In the Shadow of Beirut"), it's difficult to watch "Mariupol" and not deeply feel the enormous courage of the director, and the importance of his mission to highlight war crimes committed by Russian invading forces. On paper, Ukraine looks like it's in....It has the highest rating on Letterboxd (4.2), Rotten Tomatoes (100%) and IMDB (8.6!!!) of all 15 films. </p><p>Japan has selected a quiet and introspective film about the life of a Japanese janitor. While it may not sound exciting (and it probably isn't...I haven't seen it yet), the film has gotten great reviews, the Best Actor award at Cannes, and its themes of aging and life satisfaction are likely to resonate with the older voters who serve on this committee. A lot of people say it's vulnerable but I think the three-time Oscar-nominated Wim Wenders is safe. </p><p><b><u>BLOODBATH FOR 5th PLACE</u></b></p><p><b>5. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>GERMANY- "The Teachers' Lounge"</b></p><p><b>6. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>BHUTAN- "The Monk and the Gun"</b></p><p><b>7. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/23px-Flag_of_France.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/35px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/45px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>FRANCE- "The Taste of Things"</b></p><p><b>8. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="387" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/20px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/31px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/40px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="20" /></span> </span><b>DENMARK- "The Promised Land"</b></p><p><b>9. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1500" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/23px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/35px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/45px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>ITALY- "Io Capitano"</b></p><p>What a race! Four of these five countries are Oscar powerhouses that have racked up 5 (Denmark), 3 (Germany), and 2 (France and Italy) nominations in the past ten years. All of them (except France) have racked up a win too. <b>Three of the directors are previous Oscar nominees in this category. </b>So, these five are in a virtual tie for 5th place, and I keep changing my mind as to which one (or two, if one of the four frontrunners fails) will make it. For now, I'm going with <b>GERMANY...</b>but I'm not at all confident. Let's take a closer look:</p><p><b>BHUTAN- </b>Telling the comedic story of Bhutan's first democratic elections, this is said to be a genuine crowdpleaser. However, it is constantly being compared to "Lunana" (which put Bhutanese cinema on the map) and not everyone thinks "Monk" is as good. I also don't think it's been as widely seen as the four European films, which could make it less competitive.</p><p><b>DENMARK- </b>Oscar loves Denmark and they love Mads Mikkelsen. And "The Promised Land" got very strong reviews when it premiered in Venice, and a theatrical release in the U.S. So why is nobody talking about it? That's a bad sign but I do think period western "The Promised Land" will come a lot closer to a nomination that most people are expecting.....However, I do expect that it will miss. </p><p><b>FRANCE- </b>This is a confusing one. Most people I know say "Taste of Things" is well-made but terribly boring (it has an abysmal 28% on Rotten Tomatoes....but that sounds ridiculously low....is someone trying to sabotage their score?) . But critics' reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and I believe that American audiences (especially older ones) will like it better than French ones. So, I have it on the bubble. I don't expect it to be nominated but it's very, very possible. Of course, most everyone thinks "Anatomy of a Fall" should have represented France at the Oscars, where it would have had a strong chance of winning. I've heard that at least a few Oscar voters are "punishing" France by not voting for "Taste". </p><p><b>GERMANY- </b>A dedicated teacher investigates a student accused of stealing. While it doesn't sound exciting, this is supposed to be a superior "moral dilemma" drama akin to a thriller, in the mold of two-time Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi. It's certainly the film on the shortlist I'm most excited to see. While being a great movie often doesn't mean anything in this category, this is a great movie from perpetual Oscar nominee Germany....everyone seems to like it. The biggest negative? The film hasn't been released in the United States, which may give its French competitors an edge. </p><p><b>ITALY- </b>Oscar hasn't gone for Matteo Garrone before but "Gomorrah" was awful and "Dogman" good but forgettable. "Io Capitano" is a harrowing Wolof-language drama about human trafficking and is supposed to a work of brutal realism. While I am ranking Italy last among these five, it's certainly possible. </p><p><b><u>REAL DARK HORSES</u></b></p><p><b>10. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1100" data-file-width="1800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>FINLAND- "Fallen Leaves"</b></p><p><b>11. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="560" data-file-width="980" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>MEXICO- "Totem"</b></p><p><b>12. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>ARMENIA- "Amerikatsi" </b></p><p><b>13. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>TUNISIA- "Four Daughters"</b></p><p><b>FINLAND </b>has done very well in the precursors (see above) but the slight, 81-minutes comedy-drama "Fallen Leaves" seems highly unlikely to me, especially amidst much heavier fare. I'll see it tomorrow to judge for myself....I like Finnish cinema, but I'm not a Kaurismaki fan....so perhaps I'm prejudiced but I think the absence of "Fallen Leaves" will be one of the surprises on Oscar morning. </p><p>I'm so happy to see <b>ARMENIA </b>make the shortlist for the first time! "Amerikatsi" is a charming film, directed by Armenian-American actor Michael Goorjian, about an Armenian-American who moves to the Soviet Union to help rebuild the land of his ancestors after WWII....but who is promptly thrown into jail for wearing a tie. The film is an old-fashioned, funny film that wants to be "Life is Beautiful", finding humor and humanity in a brutal Soviet prison.....but although it's entertaining, it never felt to me like it was a potential Oscar nominee.</p><p>I loved Lila Aviles' feature debut "The Chambermaid" which <b>MEXICO </b>submitted four years ago (and which was the only Mexican film in the last six years that didn't make the Oscar shortlist). I most certainly did not love Aviles' second film "Totem", about a large Mexican family getting ready for a bittersweet birthday party for a cancer-stricken relative. I'm definitely in the minority; I know most people really like "Totem". But I can't believe that such a slow, dull film (that reminded me of "Summer 1993" and "It's Only the End of the World") will qualify from such a strong group. </p><p>Lastly we have Cannes Best Documentary winner "Four Daughters" from <b>TUNISIA</b>, an odd little documentary about a Tunisian single mother of four daughters, two of whom join ISIS. Director Kaouther Ben Hania (one of my favorite filmmakers and one who deserved an Oscar for "Beauty & the Dogs") hires actresses to play the two evil monster daughters alongside the rest of the real family. This was an interesting idea although I didn't feel it worked 100%. It's definitely a very educational film about how young people get radicalized in relatively liberal Tunisia, which supposedly has one of the highest terrorist recruitments rates in the world. However, the film is kind of divisive and I'm not certain Kaouther can get two surprise nominations in less than five years. </p><p><b><u>HAPPY TO BE ON THE SHORTLIST</u></b></p><p><b>14. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1250" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/21px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/32px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/42px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span> </span><b>ICELAND- "Godland"</b></p><p><b>15. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/23px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/35px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/45px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b>MOROCCO- "Mother of All Lies"</b></p><p>It's a pleasure to be nominated, but it's also a pleasure to be shortlisted in a tight race of 88 films from around the world! The films from Iceland and Morocco <b>do </b>have great reviews, and a lot of people in their concern. However, it's absolutely certain that they are the two weakest contenders among the fifteen films on the shortlist. "Godland" is a beautifully shot, painfully intellectual and somewhat overlong drama about a Danish priest assigned to Iceland circa the 1890s. I couldn't finish it in one sitting and I frankly didn't understand the motivations of the characters at the end. This requires a lot of patience....Cinematography is gorgeous though. </p><p>As for "Mother of All Lies", it's difficult to critique such a deeply personal story. Director Asmae El-Moudir interviews her family and neighbors about a deadly 1981 riot that was covered up by the government. It reminded me a lot of "The Missing Picture" (which was a surprise Oscar nominee) but less interesting. Worst of all, the film spends nearly half its running time meandering before it finally gets to its main subject. Some people genuinely like the film, but it has the lowest Letterboxd and IMDB scores of all 15 films and is the least likely film on the list, and (unlike Tunisia and Ukraine) failed to make the Documentary Feature shortlist.</p><p>A few brief statistics: </p><p><b>Number of Women: </b> <span> </span>3 <span> </span>Lila Avilés (Mexico), Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia) and Asmae El Moudir (Morocco)</p><p><b>How many have been nominated for Oscars? Wow....six out of 15.....</b>Nikolaj Arcel ("A Royal Affair"), Kaouther Ben Hania ("The Man Who Sold His Skin"), Pawo Choyning Dorji ("Lunana"), Tran Anh Hung ("The Scent of Green Papaya"), Aki Kaurismaki ("The Man Without A Past") plus Wim Wenders who was never nominated in this category (though Germany submitted his films three times) but has three Oscar nominations for Best Documentary Feature. None have won. </p><p>In addition to these six, four more - Lila Aviles ("The Chambermaid"), JA Bayona ("The Orphanage"), Matteo Garrone ("Gomorrah" and "Dogman") and Hlynur Pálmason ("A White, White Day")- made the shortlist for the first time after representing their country at least once before. </p><p><b>Most Likely To Be Nominated for the First Time: </b>Ukraine</p><p><b>Letterboxd Scores- Highest: 4.2 (Japan and Ukraine)....Lowest: 3.5 (Morocco)</b></p><p><b>IMDB Scores- Highest: 8.6 (Ukraine)....Lowest: 6.6 (Morocco)</b></p><p><b>Oldest and Youngest Directors: Wim Wenders, 78 </b>and <b>Asmae El Moudir, 33</b></p><p><b>Festival Premieres: </b></p><p><b>Cannes: 7 (Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Morocco, Tunisia, UK)</b></p><p><b>Venice: 3 (Denmark, Italy, Spain)</b></p><p><b>Berlin: 2 (Germany, Mexico)</b></p><p><b>Sundance: 1 (Ukraine)</b></p><p><b>Telluride: 1 (Bhutan)</b></p><p><b>None: 1 (Armenia)</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-58416583983592912402023-12-20T23:41:00.001-05:002023-12-20T23:41:59.170-05:00FINAL PREDICTIONS<p>And here are my final predictions:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">MY PREDICTED
SHORTLIST: (films I've seen <span style="color: red;">highlighted in red</span>)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">1. Spain- “Society of the Snow”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">2. United Kingdom- “The Zone of Interest”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">3. </span><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Ukraine- “20 Days in Mariupol”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">4. Germany- “The Teachers’ Lounge”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">5. Finland- “Fallen Leaves”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">6. France- “The Taste of Others”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">7. Denmark- “Promised Land”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">8. Japan- “Perfect Days”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">9. Mexico- “Totem”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">10. Iceland- “Godland”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">11. Bhutan- “The Monk & the Gun”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">12. Ireland- “In the Shadow of Beirut”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">13. Jordan- “Inshallah A Boy”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">14. Italy- “Io Capitano"</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">15. Bulgaria- “Blaga’s Lessons”</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">STRONG
ALTERNATES</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">16. Poland- “The Peasants”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">17. Australia- “Shayda”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: red;">18. Burkina Faso- “Sira”</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">19. Tunisia- “Four Daughters"</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">20. Macedonia- “Housekeeping for Beginners”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">21. Argentina- “The Delinquents”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">22. Sweden- “Opponent”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">23. Turkey- “About Dry Grasses”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">24. Czech Republic- “Brothers”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">DARK
HORSES:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">25. Chile- “The Settlers”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">26. Israel- “Seven Blessings”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">27. South Korea- “Concrete Utopia”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">28. Netherlands- “Sweet Dreams”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">29. Romania- “Do Not Expect Much from the End of the World"</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">30. Philippines- “The Missing”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">31. Lithuania- “Slow”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">32. Sudan- “Goodbye Julia”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">33. Brazil- “Pictures of Ghosts”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">34. Mongolia- “City of Wind”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">35. Venezuela- “Shadow of the Sun”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">36. Nigeria- “Mami Wata”</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">37. Morocco- "Mother of All Lies"</span></b></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-77959122712215561162023-12-20T15:05:00.003-05:002023-12-20T23:18:19.674-05:002023-2024 Submissions from Western Europe (18 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And with the list due to be released tomorrow, here is a
quick rundown of the films from Western Europe. These films will probably make
up a majority of the shortlist tomorrow (and many of them deserve it).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Unfortunately, due to travelling most of the month of
November, I haven’t gotten to two of my Western European screeners….I still
need to watch Iceland and Luxembourg before the end of the year…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I'll try to add commentary before the list comes out, but I won't change my rankings. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries Participating this year: 18</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries That Have Participated in the Past: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">20<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who’s Missing?: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Only </span>Greenland and Malta, which have tiny film industries,
did form selection committees this year…..but its possibly they simply had no
films that met all the requirements. Many of Malta’s small film output is in
English. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">VIRTUAL LOCKS:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT36N4Jsg-TgAOpjMjGUwlJc-SclQepbSiEyuaKXrj_gDqOtq7infnWUfQtoRnile9A8aZGD9gHm9RxJJSLYCbo45yDwizKC0SAMRA5LsaQEGXWG7IqZL5vWE2DVMZyoYM1-i_2M0Mplvt6YkuWA1ltW4hT4283UQnOPyHgjG9junxQ067mvou5KhO0mHY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT36N4Jsg-TgAOpjMjGUwlJc-SclQepbSiEyuaKXrj_gDqOtq7infnWUfQtoRnile9A8aZGD9gHm9RxJJSLYCbo45yDwizKC0SAMRA5LsaQEGXWG7IqZL5vWE2DVMZyoYM1-i_2M0Mplvt6YkuWA1ltW4hT4283UQnOPyHgjG9junxQ067mvou5KhO0mHY" width="168" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCF9Tpyv0rSDqhEUibfw9poSj6UwAUsp0EJPnjyRuC8y0LPk83qeRM-lFGTHUZVONvJ88ey-PE8kggGPF4a1YQLhO_v44ZStk3uL3I_WUkMGyhkrQNgEeZ3q8qdofYXGCynbP-AQUuabPpaBr7hkOrh6JTAQIutBrCv1xIM41Ttn-ywLoo0lLbZHA87BTp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="810" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgCF9Tpyv0rSDqhEUibfw9poSj6UwAUsp0EJPnjyRuC8y0LPk83qeRM-lFGTHUZVONvJ88ey-PE8kggGPF4a1YQLhO_v44ZStk3uL3I_WUkMGyhkrQNgEeZ3q8qdofYXGCynbP-AQUuabPpaBr7hkOrh6JTAQIutBrCv1xIM41Ttn-ywLoo0lLbZHA87BTp" width="162" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVkKi_YdpqxKEL0ZuhbrXou4H5dFLcjwndCSoX6dLPPQF0Lp5DBkcyGn0W0GE0PoR4IiuiAVDA5V0runS2ghsZa8pIh9-ICB0lL5vD83u6W2VcdSMHmRyLyqypsoVFFlVL2DVCYn_HynJhP3dNMVbWgle9Go4h6Q8SMwEWhY_lkre8scHiP6H71_6fJ-FL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVkKi_YdpqxKEL0ZuhbrXou4H5dFLcjwndCSoX6dLPPQF0Lp5DBkcyGn0W0GE0PoR4IiuiAVDA5V0runS2ghsZa8pIh9-ICB0lL5vD83u6W2VcdSMHmRyLyqypsoVFFlVL2DVCYn_HynJhP3dNMVbWgle9Go4h6Q8SMwEWhY_lkre8scHiP6H71_6fJ-FL" width="192" /></a><br /><b><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="750" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/23px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/35px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/45px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">SPAIN-
“Society of the Snow” (Letterboxd: 3.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">UNITED
KINGDOM- “The Zone of Interest” (4.1)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1100" data-file-width="1800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">FINLAND-
“Fallen Leaves” (3.8)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">According to most sources, Spain and the UK are the frontrunners to win the Oscar. Like many recent winners, they are also considered a threat for other categories, including Best Picture and Best Actress (UK), as well as Best Make-Up (Spain) and Best Score (both), which helps them to be seen. "The Zone of Interest", a German-language film by a British director, has been a favorite since it won the Grand Prix (2nd Place) in Cannes. It's about the family life of the commander of the Auschwitz concentration camp and has some of the best reviews of the 88 contenders. "Society of the Snow", beat a lot of internal competition to represent <b>SPAIN </b>and with its Netflix deal and familiar story, is my current prediction to win. It's about the 1972 plane crash in the Andes that many know from the Ethan Hawke film "Alive". Director JA Bayona is well-known in Hollywood. It's impossible for either film to fail to make the shortlist stage. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">In a strong third place is "Fallen Leaves" from <b>FINLAND. </b>While this light romantic comedy-drama is less certain, I think the fact that it netted both a Best Foreign Film and Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globes mean that it's a safe bet for the shortlist, though not for a nomination. Kaurismaki got Finland's only Oscar nomination twnety years ago, and "Fallen Leaves" is supposed to be a better film. <br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">EXPECTED TO BE ON THE SHORTLIST: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2y4s1iaIuPVFyuVO2Lz_dzDnh79POg135DvRlCimWPHw2EIMuXc3tzmzm-1h0ygEmjP4-OrySdnk8SF26q_4tAfKujQsvczEzc5AjOTm0EsuVd9WvNQrmB6F62c-MKxX0xdK-AnJGB6ao2yy8iaR13ml41d2KcnlbBGxeHOTe-e2AKcriqZGylVJe3d2r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi2y4s1iaIuPVFyuVO2Lz_dzDnh79POg135DvRlCimWPHw2EIMuXc3tzmzm-1h0ygEmjP4-OrySdnk8SF26q_4tAfKujQsvczEzc5AjOTm0EsuVd9WvNQrmB6F62c-MKxX0xdK-AnJGB6ao2yy8iaR13ml41d2KcnlbBGxeHOTe-e2AKcriqZGylVJe3d2r" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigyJXpPOIc2UVHnlhI8uxfnPE3XRBU8dwPlSP2JHrz3uCGRSlOKMvoa0OnuNDplQARvGaTbpsML46hohA88YUffcZn9xq0bwbnzxIZZCQXFEZRPVJinSjqlnmjSVgAhpLRttnDdZzDjot5CpPRPjzjrf6kQ4tuPi6l0WuwcaYxm4YSMweijh4VwPAi-oIE" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="367" data-original-width="269" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigyJXpPOIc2UVHnlhI8uxfnPE3XRBU8dwPlSP2JHrz3uCGRSlOKMvoa0OnuNDplQARvGaTbpsML46hohA88YUffcZn9xq0bwbnzxIZZCQXFEZRPVJinSjqlnmjSVgAhpLRttnDdZzDjot5CpPRPjzjrf6kQ4tuPi6l0WuwcaYxm4YSMweijh4VwPAi-oIE" width="176" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-bdLhDv-EmagvDe17LwKevEO2nW9x9nV2uSQgKAnlJClBif8HAwtA9PO8xCdT69JG-5OKc3E5VLHtFdP3zj3OU3NX4LxITSUBmBHbNQzeF-VRQXKJK6R1iLhkdh5-Q3QIjry9yjnZ--nutk6Hoet_TtS1vvNtuEisltcgr2Js4qz7RSekqHywp5XKI8zZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="136" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-bdLhDv-EmagvDe17LwKevEO2nW9x9nV2uSQgKAnlJClBif8HAwtA9PO8xCdT69JG-5OKc3E5VLHtFdP3zj3OU3NX4LxITSUBmBHbNQzeF-VRQXKJK6R1iLhkdh5-Q3QIjry9yjnZ--nutk6Hoet_TtS1vvNtuEisltcgr2Js4qz7RSekqHywp5XKI8zZ" width="168" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5XFvdy-Z-1TV3haDub82WjFr5nSv52tB67YCEpoqpyVNtSelMEHDoEvwjjQMR18fmZkx3gOOdfuEZ5GZOLeQv69LdTK91NHcF5u9hEVkvKy4_Px7SJ6MTJy6XyTFkQd1XpIvFbd-TRRoDJZ_WXTUFbiecbzPp4rbvmemzz-O8EsdkMYCs16mymIiK9Iy_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5XFvdy-Z-1TV3haDub82WjFr5nSv52tB67YCEpoqpyVNtSelMEHDoEvwjjQMR18fmZkx3gOOdfuEZ5GZOLeQv69LdTK91NHcF5u9hEVkvKy4_Px7SJ6MTJy6XyTFkQd1XpIvFbd-TRRoDJZ_WXTUFbiecbzPp4rbvmemzz-O8EsdkMYCs16mymIiK9Iy_" width="168" /></a></div><br /></b></div>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">GERMANY-
“The Teachers’ Lounge” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/23px-Flag_of_France.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/35px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/45px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">FRANCE-
“The Taste of Things” (3.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="387" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/20px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/31px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/40px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="20" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">DENMARK-
“Promised Land” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1500" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/23px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/35px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/45px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">ITALY-
“Io Capitano” (3.7)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">ON THE BUBBLE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqCHbt3QpDSKjl0T9UD-GOSH6UG3-a9_qbkIV4JZvyQSVNmybX5tJsbF-yCUyMbfFybohtgZ3sxkPovWG_XyV7dzDOCmapJl0RelVtH_cgIGEILiWIicqQHsjOM1qjwHZ-r2zIYKEMHdgCIpRtGmyvAABzvqz1Gg5Vlz8SduH70BPAYurXXIzhqPWZOAFu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqCHbt3QpDSKjl0T9UD-GOSH6UG3-a9_qbkIV4JZvyQSVNmybX5tJsbF-yCUyMbfFybohtgZ3sxkPovWG_XyV7dzDOCmapJl0RelVtH_cgIGEILiWIicqQHsjOM1qjwHZ-r2zIYKEMHdgCIpRtGmyvAABzvqz1Gg5Vlz8SduH70BPAYurXXIzhqPWZOAFu" width="162" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwJ2LXelE8xCDlAVqt7rIeSeCa8gQTH7v58el-00S2n7i5nkHZS-ZOoJ_NOHePY__a2Mbg11TZKE7IOJWrGyukSm6jOnhDLdx9WyOmbCcEEPEhCL-pYjgLGtwHgCvQzLnFgMD7QIjT9Lm98VZITpAcnlA0yt4azGwc8yWCCNnWQ5lAbOV4J3SB8mYOIAw" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="772" data-original-width="550" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwJ2LXelE8xCDlAVqt7rIeSeCa8gQTH7v58el-00S2n7i5nkHZS-ZOoJ_NOHePY__a2Mbg11TZKE7IOJWrGyukSm6jOnhDLdx9WyOmbCcEEPEhCL-pYjgLGtwHgCvQzLnFgMD7QIjT9Lm98VZITpAcnlA0yt4azGwc8yWCCNnWQ5lAbOV4J3SB8mYOIAw" width="171" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6gHh72q0ubZvWcDqtm9B07vLUI3P1euj83F6bRuRgM6d1iIk2Mf9QuHNwQIyUqlP88obEbU0o0doesTsGMwUcelNViWXRT8eaC_dFjFXaHh0SG_3jNbh0VnGr6ctR0Dv4kUSaL4Ze-o1f2YrnOvoi58YQ24nEk6_96NoPpq_wUDNslKNX_EQbfC3ggNRY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="819" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6gHh72q0ubZvWcDqtm9B07vLUI3P1euj83F6bRuRgM6d1iIk2Mf9QuHNwQIyUqlP88obEbU0o0doesTsGMwUcelNViWXRT8eaC_dFjFXaHh0SG_3jNbh0VnGr6ctR0Dv4kUSaL4Ze-o1f2YrnOvoi58YQ24nEk6_96NoPpq_wUDNslKNX_EQbfC3ggNRY" width="192" /></a><b><br /><br /></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwJ2LXelE8xCDlAVqt7rIeSeCa8gQTH7v58el-00S2n7i5nkHZS-ZOoJ_NOHePY__a2Mbg11TZKE7IOJWrGyukSm6jOnhDLdx9WyOmbCcEEPEhCL-pYjgLGtwHgCvQzLnFgMD7QIjT9Lm98VZITpAcnlA0yt4azGwc8yWCCNnWQ5lAbOV4J3SB8mYOIAw" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: inline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdwJ2LXelE8xCDlAVqt7rIeSeCa8gQTH7v58el-00S2n7i5nkHZS-ZOoJ_NOHePY__a2Mbg11TZKE7IOJWrGyukSm6jOnhDLdx9WyOmbCcEEPEhCL-pYjgLGtwHgCvQzLnFgMD7QIjT9Lm98VZITpAcnlA0yt4azGwc8yWCCNnWQ5lAbOV4J3SB8mYOIAw" style="font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyMuIpFjGiPUcKHq6qE8jVK8_1PBP_M7Ts09cufV98dXyoJkwT5B2Th9DDwuUzhUBWg29jBfQDZY9kkPYghhSnFJDkywWNaNQJdc7rvkllXAWub5xt8ur04Am_lYgPbAxo_TyfqvQW5pxr_r79n_w_FjZMitO2NvB-QlyPwZtz_Cqa-CQCktiOXtPcnPeM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhyMuIpFjGiPUcKHq6qE8jVK8_1PBP_M7Ts09cufV98dXyoJkwT5B2Th9DDwuUzhUBWg29jBfQDZY9kkPYghhSnFJDkywWNaNQJdc7rvkllXAWub5xt8ur04Am_lYgPbAxo_TyfqvQW5pxr_r79n_w_FjZMitO2NvB-QlyPwZtz_Cqa-CQCktiOXtPcnPeM=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><b><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1250" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/21px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/32px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/42px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">ICELAND-
“Godland” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1600" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">SWEDEN-
“Opponent” (3.4)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">IRELAND-
“In the Shadow of Beirut” (3.9)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">NETHERLANDS-
“Sweet Dreams” (3.5)</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I've </span><span style="font-size: 18px;">seen three of the four films in this group...and I loved all three. I really hope that at least one of these dark horses makes the shortlist. <b>SWEDEN </b>has selected an intriguing drama set in a detention center for asylum seekers. The less you know about the plot the better, but it's awesome seeing what Iranian actor Payman Maadi expand his acting range in a country with far less censorship. I really loved this film twisty film that seems predictable but isn't....and it beat out some fierce competition in Sweden...though critics seem to love it a lot less than I do. Go watch it!</span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>IRELAND </b>has sent in the best documentary of the year- "In the Shadow of Beirut"- featuring four families living in a poor slum of Beirut. <b>Yes, </b>while I acknowledge the historical and political importance of "20 Days in Mariupol" and the quality of the Ukrainian film, this is <b>definitely </b>the best documentary on the list. "Beirut" skillfully tells multiple stories of fascinating people with difficult lives, while at the same time making you think about poverty, politics and the importance of enjoying and appreciating the little things in life. It will be in my Top 5....and if Oscar voters watch it (and they probably won't), it will definitely be on the shortlist tomorrow. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>THE NETHERLANDS </b>used to be a superpower in this category but they haven't been nominated in twenty years. "Sweet Dreams" is a fascinating historical drama about a family and their servants in Dutch colonial Indonesia. 80s star Renee Soutendijk gives a great comeback performance and the film tells a bitter, humorous and ultimately tragic soap opera about what happens when a wealthy plantation owner leaves everything to the illegitimate son he fathered with the housemaid. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">As for <b>ICELAND, </b>"Godland" was one of the best-reviewed foreign films of the year....but that year was 2022. It wasn't released in Iceland until 2023 so it's competing in this category this year. This film about a Danish priest virtually driven mad when he is assigned to a small community in 19th century Iceland is on the bubble for a spot on the shortlist. I wonder if it would have done better last year when it had buzz on the film festival circuit. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">MIDDLE OF THE RANKINGS <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZm0pmAMcX4IJLYx04gOHCCAwMUJVGbINPeh_9UZUDEreSjnU4VdqPvNswS1H2_HxeG5w6SFAe7L9Ow-1FbbPe_U3K1tVdzFq8_BA_4F71vRBAZkA-3ElTt6roe3pF_uGj9ty6gzqhowdrQOc1Cb5SWpB_RH0nqit5gPjepoqmG9FU4P1rbLFpP6hUWIA-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="196" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhZm0pmAMcX4IJLYx04gOHCCAwMUJVGbINPeh_9UZUDEreSjnU4VdqPvNswS1H2_HxeG5w6SFAe7L9Ow-1FbbPe_U3K1tVdzFq8_BA_4F71vRBAZkA-3ElTt6roe3pF_uGj9ty6gzqhowdrQOc1Cb5SWpB_RH0nqit5gPjepoqmG9FU4P1rbLFpP6hUWIA-" width="180" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieiq8sDxBpYwFZ6uaFtRvQRjJQg_jLc32lmXjnBJo2aatdLXfol8yD3GlIFdQ8t5kMjILD996zA26OfdKr1fX3V_jpy_1X5jkS3-D3ZvjM1cGycvI3D96uB7mr2K8-_SVqYRipSatsSxacHxNKUCqevlRnNR2zkPC9VQ1SenYo3wx3SrKu0mFD3UU1eQ6l" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieiq8sDxBpYwFZ6uaFtRvQRjJQg_jLc32lmXjnBJo2aatdLXfol8yD3GlIFdQ8t5kMjILD996zA26OfdKr1fX3V_jpy_1X5jkS3-D3ZvjM1cGycvI3D96uB7mr2K8-_SVqYRipSatsSxacHxNKUCqevlRnNR2zkPC9VQ1SenYo3wx3SrKu0mFD3UU1eQ6l" width="168" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj39UMeikX1shskNBQWmoMEClStDurGPnPMBVPxgqdMnVo6o9_FTc2sHXXxBr4NwN0U6w3zF8SoJ44EhfGzTL6lL2il30YXhVjrIVE1F9ka8WIj9YyD5RKFBiVuOiiF6L8isDM33YIzDlTeIWkZaM6UhVjoWM3eHZW9fDmwtki7WdkBWAcuQtSKtpfI0rYm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="379" data-original-width="263" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj39UMeikX1shskNBQWmoMEClStDurGPnPMBVPxgqdMnVo6o9_FTc2sHXXxBr4NwN0U6w3zF8SoJ44EhfGzTL6lL2il30YXhVjrIVE1F9ka8WIj9YyD5RKFBiVuOiiF6L8isDM33YIzDlTeIWkZaM6UhVjoWM3eHZW9fDmwtki7WdkBWAcuQtSKtpfI0rYm" width="167" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6sSI7sqbR-8cCVnJgaI-e0cpRITsIWssaTtf_4znTFxBaGN8a7tZ0Gj3lAAPLazPQLyHT8P-xh5tJZqD1jQ6S-cSzC4e6Yr5jZCXVucDz56OADb3XbIjZsA_PwO8ViKb51HTXFW_cWEpF_RA6aqKqUTrULzNAWlfDlR2Px1HHItIWm-s5pEq02w8DHE7q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6sSI7sqbR-8cCVnJgaI-e0cpRITsIWssaTtf_4znTFxBaGN8a7tZ0Gj3lAAPLazPQLyHT8P-xh5tJZqD1jQ6S-cSzC4e6Yr5jZCXVucDz56OADb3XbIjZsA_PwO8ViKb51HTXFW_cWEpF_RA6aqKqUTrULzNAWlfDlR2Px1HHItIWm-s5pEq02w8DHE7q" width="168" /></a></div><br /><br /><b><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/45px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">BELGIUM-
“Omen” (3.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="512" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="16" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg/16px-Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg/24px-Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/08/Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg/32px-Flag_of_Switzerland_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="16" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">SWITZERLAND-
“Thunder” (3.4)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">PORTUGAL-
“Bad Living” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="307" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/23px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/35px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/46px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png 2x" style="background-color: white; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">LUXEMBOURG-
“The Last Ashes” (3.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZBapm_RqK3WufgKgC2DD82QSHsK8RwHcKbO-vo2znF2oYv_L7fM_ThUswgLdJsOOWDuYkj3JqljMOTUr3rqAc-kpPt4F2h-Uj8lQ6OWw4uVluNIGGzlkxQ9e9ihC-P8JbRSvCR8NfeAlx0ZHE6jjQE_fIRnrGF1RwMFs8XlJJXPXE7-NWJ0Nx2yqrY0y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="228" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVZBapm_RqK3WufgKgC2DD82QSHsK8RwHcKbO-vo2znF2oYv_L7fM_ThUswgLdJsOOWDuYkj3JqljMOTUr3rqAc-kpPt4F2h-Uj8lQ6OWw4uVluNIGGzlkxQ9e9ihC-P8JbRSvCR8NfeAlx0ZHE6jjQE_fIRnrGF1RwMFs8XlJJXPXE7-NWJ0Nx2yqrY0y" width="170" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoqp2dByT-NUJZAKCkqv7U1qTKmQUswqQYZxFlE4d6FAHQvzoYlOmEPWebvV_4fmUTuGdq4RmOYUCSlc0qDCmLDBl3BLj5-bi02f2PGxB8J9gWEuzcygzxsldtdKk7hDekaJdXgt9AoM5ickoBBB36eFLDVTDqdbTVuMcgNfuWL4Nwtslis4gEgPufrGRN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoqp2dByT-NUJZAKCkqv7U1qTKmQUswqQYZxFlE4d6FAHQvzoYlOmEPWebvV_4fmUTuGdq4RmOYUCSlc0qDCmLDBl3BLj5-bi02f2PGxB8J9gWEuzcygzxsldtdKk7hDekaJdXgt9AoM5ickoBBB36eFLDVTDqdbTVuMcgNfuWL4Nwtslis4gEgPufrGRN" width="168" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlKkTHeTFOQ5W9EiTjl4bQ4yXwxRgb_397betLTA2Ezr91X2N_-huNTHDT3oLqptCh-hp-uOd3MltXhciK7j7ZjAvBxKWP9TcYILr5vUHRl_7x5DSBDgFSl3sT6Wi1pjo6tW9qwjB4RaR463Sh9TSGYBr18wceJCSil16--bt2QoshSydweqD4ko4wd5yX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="259" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlKkTHeTFOQ5W9EiTjl4bQ4yXwxRgb_397betLTA2Ezr91X2N_-huNTHDT3oLqptCh-hp-uOd3MltXhciK7j7ZjAvBxKWP9TcYILr5vUHRl_7x5DSBDgFSl3sT6Wi1pjo6tW9qwjB4RaR463Sh9TSGYBr18wceJCSil16--bt2QoshSydweqD4ko4wd5yX" width="161" /></a><b><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">16.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/23px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/35px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/45px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">GREECE- “Behind the Haystacks” (3.4)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">17.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/45px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">AUSTRIA- “Vera” (3.4)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="372" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/21px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/32px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/41px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">NORWAY-
“Songs of Earth” (3.5)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; background: white; font-size: 13.5pt;">All three of these films have good reviews but don't have any chance at making the finals. "Songs of Earth" is probably a good nature documentary but selecting it for the International Feature category was a big mistake by <b>NORWAY</b>. "Vera", a peculiar docu-drama representing <b>AUSTRIA, </b>is about an Italian socialite who gets into a car accident is also too unconventional to get votes. From <b>GREECE, </b>we have a drama about a poor family (father, mother and adult daughter) living on the Greece-Macedonia border in a transit area for migrants from Africa and the Middle East. Telling the same story from all three perspectives, this is an interesting little film that gets better as it goes along but isn't strong enough to contend for the next round. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Genres: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have two
documentaries (Ireland and Norway) plus the odd docu-reality-drama from Austria
(I still don’t quite understand what this movie is), and one sort-of comedy from
Finland. The rest are dramas. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’ve Already Seen: 5- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Underdogs <b>Greece,
Ireland, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. </b>The middle three are fantastic films, and
I hope that at least one can make it to the next round. I will see Iceland, Luxembourg and Spain by the first week of January. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Film I’m Most Excited To See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Germany’s
“Teachers’ Lounge” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number I Predicted Correctly</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: 8/18….Denmark,
Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Portugal, Spain and the UK. A lot of
countries had really competitive races. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Big Four Festivals: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Germany, Portugal (Silver Bear, Jury Prize), Sweden<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cannes-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Belgium (UCR, New Voice Prize), Finland (Jury Prize), France (Best Director),
Iceland, UK (Grand Prix)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sundance-
None</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Venice-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Austria (Best Director and Actress, Venice Horizons 2022), Denmark, Italy (Silver Lion),
Spain (Closing Film)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Women
Directors- Only 5 films had female directors or co-directors: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tizza
Covi (Austria), Carmen Jaquier (Switzerland), Margreth Olin (Norway) Asimina
Proedrou (Greece) and Ena Sendijarević (Netherlands). Austria has had films
directed or co-directed by women seven of the past nine years, which has to be
some kind of record!</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oldest
and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Aki Kaurismäki (Finland) and
João Canijo<b> </b>(Portugal) are both 66.<b> </b>Bosnian-Dutch director Ena
Sendijarević is the youngest at 36. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There are <b>14 </b>dominant
languages- Arabic (Ireland), Danish (Denmark and Iceland), Dutch, Finnish,
French (Belgium, France and Switzerland), German (Germany and the UK), Greek, Italian
(Austria), Luxembourgish, Norwegian, Persian (Sweden), Portuguese, Spanish, and
Wolof (Italy). There are also healthy doses of Icelandic, Indonesian
(Netherlands), Lingala (Belgium) and Swedish in their respective films. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most of
them….I’d say 11 or 12. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Likely to Get Nominated for the First Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All of
these countries have been nominated except Luxembourg and Portugal….and I don’t
see that changing this year. The UK is the most likely to win for the first
time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“Zone of Interest” by auteurs….”Society
of Snow” thanks to Netflix….and “The Taste of Things” because of the divisive
critical reaction. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Letterboxd Ratings (as of December 20, 2023): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">UK (4.1)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Worst: </b>Luxembourg (3.2)<b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Dumbest Decision: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Well, most people say it’s
<b>FRANCE </b>for selecting “The Taste of Things” over Palme d’Or winner, Golden
Globe nominee and Best Actress contender “Anatomy of a Fall”…..But France had a
difficult decision. <b>NORWAY </b>made a big mistake in my opinion when
deciding to pick a nature documentary…. But I’m giving this award to <b>AUSTRIA
</b>for choosing a reality-show docu-drama over a film (“The Fox”) that could
have legitimately contended for an Oscar nomination. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Controversies and Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Other
than the failure to submit “Anatomy of a Fall”, there were no major
controversies from the region, although Austria almost failed to submit a film
when their new internal rules disqualified most of their own selection
committee. (I think it said that all members must have two film credits in the
past five years…which some distinguished filmmakers like Michael Haneke couldn’t
meet). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I expected a controversy from Finland where temperamental
Aki Kaurismaki usually doesn’t allow his films to be submitted….but he allowed “Fallen
Leaves” to be sent without incident. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oscar History: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> In
total, a whopping ten of these 18 countries have previously submitted
directors. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have three Oscar nominees in the race: Nikolaj Arcel
(Denmark) got an Oscar nomination for “A Royal Affair” in 2013, Aki Kaurismaki
(Finland) got one for “The Man Without A Past” in 2003 and Trần Anh Hùng
(France) got one for “The Scent of Green Papaya” (representing his native
Vietnam) in 1994. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I admit that I thought JA Bayona was an Oscar nominee for “The
Impossible”….but he wasn’t. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Matteo Garrone has represented Italy twice before, with “Gomorrah”
in 2008 and “Dogman” in 2018. Joao Canijo has represented Portugal twice
before, with “Noite Escura” in 2005 and “Blood of My Blood” in 2012. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tran also represented Vietnam for “Vertical Ray of the Sun”
while Kaurismaki was selected to represent Finland three times before, although
he threw a temper tantrum and demanded that two of them (“Drifting Clouds” and “Lights
in the Dusk”) be withdrawn before the viewing stage. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Here for the second time: Austria’s Tizza Covi and Rainer
Frimmel (“La Pivellina”, 2010), Iceland’s Hlynur Palmason (“A White, White Day”,
2019), Ireland’s Garry Keane (“Gaza”, 2019), Spain’s JA Bayona (“The Orphanage”,
2007) and Norway’s Margreth Olin (“Angel”, 2010). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Of the 18 Western European countries, <b>9 </b>have won the
Oscar multiple times (Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain,
Sweden and Switzerland), <b>4 </b>have been nominated multiple times (Belgium, Greece,
Norway, UK) and <b>3 </b>have been nominated just once (Finland, Iceland,
Ireland). Just <b>two- </b>Luxembourg and Portugal- are waiting for their first
shortlist spot. Portugal holds the world record for most submissions (39) without
ever advancing to the second round. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Notable Omissions: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Wow…This year, there were <b>a
lot </b>of front-runners who failed to make the Oscar shortlist. Interestingly,
ten of these countries now announce a list of the finalists that they consider (Austria
and Belgium are the only major countries that don’t) so we have a good idea of
exactly who came close. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI9aDh3zPWbVLTVMM21tOHTx6AtP9rMgQUtBQwAJAvnQOCs2aHXAEyHQbzryCG2dsy_3X8ktMgP6EAa9SLc0I8t9C9UcxsSLKtE4RsYcOtgJXkt5OoY5B5ecgxVv7cOsCglRt2Xg2Gt0qoaSX-z6J_rNQmefGqn9EvpITR9WPSaIqOKF6psNUtAyZ4aDJz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2384" data-original-width="1684" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI9aDh3zPWbVLTVMM21tOHTx6AtP9rMgQUtBQwAJAvnQOCs2aHXAEyHQbzryCG2dsy_3X8ktMgP6EAa9SLc0I8t9C9UcxsSLKtE4RsYcOtgJXkt5OoY5B5ecgxVv7cOsCglRt2Xg2Gt0qoaSX-z6J_rNQmefGqn9EvpITR9WPSaIqOKF6psNUtAyZ4aDJz" width="170" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI9aDh3zPWbVLTVMM21tOHTx6AtP9rMgQUtBQwAJAvnQOCs2aHXAEyHQbzryCG2dsy_3X8ktMgP6EAa9SLc0I8t9C9UcxsSLKtE4RsYcOtgJXkt5OoY5B5ecgxVv7cOsCglRt2Xg2Gt0qoaSX-z6J_rNQmefGqn9EvpITR9WPSaIqOKF6psNUtAyZ4aDJz" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj04HsCfYhD5vmVIxj-NW6WwtueiGtm-FHClEdFIj6WcimFKm_p8UaodaSgMbJqdCbkcrlkKsQObrwXOlHiFVmGOE5kyMPyt74sevN9NmSahV2yIyWpXpMc3A_7zWgYUZAknWgNdFKZWsL3GVgoXqw4-OMgXm_QGhanW-0Y409oVv1TPpc5OcV7Pj2ZGw1r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj04HsCfYhD5vmVIxj-NW6WwtueiGtm-FHClEdFIj6WcimFKm_p8UaodaSgMbJqdCbkcrlkKsQObrwXOlHiFVmGOE5kyMPyt74sevN9NmSahV2yIyWpXpMc3A_7zWgYUZAknWgNdFKZWsL3GVgoXqw4-OMgXm_QGhanW-0Y409oVv1TPpc5OcV7Pj2ZGw1r" width="163" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Of course, Palme d’Or winner and Oscar frontrunner “Anatomy
of a Fall” was the most notable omission…but France has so much to choose from
and the “one country, one film” will always affect them the most. The other high-profile
omissions were Alice Rohrwacher’s “La Chimera” (Italy), “Close Your Eyes” (Spain)
and “The Fox” (Austria). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Also out: “Eismayer” (Austria), “When It Melts” (Belgium), “Before
It Ends” (Denmark, by Oscar -winning Short Film director Anders Walter), “Afire”
(Germany), “Black Stone” (Greece), “Driving Mum” (Iceland), “There’s Still
Tomorrow” and “Kidnapped” (Italy), “When We Lost to the Germans” (Netherlands),
“Narvik: Hitler’s First Defeat” (Norway, although it didn’t even make the
national shortlist), “20,000 Species of Bees” (Spain), and “Paradise is Burning”
(Sweden). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most
Famous Face: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Of course it’s a tie between Oscar winner Juliette Binoche (France)
and international film star Mads Mikkelsen (Denmark). But I’d like to offer a
bronze medal to Iranian actor Payman Maadi (“A Separation”) who stars in “Opponent”
(Sweden). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last Year’s Race:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I saw 17 of the 19 films
from this region last year. Although they dominated the Oscar shortlist, I
mostly wasn’t impressed. The best were the Oscar-nominated “Close” and the
surprisingly good “Nostalgia” from Italy (I almost didn’t watch it as I thought
it looked terrible). The rest (in order):<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Sweden and Iceland (A-), Portugal, France, Finland, Germany
(B+) Denmark, Ireland, Austria, Malta, Luxembourg (B) UK, Netherlands (B-), Spain
(C) and Greece (D). I didn’t see the films from Norway (which was only released
as a Netflix TV miniseries in the USA) and Switzerland (though I have the DVD
sitting unwatched in my living room). <o:p></o:p></span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-11451015941082128292023-12-19T17:33:00.000-05:002023-12-19T17:33:00.523-05:002023-2024 Submissions from Africa and the Middle East (19 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here are the 19 films from Africa and the Middle East. The
eleven films from Africa ties the record number of submissions from the
continent set in 2020, when screening requirements were eased during the pandemic….
If Algeria hadn’t unexpectedly been absent we’d have a new record.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries Participating this year: 19</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries That Have Participated in the Past: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Well, technically
35….but many of them only submitted once or twice. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Debuts: 1, NAMIBIA. <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who’s Missing?: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two most notable absences are regional powerhouses
<b>ALGERIA </b>and <b>LEBANON</b>. Having submitted every year for a decade and
amassing two Oscar nominations, Lebanon was the most surprising absence
worldwide. At least one journalist contacted Lebanon’s Ministry of Culture to
remind them of the deadline but he received no response and it’s unclear why
Lebanon failed to send a film. They will be missed. Algeria usually sends a
film and I read somewhere that 89-year old Palme d’Or winner Mohammad
Lakhdar-Hamina headed a selection committee this year…It’s possible there were
no submissions? Their leading candidate- costume drama “The Last Queen”- was
submitted last year even though it didn’t premiere until 2023. Maybe they
declined to consider it a second time? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ETHIOPIA </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">submitted on a somewhat regular
basis from 2010-2019 but they seem to have given up, and they didn’t have a
good contender this year. They’ll have to submit a film next year or else they’ll
be relegated to getting their committee re-approved again. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The other missing countries have only ever submitted once (Congo-Kinshasa,
Ghana, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Somalia, Syria, Uganda), twice (Kuwait,
Malawi, Tanzania) or three times (Chad, Cote d’Ivoire). From this group, I only
expected to see <b>UGANDA, </b>which debuted last year, submit a film this year.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">FRONTRUNNERS:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5ErvsMzNqcHDD9luoQkxsjZRok4LpyKInB-21gt4MMD1Xj681F8kwpGa6Vdwybps5vE4QDojP3MPOVCTG_2odNV1AwzLoyZFk6EJlUY0MYr--dU1fWxFOX21EXVsuJwk7Zy2Vw_eRVSHlqyEciqWCzOF6KnmVQISVmS9_goZBdi4nKs-gIQO2VxJSN7_G" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5ErvsMzNqcHDD9luoQkxsjZRok4LpyKInB-21gt4MMD1Xj681F8kwpGa6Vdwybps5vE4QDojP3MPOVCTG_2odNV1AwzLoyZFk6EJlUY0MYr--dU1fWxFOX21EXVsuJwk7Zy2Vw_eRVSHlqyEciqWCzOF6KnmVQISVmS9_goZBdi4nKs-gIQO2VxJSN7_G" width="192" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSv-OUSxxE5W1owUZ0_OS6FVyQIvH0E3YTqD0FDuqaQ3ai5WX4IfGhy48OgLBheWT_Axa2htSUtqipY5jtfzi79KsNGW6iWQVo1ZyUBOD_AXcmz-T-PeOZL3SVuuDBHq2yoX1ATTl2koFx9mdt3mHzP_dWp_DLvUq2RRzpELj8LW5HaDImvDhVuppTdd_x" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="700" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSv-OUSxxE5W1owUZ0_OS6FVyQIvH0E3YTqD0FDuqaQ3ai5WX4IfGhy48OgLBheWT_Axa2htSUtqipY5jtfzi79KsNGW6iWQVo1ZyUBOD_AXcmz-T-PeOZL3SVuuDBHq2yoX1ATTl2koFx9mdt3mHzP_dWp_DLvUq2RRzpELj8LW5HaDImvDhVuppTdd_x" width="168" /></a></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">TUNISIA</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">- <b>“Four Daughters” (Letterboxd: 3.9)</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><span class="flagicon" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">JORDAN</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">- <b>“Inshallah A Boy” (3.6)</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Docudrama "Four Daughters" has been a critical darling since it premiered in Cannes 2022, winning several small awards. Director Kaouther Ben-Hania ("The Man Who Sold His Skin") has made an unusual documentary about a woman with four daughters who wakes up one day to find that the two eldest (and clearly evil) have run away to join ISIS. Ben-Hania uses actresses to replace the two terrorist girls in what most critics say is a very effective piece (I haven't seen it yet). Although there are a lot of documentaries in the mix this year, only two (Ukraine and Tunisia) are considered favorites. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I am probably ranking <b>JORDAN's </b>beautiful character study of a Muslim widow in crisis- "Inshallah A Boy"- too high. Every year, I forget that simply because a film is excellent doesn't mean it will make the shortlist (see "Aurora's Sunrise", "Circus of Life", "Eva Nova", "Tu Me Manques") because AMPAS doesn't always treat little films with the care they deserve. However, in additional to being on the strongest films, it’s also been mentioned as a dark horse contender on several websites and I’m hoping this will be one of the surprises. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">DARK HORSES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTFE-P4utWd8D19HvsVgjNBfopqM3EKuCABaPkh2z0bhSuUmyqt6W_i1iKUwaDcmiIK9XyC5jpEQmekhAAgtubRVe1JbpnNLbYQPqjGAzsRwoyDZtXq1z14I9V9dv8JRYaK-IzAJEF_KDyfJ_YbkqW-Jn0HZVs10Qq2h8RERuaLfeBN1MuGqMcyRZdQjuE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="193" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTFE-P4utWd8D19HvsVgjNBfopqM3EKuCABaPkh2z0bhSuUmyqt6W_i1iKUwaDcmiIK9XyC5jpEQmekhAAgtubRVe1JbpnNLbYQPqjGAzsRwoyDZtXq1z14I9V9dv8JRYaK-IzAJEF_KDyfJ_YbkqW-Jn0HZVs10Qq2h8RERuaLfeBN1MuGqMcyRZdQjuE" width="177" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3rZLgihNswLTG7H8gG1yP92s1lXNDUm8SOwLds3gMItFErYkw89k5_dxGUwXWe_0LmBDNQUqoZ-P4-Xeuh2yXMC23GVioB2oDH7VD9X7HVdDvwLMRWZL-sljQo1uSVEWwb4KiU_fk8pkv-MkbH3HNvzKmDmcrW59s4Ub01NfdGw10YoyRarOzYemE98iB" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3rZLgihNswLTG7H8gG1yP92s1lXNDUm8SOwLds3gMItFErYkw89k5_dxGUwXWe_0LmBDNQUqoZ-P4-Xeuh2yXMC23GVioB2oDH7VD9X7HVdDvwLMRWZL-sljQo1uSVEWwb4KiU_fk8pkv-MkbH3HNvzKmDmcrW59s4Ub01NfdGw10YoyRarOzYemE98iB" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggbZu23Sx3Ww7rGwtMoMsd4Jtqgeko8O6FvhghhyP_TXRdkdm4e9yg5abGZB-mHZ5MsqDVl-3sMo3BICMU40CVXx5dUvNiPVDQulWKI9XE35Ry1AK_XsiIP-G4WD1TW7fwFf-u-E_0mj5B69L99yaiLcHnLl69B1xldgvLCA3-_nM6lJJ-YXGblTv-iIL8" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="267" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggbZu23Sx3Ww7rGwtMoMsd4Jtqgeko8O6FvhghhyP_TXRdkdm4e9yg5abGZB-mHZ5MsqDVl-3sMo3BICMU40CVXx5dUvNiPVDQulWKI9XE35Ry1AK_XsiIP-G4WD1TW7fwFf-u-E_0mj5B69L99yaiLcHnLl69B1xldgvLCA3-_nM6lJJ-YXGblTv-iIL8" width="167" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Flag_of_Turkey.svg/23px-Flag_of_Turkey.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Flag_of_Turkey.svg/35px-Flag_of_Turkey.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Flag_of_Turkey.svg/45px-Flag_of_Turkey.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">TURKEY- “About Dry Grasses” (3.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1100" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/21px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/32px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/41px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">ISRAEL - “Seven Blessings” (3.6)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="341" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/35px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/45px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">BURKINA
FASO- “Sira” (3.3)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">NIGERIA- “Mami Wata” (3.5)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>ISRAEL </b>has sent a raucous family dramedy about a week-long series of family dinners, uniting a large extended Moroccan Jewish family for the wedding of an estranged daughter. With so many characters, the film starts off incredibly confusing but the director manages to fix that within 20 minutes. The film, about a woman with two mothers who are also sisters (long, long story) is the sort of film that I think Oscar would have loved 10-15 years ago....It's a great pick, but I'm not certain it can make the Top 15. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Unfortunately, <b>TURKEY (Turkiye?) </b>has a better chance than Israel. I don't like Nuri Bilge Ceylan's overlong, virtually silent films and "About Dry Grasses" is his longest yet (3 hours and 18 minutes)....but this story of a village teacher does have some fans. I'm unlikely to see it. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">The leading candidates from sub-Saharan Africa are the buzzy candidates from Burkina Faso (back after a 33-year absence) and Nigeria (here for the first time since 2020). People don’t seem to love </span><b style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">BURKINA FASO's </b><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Sira”, a story of survival about a young bride who is kidnapped, raped and left for dead in the desert after surviving an attack on her wedding caravan. The level of filmmaking here is incredible given the difficult environment in rural Burkina Faso, which is suffering from an Islamic insurgency in real life. I admit some of the acting is shaky at times but overall the non-professional actors do a good job. This is a brave film that is exciting, topical and ultimately uplifting. It’s one of my favorites of the 40 I’ve seen. “Mami Wata”, from </span><b style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;">NIGERIA,</b><span style="font-size: large; text-indent: -0.25in;"> got an Independent Spirit nomination for Best international Film, which is an important precursor. This B&W fantasy film steeped in West African mythology focused on a village seeking the help of a mermaid goddess to combat a local plague killing local children. Most of the film’s notices are for its gorgeous cinematography so I think it will miss the shortlist stage. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtM2IXFlNA00SV2nvl3qhm4qXn9npf15t44exv3FeP2SCYQH-3TKa_gOe1fhUc4OnHxdK69meVcAAVbxLOBYZw8Ha5mV6xiqd68YHW26KqEksn07zYxI4qB9urKu4NOEmG5ph5Op858U83S0w5Mfk2VUBGA9YI2wFhlhZhxrJrvMSipJAWuWqkBJxnmFvy" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtM2IXFlNA00SV2nvl3qhm4qXn9npf15t44exv3FeP2SCYQH-3TKa_gOe1fhUc4OnHxdK69meVcAAVbxLOBYZw8Ha5mV6xiqd68YHW26KqEksn07zYxI4qB9urKu4NOEmG5ph5Op858U83S0w5Mfk2VUBGA9YI2wFhlhZhxrJrvMSipJAWuWqkBJxnmFvy" width="160" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYGArtHi13ubSpCByvE34SS7xWO1nQkgAL7nmKpBl3vEo38jJnQuRJzFPFOl4qPSt0q9rhO-5iYE1PRZxb2xDuQhrKisAdrC1fAQrH91bgiskDbG7mHHd0-gL1FGbj70Msd_jvGGNyMyuE5AIsOTm0zuwyq9VUxvCxmavDw_22CyOQE5j53UIyw_7CuZ-Q" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYGArtHi13ubSpCByvE34SS7xWO1nQkgAL7nmKpBl3vEo38jJnQuRJzFPFOl4qPSt0q9rhO-5iYE1PRZxb2xDuQhrKisAdrC1fAQrH91bgiskDbG7mHHd0-gL1FGbj70Msd_jvGGNyMyuE5AIsOTm0zuwyq9VUxvCxmavDw_22CyOQE5j53UIyw_7CuZ-Q" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">MIDDLE OF THE PACK</span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF0yZR2AqfnoKzmtAr8fk45Y-uWpwAdz_IueiSzEnSOaJDNGoNP3gaCKIpjCcF0BOGCGqbY1ur7WbQgQzx3GHZCLYYAa1_dzQtoMEMFKc4xBTaY0uqeNb58adZERzH6a2rekUPUMC_TwmCNW-NzaoeEu22IRUhh8yPFAp0Hr8CmufJRXMhEuDzs3gYua_O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="881" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF0yZR2AqfnoKzmtAr8fk45Y-uWpwAdz_IueiSzEnSOaJDNGoNP3gaCKIpjCcF0BOGCGqbY1ur7WbQgQzx3GHZCLYYAa1_dzQtoMEMFKc4xBTaY0uqeNb58adZERzH6a2rekUPUMC_TwmCNW-NzaoeEu22IRUhh8yPFAp0Hr8CmufJRXMhEuDzs3gYua_O" width="176" /></a></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKcqXwLrzIxQ9kJtQatav7uJv9XlGc9HuhYgZA_pwBIS92UP_6R_AhYnPIzFRUEiIsetioUPJ8rZLUcXpPCSgdcyLJ3TLrjo0-kBHQYYXc7GT8Rel02DWGWUyipBLRYpt8P_vao5mfST8gXrK3Jq1BltIqJZueqVLgwo9uen7F21xS35HwikqAnHAsgsbr" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKcqXwLrzIxQ9kJtQatav7uJv9XlGc9HuhYgZA_pwBIS92UP_6R_AhYnPIzFRUEiIsetioUPJ8rZLUcXpPCSgdcyLJ3TLrjo0-kBHQYYXc7GT8Rel02DWGWUyipBLRYpt8P_vao5mfST8gXrK3Jq1BltIqJZueqVLgwo9uen7F21xS35HwikqAnHAsgsbr" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvoUq8pVkNRm67Fk7_O8K9q18KWNmClHqeBhyGi-xGvO3XzqncUpUa9I8-a6ycpb2XTzeUAN36E9GCHf5_tKEwfBfdlYWxw2tELTb5VbNAr7MQ2Gexh_y1X12fqWjaorVhNXebdy4g2PvNQrn_FDjHRAXyfiNKrFscLZvp3IYAhrURO9Gg04qK_I5e3ZRV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvoUq8pVkNRm67Fk7_O8K9q18KWNmClHqeBhyGi-xGvO3XzqncUpUa9I8-a6ycpb2XTzeUAN36E9GCHf5_tKEwfBfdlYWxw2tELTb5VbNAr7MQ2Gexh_y1X12fqWjaorVhNXebdy4g2PvNQrn_FDjHRAXyfiNKrFscLZvp3IYAhrURO9Gg04qK_I5e3ZRV" width="171" /></a><b><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/23px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/35px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/45px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">MOROCCO- “Mother of All
Lies” (3.5)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">SUDAN- “Goodbye Julia” (3.7)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/23px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/35px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/45px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">YEMEN- “The Burdened” (3.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/23px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/35px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/45px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-size: 13.5pt;">IRAQ- “Hanging Gardens” (3.3)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">These four films from the Arab world will make their countries proud, though they probably won’t be able to breakthrough. Honestly, I really didn’t like “Mother of All Lies”, a deeply personal documentary about a woman interviewing family members and neighbors to learn about a secret from the past. It’s very much like “The Missing Picture” but I felt the film takes an hour to get to its main plot and I had little interest by then. But I seem to be in the minority; the film has great reviews (and the conservative grandma could have a career in acting!)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The other three films are important stories from countries plagued by recent wars. <b>YEMEN</b> deals with an unwanted pregnancy. <b>IRAQ</b> uses the humorous motif of a sex doll (abandoned by US soldiers) to explore serious issues of morality and violence in Iraqi society. <b>SUDAN</b> explores the relationship between a Muslim employer and her Christian South Sudanese employee, following a civil war influenced by religion. Though I’ve only seen the film from Iraq, these are probably three of the most interesting and important films on the list. “Hanging Gardens”, about an impoverished boy and his father who make a living scavenging rubbish dumps, was clearly made under difficult conditions. It’s a slow and quiet film, that mixes a great dark sense of humor with pathos and tragedy. I’m so happy to see all three countries participating. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">Of these three, Sudan is the most likely to break through.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">LOWER DOWN THE LIST:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJyqi2YXD76O4WgBoo3eEP-vOW5ungozKkzLtNDc4Q9yseAMc6sX9Z9lvDfBAt5Sj38at8pR3iJN32ZgsFJxLhD0dPMLv4F9G5hPCmSlJcWy8ljC_PPPQFt9p_oQhnaG87SI8g5-OO4a8XF2Tu3M5kpmmf4BweQnCM2fdNBqX__F-3er7nfihvw9AV_zcQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJyqi2YXD76O4WgBoo3eEP-vOW5ungozKkzLtNDc4Q9yseAMc6sX9Z9lvDfBAt5Sj38at8pR3iJN32ZgsFJxLhD0dPMLv4F9G5hPCmSlJcWy8ljC_PPPQFt9p_oQhnaG87SI8g5-OO4a8XF2Tu3M5kpmmf4BweQnCM2fdNBqX__F-3er7nfihvw9AV_zcQ" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPci8oUVLyxKPY-aP3iCX8rc6FsFZmeOrvsmB_03a8l57VDUr8IGa-r64-Q9BGDTm6Iai3v-bY6PdZuk-60lo4q4cEi6hEJVpuS5kuapfxuQAfd5rgj_5eL4rtpap3PnOIjiqp3fzui8ks49eJJVjYfB_a6IPsQYTDsJwkeX3tOJedE1PQaGTot0ew3-FP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPci8oUVLyxKPY-aP3iCX8rc6FsFZmeOrvsmB_03a8l57VDUr8IGa-r64-Q9BGDTm6Iai3v-bY6PdZuk-60lo4q4cEi6hEJVpuS5kuapfxuQAfd5rgj_5eL4rtpap3PnOIjiqp3fzui8ks49eJJVjYfB_a6IPsQYTDsJwkeX3tOJedE1PQaGTot0ew3-FP" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinAG_3N2ftXLHhRtxneFpCegFfffcz3PMgV9MoTNH6hHGFkfrQL-8ru3WGtdeRkSFc30oh8qYOFBNHIAq7vcmi0Av09inkkfsHiqMYrjRgJJJDNLAL_unKTNan4sVWTT06fwZhb0CW18yCWSEWgc5x7SJcptlEIdNYHbtzetsl8oSfMnm_LrB3dr6CfWkh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1405" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinAG_3N2ftXLHhRtxneFpCegFfffcz3PMgV9MoTNH6hHGFkfrQL-8ru3WGtdeRkSFc30oh8qYOFBNHIAq7vcmi0Av09inkkfsHiqMYrjRgJJJDNLAL_unKTNan4sVWTT06fwZhb0CW18yCWSEWgc5x7SJcptlEIdNYHbtzetsl8oSfMnm_LrB3dr6CfWkh" width="171" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/23px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/35px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/45px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span></span> </span><span style="background: repeat rgb(248, 249, 250);"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">EGYPT- “Voy! Voy! Voy!” (3.7)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="ES-BO" style="background: repeat yellow; color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/35px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/46px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span> </span></span><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;">PALESTINE- “Bye Bye Tiberias” (3.7)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="360" data-file-width="630" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/23px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/35px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/46px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">IRAN- “The Night Guardian” (3.2)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="background: repeat yellow; color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span> </span><span style="mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">SENEGAL- “Banel & Adama”
(3.3)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">After taking last year off, <b>EGYPT </b>is back in the race with a well-reviewed but thoroughly commercial effort- "Voy! Voy! Voy!", about a man who pretends to be blind in order to join a sports team. In a less PC and less embarrassingly "woke" Hollywood environment, it would be ripe for an American remake. This is probably a film that will make audiences laugh (unless they are "woke") but not one they will award an Oscar to. It will be interesting to see if <b style="background-color: white;">PALESTINE </b>(or ISRAEL) will get sympathy votes for the war in the Middle East....After "Klondike" was snubbed last year, I think not. "Bye Bye Tiberias" is a very personal documentary about the life and family of acclaimed Israel-born <span style="background-color: white;">Palestinian </span>Hiam Abbass, directed by her daughter Lina. The normally private Abbass, one of the most prolific and talented actresses working in international cinema, discusses her family's history during the Nakba, her marriages and her career. It's an interesting documentary but it's also very small and intimate. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>SENEGAL </b>sent "Banel & Adama" (Cannes) a weird drama about two newly married lovers in a village, including a reluctant young chief who- per tradition- marries his brother's wife after his death. The fanatically lovestruck wife is devoted to her husband, adamantly opposed to having a child, and obsessed with a series of ancient houses buried under sand nearby. It's a weird film that I didn't really like while watching it but which I couldn't stop think about after. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Lastly, we have "The Night Guardian" from <b>IRAN, </b>described as a "downbeat social drama set amid Iran's swelling underclass". Iran often does well with Oscar, but this film is one of the most obscure on this year's list and doesn't seem to have gotten any play. Although most Oscar voters probably won't realize, the film's selection was protested by independent Iranian filmmakers so that could cause some heartache too. <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguCYPZpar00_KXzu_SZal2cmBPKPcUrsCy18900Zo5UxMmBmeiv4s8Xqc1ywAcymIq6jA6cqpixohAhhbs24rtDZMqdBgEZYFCt6plEDsxWn8vX6SzXA_k4SfsS9GqFkUL-zA0oP4-9RCNQ1YMH-L2aVEo2QrRN1KqMo1Cb7crB0d6P_GLdRxo0zaCaKpL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguCYPZpar00_KXzu_SZal2cmBPKPcUrsCy18900Zo5UxMmBmeiv4s8Xqc1ywAcymIq6jA6cqpixohAhhbs24rtDZMqdBgEZYFCt6plEDsxWn8vX6SzXA_k4SfsS9GqFkUL-zA0oP4-9RCNQ1YMH-L2aVEo2QrRN1KqMo1Cb7crB0d6P_GLdRxo0zaCaKpL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6C1FiEUC5x6SKl4ZxxQivIyv-PB_oj9JFDCmaujNGBHn0IpmDa06neyqwih4Sxk9VZmk5UGVpHkxy9pvBUA_UciEfjKlvjNkGiEgEJ0LDEXAHZe1N_sIgGXlsjJ7uEp-oHiTp_tiNylQj-2QARbAfC_NWv6gY4TjgmAA8owACMNyxo7qiEdGVF6QIYHI_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6C1FiEUC5x6SKl4ZxxQivIyv-PB_oj9JFDCmaujNGBHn0IpmDa06neyqwih4Sxk9VZmk5UGVpHkxy9pvBUA_UciEfjKlvjNkGiEgEJ0LDEXAHZe1N_sIgGXlsjJ7uEp-oHiTp_tiNylQj-2QARbAfC_NWv6gY4TjgmAA8owACMNyxo7qiEdGVF6QIYHI_" width="162" /></a><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguCYPZpar00_KXzu_SZal2cmBPKPcUrsCy18900Zo5UxMmBmeiv4s8Xqc1ywAcymIq6jA6cqpixohAhhbs24rtDZMqdBgEZYFCt6plEDsxWn8vX6SzXA_k4SfsS9GqFkUL-zA0oP4-9RCNQ1YMH-L2aVEo2QrRN1KqMo1Cb7crB0d6P_GLdRxo0zaCaKpL" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="566" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguCYPZpar00_KXzu_SZal2cmBPKPcUrsCy18900Zo5UxMmBmeiv4s8Xqc1ywAcymIq6jA6cqpixohAhhbs24rtDZMqdBgEZYFCt6plEDsxWn8vX6SzXA_k4SfsS9GqFkUL-zA0oP4-9RCNQ1YMH-L2aVEo2QrRN1KqMo1Cb7crB0d6P_GLdRxo0zaCaKpL" width="170" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipLQ5G6mY5MNtX0HxyBViaqqyrGzMCIuasOA9iRhppQomcm_fVneSsvW5hut8PCakXq46-W_01fT6lhoKQgIOQpc3nDn_EWYHXaZhEHyC0Hmxk4MU77VKuOg2xL_YZvxOAzH6lklbTjM3mIpKlbUkKIaQB5iYs85C2Dj3eRECWwdjKOQ_Ca_n7WoD_n2xH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipLQ5G6mY5MNtX0HxyBViaqqyrGzMCIuasOA9iRhppQomcm_fVneSsvW5hut8PCakXq46-W_01fT6lhoKQgIOQpc3nDn_EWYHXaZhEHyC0Hmxk4MU77VKuOg2xL_YZvxOAzH6lklbTjM3mIpKlbUkKIaQB5iYs85C2Dj3eRECWwdjKOQ_Ca_n7WoD_n2xH" width="160" /></a><b><br /></b></div></b></div>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">SAUDI ARABIA- “Alhamour H.A.” (3.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Namibia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Namibia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Namibia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Namibia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Namibia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Namibia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: repeat yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">NAMIBIA-
“Under the Hanging Tree” (2.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/45px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span></span> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">KENYA- “Mvera” (3.0)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/35px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/45px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">SOUTH AFRICA- “Music Is My Life” (3.0)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/45px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span></span> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">CAMEROON- “Half Heaven” (2.5)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -0.25in;">Welcome </span><b style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -0.25in;">NAMIBIA! </b><span style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -0.25in;">First of all, I loved "Under the Hanging Tree", the first-ever submission from the southwestern African country. It's a weird mix between David Lynch (who I love) and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (who I don't), set against the background of a bizarre murder case in the Namibian savannah. The film is crazy and doesn't always make sense, but I really enjoyed it. But it's too out-there to contend here. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -0.25in;">The three other Anglophone African countries in this category have even less of a chance. <b>KENYA </b>sent "Mvera", a low-budget drama about human and organ trafficking. The cinematography looks great but the film has no buzz and it's the only film that doesn't have any votes on IMDB and only four on Letterboxd. <b>CAMEROON </b>sent a weird drama in Pidgin English about Evangelical Christianity that will probably make voters uncomfortable, while <b>SOUTH AFRICA </b>sent a rather routine music documentary. Voters may be impressed by the Zulu-language music but won't remember the film- an homage to an obscure South African group that has performed with a number of very famous Hollywood artists. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 18px; text-indent: -0.25in;">As for <b>SAUDI ARABIA, </b>they've sent what I've heard is a very entertaining "Wolf of Wall Street"-type comedy and the first-ever "R-rated" Saudi feature. Though I don't think Oscar voters will vote for such a commercial film, it's great to see Saudi Arabia - where cinema was illegal until a decade ago- branch out into a new genre of film. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdW4kgGmKadU5x2BDjFGdAXhHkL5-dAn4rYpwm-5E8IIjyYVeCScX3gd-oB6Q0ZVRAA-OrdcMNPtAatd5amgwOs3Rq2n2UhbVSasotH5PFgVn-Fh9FJism3P3L0bYDXgy0VTv0mIcy23CeMlkNPOANp4TZ9t7BqmR32LqX_qj_xS4yoJnu7N4khe4Qvz6O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3677" data-original-width="2500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdW4kgGmKadU5x2BDjFGdAXhHkL5-dAn4rYpwm-5E8IIjyYVeCScX3gd-oB6Q0ZVRAA-OrdcMNPtAatd5amgwOs3Rq2n2UhbVSasotH5PFgVn-Fh9FJism3P3L0bYDXgy0VTv0mIcy23CeMlkNPOANp4TZ9t7BqmR32LqX_qj_xS4yoJnu7N4khe4Qvz6O" width="163" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO_fR2JVNwjtIk3iPSHsnNH66j2kQjkGW48kIQEqEvetxsjifLwyp-WWj7myJXSRPugux_89k6hW6v10jxgFK_i7KPfx1XX3YkBnttdUhrGyjd9RPma3v_4QGDUFqsnMb-_iKMH4HvzjsknDBQyK3zRGh2haKh8ME5dJ6rtMRH7YPkVeBmh9-5fTZev4_r" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjO_fR2JVNwjtIk3iPSHsnNH66j2kQjkGW48kIQEqEvetxsjifLwyp-WWj7myJXSRPugux_89k6hW6v10jxgFK_i7KPfx1XX3YkBnttdUhrGyjd9RPma3v_4QGDUFqsnMb-_iKMH4HvzjsknDBQyK3zRGh2haKh8ME5dJ6rtMRH7YPkVeBmh9-5fTZev4_r" width="168" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><b><br /></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Genres: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">We have four
documentaries (Morocco, Palestine, South Africa and Tunisia), two comedies (Egypt
and Saudi Arabia) and one fantasy film (Nigeria). </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’ve Already
Seen: 8- Burkina Faso, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Namibia, Palestine and
Senegal. </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">My favorites were Burkina Faso and Jordan. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Film I’m Most Excited To See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Definitely
“The Burdened” from Yemen, because I loved the director’s last film so much. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number I Predicted Correctly</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: 10/19
- Cameroon, Iraq, Jordan, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey and
Yemen<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Big Four Festivals: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Burkina Faso (Panorama Audience
Award), Yemen (Amnesty International Award)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cannes-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Jordan, Morocco (Best Director,
UCR + Documentary Prize), Senegal, Sudan (Freedom Prize, UCR), Tunisia (Documentary
Prize), Turkey (Best Actress)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sundance-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Nigeria (Best Cinematography)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Venice-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Iraq, Palestine<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Women
Directors- 6 films had female directors: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Kaouther
Ben Hania (Tunisia), Asmae El Moudir (Morocco), Ayelet Menahemi (Israel), Lina
Soualem (Palestine), Ramata-Toulaye Sy (Senegal), and Apolline Traoré (Burkina
Faso)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwj7Nua6xriwMW5BD3GUleRPVGj23EsFYT_CCQ9hGvJ6mEkPVqlbotiiGVqfRqMrSKi4mDozHQmn95w6FqUu2YslwjFFMWGlUrSPdq2LJ-05t2jbLUgN_IKPiOxgTz_6_MsAcwdN1mJKU9bOPa0ernA9T9CW4wBsfnMWlHQmVYI1dXErdyLAZAcF2MpEKP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1519" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwj7Nua6xriwMW5BD3GUleRPVGj23EsFYT_CCQ9hGvJ6mEkPVqlbotiiGVqfRqMrSKi4mDozHQmn95w6FqUu2YslwjFFMWGlUrSPdq2LJ-05t2jbLUgN_IKPiOxgTz_6_MsAcwdN1mJKU9bOPa0ernA9T9CW4wBsfnMWlHQmVYI1dXErdyLAZAcF2MpEKP" width="202" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFrJbKQ12xiysyheIfSGmqCDlLDqNsJDV1dnlV9OiC_2Haql94MtJ52DBt8oSql9xms90owYcK-U7gZrK6NfpZlVsw37Hm6eI8GQUv0Dg5ipMrOK4yNR3Lt8fFX_w7imffz9XjBmxqq9Smz4h1L6O2wlFDPV3gEMXYY4IXPEJXf_28D4X4qeEg8RXLbyNn" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="698" data-original-width="465" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFrJbKQ12xiysyheIfSGmqCDlLDqNsJDV1dnlV9OiC_2Haql94MtJ52DBt8oSql9xms90owYcK-U7gZrK6NfpZlVsw37Hm6eI8GQUv0Dg5ipMrOK4yNR3Lt8fFX_w7imffz9XjBmxqq9Smz4h1L6O2wlFDPV3gEMXYY4IXPEJXf_28D4X4qeEg8RXLbyNn" width="160" /></a></b></div><b><br />Oldest
and Youngest Directors- </b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’m not 100% sure but probably
Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Turkey), who is 64, and Daudi Anguka (Kenya) who is 30. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This is a confusing question
since roughly half the films are multi-lingual. Eight films are totally in Arabic,
while two more (Israel and Palestine) are partially in Arabic. Two films are
entirely in Persian and Turkish. Two African films are mostly in dialects of
the Fula languages (Burkina Faso and Senegal). Other languages: Afrikaans (Namibia),
Fon (Nigeria), French (Burkina Faso, Israel, Palestine), Hebrew (Israel), Pidgin
English (Cameroon, Nigeria), Swahili (Kenya) and Zulu (South Africa). The films
from Kenya, Namibia, and South Africa are also largely in English. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Maybe
seven?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Likely to Get Nominated for the First Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Turkey <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“Four Daughters”, followed
by “Mami Wata” and “About Dry Grasses”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Letterboxd Ratings (as of December 18, 2023): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Tunisia
and Turkey (3.9) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Worst: </b>Namibia (2.4)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Dumbest Decision: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most of these countries
made smart decisions (or, alternately, selected the only reasonable film
eligible…) Of course, I think that Cameroon, Iran and South Africa could have made
better choices, but it’s possible the films I have in mind didn’t get a proper
domestic release. The dumbest decision was- of course- <b>LEBANON </b>which had
a number of eligible films, including the acclaimed “Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous”
(Venice 2022)…but sent nothing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Controversies and Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> The biggest
controversy came from <b>IRAN. </b>After the announcement of “The Night
Guardian”, a group of exiled filmmakers released a statement calling the
selection unrepresentative of Iranian cinema and appealing to AMPAS to allow a
film to be selected by a non-government affiliated organization. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oscar History: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Kaouther
Ben Hania is the only Oscar nominee here. She got a surprise (but
well-deserved) Oscar nomination for “The Man Who Sold His Skin” three years
ago, and she was also selected in 2018 for “Beauty and the Dogs”, which was my
favorite film of that year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Nuri Bilge Ceylan is representing Turkey for the sixth time
since 2003, and is one of the most submitted directors from any country. He got
Turkey to the shortlist for the first and only time in 2008, with “Three
Monkeys”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Reza Mirkarimi was selected to represent Iran for the
fourth time after “So Close, So Far” (2005), “Cube of Sugar” (2012), and “Today”
(2014), although Iran withdraw “Cube of Sugar” due to an ill-advised political
boycott. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Here for the second time: Amr Gamal (Yemen; “10 Days Before
the Wedding”) and Enah Johnscott (Cameroon, “Fisherman’s Diary”)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Notable Omissions: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Probably the most
important omissions are were “Terrestrial Verses” (Cannes...also known in some countries as "Kafka in Teheran"), which couldn’t pass
the censors in Iran, and political thriller “Burning Days” (also Cannes), which
lost a competitive race in Turkey.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9Ym3GWFljelXL3gMw4qCZaA3rJTeHOqSPT9gTR35eh5kfz84j0GfWZLHyNc8Rv_HMhXfNpZ3DDk2aEJpGedVFFjkipo9hV-ewq6Uyx0wNs5yz287rlj-grFKh_V9NBCV9lpdH2e-M85SAVItSEPMfYhCmdlpySGw85T3q6J4ST2buaWgCZzYrL2JUhLAI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9Ym3GWFljelXL3gMw4qCZaA3rJTeHOqSPT9gTR35eh5kfz84j0GfWZLHyNc8Rv_HMhXfNpZ3DDk2aEJpGedVFFjkipo9hV-ewq6Uyx0wNs5yz287rlj-grFKh_V9NBCV9lpdH2e-M85SAVItSEPMfYhCmdlpySGw85T3q6J4ST2buaWgCZzYrL2JUhLAI" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDz5pDVDl9msoh0unwMzGRTkYbxbjZ5Fil6QnRx-kmPtFZ76Xj5BUJYhSaMC_TFuep-dwRCN0etijLJVrAWhMZEp8Qdyktm0ndliCps3KCq0MgIWibdVksDNFueK9xltc_7OJIpn-EiK9WqSy5T2U8cF0SYc6a56tJ1cuaYUYZ0SfJXhDOV9ih_Q_RrJ4K" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDz5pDVDl9msoh0unwMzGRTkYbxbjZ5Fil6QnRx-kmPtFZ76Xj5BUJYhSaMC_TFuep-dwRCN0etijLJVrAWhMZEp8Qdyktm0ndliCps3KCq0MgIWibdVksDNFueK9xltc_7OJIpn-EiK9WqSy5T2U8cF0SYc6a56tJ1cuaYUYZ0SfJXhDOV9ih_Q_RrJ4K" width="168" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwNiYf0VR-TpYCCO6GxBC91xQrakEDB1B6Q5Fh7IJuxXX83MNCFbQSQeXJ75eANmFFp3_Z5isuGACm6WOWgRFzIrCxQxLgFi0QXS-30Ix5zK21kdbls4a6f208106R0bK_zsjmW7zW8E8xTgbH3M7okxpD-CsKbK4QLtyC3HqKV-yEbzE5wRt64DfA2gn5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="192" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwNiYf0VR-TpYCCO6GxBC91xQrakEDB1B6Q5Fh7IJuxXX83MNCFbQSQeXJ75eANmFFp3_Z5isuGACm6WOWgRFzIrCxQxLgFi0QXS-30Ix5zK21kdbls4a6f208106R0bK_zsjmW7zW8E8xTgbH3M7okxpD-CsKbK4QLtyC3HqKV-yEbzE5wRt64DfA2gn5" width="176" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">Also absent: “The Last Queen” (Algeria), “Mambar Pierrette”
(Cameroon…maybe eligible next year???)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">, “The Rain Bride” (Iraq),
“Delegation” and “Vanishing Soldier” (Israel), “Queens” (Morocco), “Alam”
(Palestine), “Within Sand” (Saudi Arabia), “Father and Soldier” (Senegal), “Harka”
(Tunisia), and “Black Night” (Turkey).</span></div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_Dz5ee9RiOFuPKR1ycg8l1lNAXkBvSEYWt0uF5h5mYAsPODtqyNMd3sSp6mxJ9m1Hh45kn2AwEwf8iVPsXUhbaLqEiOefzN5ChPlIhlwewScTmfR89aEoQccgYmYPT_HAKCyeLCXNNkgqjHLn-UpMXEfFhgs-68Vso8_2RxtPCvmApI2omiSb53GCQcRt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_Dz5ee9RiOFuPKR1ycg8l1lNAXkBvSEYWt0uF5h5mYAsPODtqyNMd3sSp6mxJ9m1Hh45kn2AwEwf8iVPsXUhbaLqEiOefzN5ChPlIhlwewScTmfR89aEoQccgYmYPT_HAKCyeLCXNNkgqjHLn-UpMXEfFhgs-68Vso8_2RxtPCvmApI2omiSb53GCQcRt=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br />Most
Famous Face: </b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Hiam Abbass, the star and subject of “Bye Bye Tiberias”
(Palestine). It’s true that music mega-stars like Dolly Parton and Paul Simon
were interviewed for “Music is My Life” (South Africa), but I don’t think that counts.
<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last Year’s Race:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> I saw 12 out of 16 films
last year and there were some truly amazing films…that Oscar mostly ignored. My
favorite was “World War III” from Iran (A), a twisty drama in the Farhadi tradition.
I can’t understand why it hasn’t attracted more international attention. “Mediterranean
Fever”, a jet-black comedy from Palestine was also brilliantly plotted (A).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I also loved “Farha” (Jordan, A-), “Blue Caftan” (Morocco, A-)
and “Cinema Sabaya” (Israel, A-). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I also saw the films from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Uganda (B+),
Lebanon (B), Tunisia and Turkey (B-) and Tanzania (C). <o:p></o:p></span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-91883028509367053802023-12-17T23:35:00.002-05:002023-12-17T23:35:21.429-05:002023-2024 Oscar Submissions from the Asia-Pacific Region (20 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And here are my predictions for the films from the
Asia-Pacific…. 20 countries announced films for the Oscars (the same number as
last year) but AMPAS disqualified three on technicalities so we only have 17.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Let’s be honest. Three of these films have a chance at the
shortlist. Fourteen really do not. There’s really no middle ground…..So take
that into account when looking at the rankings. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries Participating this year: 20</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries That Have Participated in the
Past: 28</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who’s Missing?: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Afghanistan, Cambodia,
Fiji, Kazakhstan, Laos, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Only <b>KAZAKHSTAN</b> was a real surprise. This is only
the second time they’ve failed to send a film since they begin competing in
2006. Kazakhstan apparently made a call for submissions and held a vote between
two finalist films- “Ademoka’s Education” (Warsaw), a critically acclaimed
comedy by Adilkhan Yerzhanov, one of Kazakhstan’s most famous international
directors, and “Bauryna Salu” (San Sebastian), which just got a Best Youth Film
nomination at the Asia-Pacific Screen Awards. Kazakhstan’s committee
inexplicably voted 4-3 not to send either film. To add insult to injury, a
number of Kazakh filmmakers said they were unaware of the competition,
including the director of “Happiness” (Cannes), which I expected they would
send. I just don’t understand it……<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As for the others….<b>Fiji</b> and <b>Laos</b> have only
ever submitted once in Oscar history, <b>Sri Lanka</b> hasn’t sent a film in
over a decade, and <b>Afghanistan</b>‘s political situation would make
participation difficult. <b>Cambodia</b> and <b>New Zealand</b> usually do send
films, but it was a terrible film year for Cambodia and I’m not sure New
Zealand had any eligible contenders in a foreign language. Cambodia has already
confirmed that they hope to participate again next year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">FRONTRUNNERS:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">These three films are strong contenders for the
shortlist. Let’s take a look:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivp62IsejXJXmKlWAu_7eO0KJYJ5vpioqIjZyeeTGsz0eHtZPnPBmxOvsdG5NFWxE88EPsvFXhpJ8FlQf4wwC0g31AgdV_JqINoK4ohPlWtUtsrPxCTuvlVRN9kV1ka3nO9c41hYWZcZV7PKJi089EmEU8F-_PMU88YtAnUB6QjGUS-HPI-wYc7YH1UoIW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="148" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivp62IsejXJXmKlWAu_7eO0KJYJ5vpioqIjZyeeTGsz0eHtZPnPBmxOvsdG5NFWxE88EPsvFXhpJ8FlQf4wwC0g31AgdV_JqINoK4ohPlWtUtsrPxCTuvlVRN9kV1ka3nO9c41hYWZcZV7PKJi089EmEU8F-_PMU88YtAnUB6QjGUS-HPI-wYc7YH1UoIW" width="158" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype
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“Perfect Days” (Letterboxd: 4.1)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A Nutshell:
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A minimalist drama about a Japanese man in his 60s who
works as a toilet cleaner, and who is content with his life and his music. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Two
major prizes at Cannes (Best Actor and the Ecumenical Jury Prize) by a
three-time Oscar nominated director, mostly excellent reviews and a story
likely to resonate with older Oscar voters. Oscar likes Japan when it sends
these kinds of introspective traditional dramas. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Not much….This
is one of the strongest candidates for the shortlist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc0_BklUhcYkObing_wlcWZ3X85qCXEPtV68fqES18JvJ2UGC3GM9VOtiQw2Zr1IG78FtchJ79P6p_onjLRF5Ip2YTaP0hv96CM3OQp3A2HohqSqDYAb3LOhXTiIxyeZVjyRo4GC9Y-QjHRbw-EIPVgRR54qC83L7j2BsY5DRgKReRSSsMvoFPV-as2UtC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1243" data-original-width="1024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgc0_BklUhcYkObing_wlcWZ3X85qCXEPtV68fqES18JvJ2UGC3GM9VOtiQw2Zr1IG78FtchJ79P6p_onjLRF5Ip2YTaP0hv96CM3OQp3A2HohqSqDYAb3LOhXTiIxyeZVjyRo4GC9Y-QjHRbw-EIPVgRR54qC83L7j2BsY5DRgKReRSSsMvoFPV-as2UtC=w165-h200" width="165" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_21" o:spid="_x0000_i1043" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:9pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif"
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_21" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">AUSTRALIA</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">- “Shayda”
(3.7)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In A Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">An abused Iranian mother and asylum seeker
celebrates the Iranian New Year with her 6-year old daughter in an Australian women’s
shelter. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Good reviews from Sundance including an Audience Award
that shows it resonates with U.S. audiences. Deals with universal issues like
domestic violence and immigration. Lots of English will make this an easy watch
for viewers watching hours and hours of subtitles. Low-key Oscar campaign for
lead actress Zar Amir Ebrahimi (“Holy Spider”) may make Oscar voters watch
their screeners. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This committee rarely goes for stories about
women. This is a fairly small film. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWZdagltUE6IbCP0nthdyQd-2Kk4TXKN7tKcPskIKTsV7ZbjnZYGQC-i2OPQcSbiuLxGuzg9fHkTSekzBQzRWNtKl9hLFPvfJnyCKgpb6K8xh_qxLi1xRzgEdCZqrreVaXTpEel21VwS1_6_Xy3xiP-2PoBlO5ThqrzXQySjSbxdB_j9oNxKcK1XqoptGu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="242" data-original-width="208" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWZdagltUE6IbCP0nthdyQd-2Kk4TXKN7tKcPskIKTsV7ZbjnZYGQC-i2OPQcSbiuLxGuzg9fHkTSekzBQzRWNtKl9hLFPvfJnyCKgpb6K8xh_qxLi1xRzgEdCZqrreVaXTpEel21VwS1_6_Xy3xiP-2PoBlO5ThqrzXQySjSbxdB_j9oNxKcK1XqoptGu" width="206" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_22" o:spid="_x0000_i1042" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:11.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_22" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">BHUTAN</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">- “The
Monk and the Gun” (3.6)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In A Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A political satire set in 2006 when Bhutan’s
King introduced democracy to a reluctant public as well as other modernization reforms.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Director Pawo Choyning Dorji. Dorji got a miracle
nomination for the low-budget “Lunana” and many say this film is equally
charming and exotic, but with additional layers of political introspection. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">While reviews are very good, all of them compare
the film to “Lunana”. While most compare it favorably, some express
disappointment that they didn’t like it as much. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">DARK HORSES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyiDxlWA7nzVmIPxaLVSbycZfk0DrV1nKDCSNBcTeYpzdrssbxUdDsyuca527dYue2DhICuAA13sBPwwe54c5-Rex5o7BIXZSCyJMLzkS1Uc_126rjwsLwxtrDYJv3rMU98H_nMjWy9jsgeBmOWHFzjx2VAgcVCCFjkPNquCoM28dhB1HTd_ffmmfYABQr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiyiDxlWA7nzVmIPxaLVSbycZfk0DrV1nKDCSNBcTeYpzdrssbxUdDsyuca527dYue2DhICuAA13sBPwwe54c5-Rex5o7BIXZSCyJMLzkS1Uc_126rjwsLwxtrDYJv3rMU98H_nMjWy9jsgeBmOWHFzjx2VAgcVCCFjkPNquCoM28dhB1HTd_ffmmfYABQr" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBUov0EVaTuICHlRKNkSISHlMvcxOX_qqHDEQzY5kSXlHYuueD6KnkJQUX-zgPd5exvV7OmFr25osW3tMF_WI_O3ABnykFTbRvgL0ywyGq-XvzqtkWv27Lc19n1q01_FuIRiOCDf1MzAk0az3fEBuoBJfmWWoD-2iS97og6VzwAU8hnf4Pxf14UXvOHSKf" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="480" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBUov0EVaTuICHlRKNkSISHlMvcxOX_qqHDEQzY5kSXlHYuueD6KnkJQUX-zgPd5exvV7OmFr25osW3tMF_WI_O3ABnykFTbRvgL0ywyGq-XvzqtkWv27Lc19n1q01_FuIRiOCDf1MzAk0az3fEBuoBJfmWWoD-2iS97og6VzwAU8hnf4Pxf14UXvOHSKf=w200-h200" width="200" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWGpDULQSYY1OXOy92MGmxTqDPNdOML0qa-l40pumK1UGvDxiTkp3ZCuxnW73FVXBMYQWjE6-7HABDip77Yq1EbUy-LxtkS2k8hjZne1_RtP3MzLBoNyu-JOQwh1eUS-0nPhyoKaPlXMTN7xZCupW-lkCUOnq1AYdbtu_lSjXSUs1EnAAZ2JwgHi6AIxCx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="470" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWGpDULQSYY1OXOy92MGmxTqDPNdOML0qa-l40pumK1UGvDxiTkp3ZCuxnW73FVXBMYQWjE6-7HABDip77Yq1EbUy-LxtkS2k8hjZne1_RtP3MzLBoNyu-JOQwh1eUS-0nPhyoKaPlXMTN7xZCupW-lkCUOnq1AYdbtu_lSjXSUs1EnAAZ2JwgHi6AIxCx" width="161" /></a><b><br /></b></div>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title=""South Korea""><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #3366cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_19" o:spid="_x0000_i1041" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="South Korea"
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" title=""South Korea""
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KOREA- “Concrete Utopia” (3.5)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_18" o:spid="_x0000_i1040" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:9pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image005.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image006.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_18" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">PHILIPPINES- “The Missing” (3.7)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4"
o:spid="_x0000_i1039" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:9pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_4" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">MONGOLIA-
“City of Wind” (3.4)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_20"
o:spid="_x0000_i1038" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:12pt;height:15pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image008.png"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="20" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image009.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_20" width="16" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">NEPAL-
“Halkara” (3.2)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I don’t think any of these four films will
make the shortlist….but one of them could technically surprise. <b>NEPAL </b>was
one of the biggest surprises of the year for me. The Nepali submissions tend to
be low-budget, modest efforts…..”Halkara” (The Postman), about a young alcoholic
who reluctantly takes a job as a rural postman, is gorgeous with admirably high
production values. Though it starts off slow and you’re quite sure where it’s
going, the plotlines eventually come together and build to a really beautifully
done finale. However, I don’t think enough Oscar voters will watch the film…and
some may not wait for the film to build. Props to the producers for making the
film available worldwide on <a href="https://vimeo.com/ondemand/halkara">Vimeo</a>.
I wish more of the smaller countries did this. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also really impressed by <b>MONGOLIA </b>and
“City of Wind”, which won Best Actor in Venice for its newcomer teenage
protagonist Tergel Bold-Erdene. “City of Wind” is about Ze, an ordinary Mongolian
high-school student who is also his community’s traditional shaman. It’s a
really wonderful coming-of-age film about the conflict between Ze’s spiritual and
family responsibilities and his desire to date and drink like any other kid. It’s
a wonderful universal portrayal of first love, but in an exotic Mongolian setting….it
will probably come close to the shortlist but fall short. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The <b>PHILIPPINES </b>has selected an
unusual animated LGBT film called “The Missing” that was the surprised winner
of the Philippines’ Metro Manila Film Festival for independent cinema. The film
has gotten really wonderful reviews but an anime film will always struggle
against the more traditionally “Oscar bait” films…..With the new Oscar rules,
getting your film seen by the most voters is important….and <b>KOREA’s </b>“Concrete
Utopia” has the power to do that. This is a disaster drama about a freak
earthquake that destroys most of Seoul, resulting in a brutal fight for
survival by the survivors. Oscar doesn’t usually go for action but the film has
very good reviews (including 100% on Rotten Tomatoes)….although I’m skeptical
it will make the shortlist because a few people seem to really dislike it. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">MIDDLE OF THE PACK</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgciecrnAVFzVxEgCQ-ThPlUKzwy7679ab2reTbJLWpBHUf5N1c116GJMGpeNuf1KVUUgn5ANXv3jpzMj_uoYbiiienTgkpN29VRHQlx3RUkI-otY1nSs0fbVjGw8iT6FmWHoMofr1jmDZLwceeobqq8dqBJn2aN2T-HM8uYzI8KKZ52JxWXUZjGxl3l2C-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1461" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgciecrnAVFzVxEgCQ-ThPlUKzwy7679ab2reTbJLWpBHUf5N1c116GJMGpeNuf1KVUUgn5ANXv3jpzMj_uoYbiiienTgkpN29VRHQlx3RUkI-otY1nSs0fbVjGw8iT6FmWHoMofr1jmDZLwceeobqq8dqBJn2aN2T-HM8uYzI8KKZ52JxWXUZjGxl3l2C-" width="164" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZg4K3sh9fX5BRV9dbNarALMpI70F2-zrg8YXhUvyN4xGBFLJQoPpGV9cKB9cv1R8dQ8Zr1fYuPQHKVlCFAKl9i-qVSjowWzG7C7cXdNlU0DHQUu7Lmw2q3Kv__HO1UTt2XEuSQ9RMcouF5-pBU6OQzvd3ONNRCPRfVsM6kkbKmFpgrcPKcKnOd035-Owh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="290" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZg4K3sh9fX5BRV9dbNarALMpI70F2-zrg8YXhUvyN4xGBFLJQoPpGV9cKB9cv1R8dQ8Zr1fYuPQHKVlCFAKl9i-qVSjowWzG7C7cXdNlU0DHQUu7Lmw2q3Kv__HO1UTt2XEuSQ9RMcouF5-pBU6OQzvd3ONNRCPRfVsM6kkbKmFpgrcPKcKnOd035-Owh" width="167" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzuYBeO0o0XD4oBqVkg7WvgTeZTSwETDicAZUwbX8rvuFst5bXBweLV5oykuws0thFgm8dtzda5869F2o4IuwGuRsIuuh_sJC4sgOCQgM95TNnVa__HJgdGI9ypGsmo0s2_6to7LodP6FsTlsGtF1r6w8RppT2LSGaQZqvR2VT8hKKuPs47rzT2WTWTwpc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1006" data-original-width="714" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzuYBeO0o0XD4oBqVkg7WvgTeZTSwETDicAZUwbX8rvuFst5bXBweLV5oykuws0thFgm8dtzda5869F2o4IuwGuRsIuuh_sJC4sgOCQgM95TNnVa__HJgdGI9ypGsmo0s2_6to7LodP6FsTlsGtF1r6w8RppT2LSGaQZqvR2VT8hKKuPs47rzT2WTWTwpc" width="170" /></a><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1037" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:11.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image010.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image010.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">INDONESIA- “Autobiography” (3.5)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1036" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:11.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image011.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image011.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">INDIA- “2018” (3.6)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><s><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></s></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_3"
o:spid="_x0000_i1035" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:10.8pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image012.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="14" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image012.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_3" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><s><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">KYRGYZSTAN-
“This Is What I Remember” (3.6)<o:p></o:p></span></s></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:9pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_6" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">SINGAPORE- “The Breaking Ice” (3.4)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Not much to say about these four "middle" films....They'll do well but don't have any chance of making the finals. I only managed to see "This Is What I Remember" from <b>KYRGYZSTAN. </b>It's a wonderful little village drama (Kyrgyzstan sends excellent ones year after year) about an old man with amnesia, but it was disqualified on a technicality about its release date. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">From Southeast Asia, <b>INDONESIA </b>sent "Autobiography", about a young man hired to assist a corrupt politician, and <b>SINGAPORE </b>sent "The Breaking Ice", about the relationships between three young people living on the Chinese side of the China-North Korea border. <b>INDIA </b>sent "2018", a Malayalam film recreating a series of devastating floods that hit Kerala five years ago. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6zaX0BE6A6pKiVWHzotLdNXpdZUgrBTjEzpDe4aef4b6LVhOGJHiSyWHXcKzXdTlx401trcDw2P4mC_jpvLA290W7j6GQkk6Oec30_efj_majOr0daLPMwiUEmrf07Z37z0IEwe-Hj3LUxXE-A9PLNMOaaX5XD-83b0TtHaOeGptgef0JvMPpIW0z_z6i" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="265" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6zaX0BE6A6pKiVWHzotLdNXpdZUgrBTjEzpDe4aef4b6LVhOGJHiSyWHXcKzXdTlx401trcDw2P4mC_jpvLA290W7j6GQkk6Oec30_efj_majOr0daLPMwiUEmrf07Z37z0IEwe-Hj3LUxXE-A9PLNMOaaX5XD-83b0TtHaOeGptgef0JvMPpIW0z_z6i" width="169" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNAifMg3jSaJDq7V8sd78CBj-EYyGr2VCWH4nWVu_bIwsJ3GJycU0eAy17QsuYzzzLYsx2FZvmpBj0tFU520cK70pSVGgyUwC17s8Ya8PehA-uJt_3K0PLIaOi8V0WbyqaBwxMawG0F5z8MzOCgZv-QSK3T-JJdtJ4mkkR51uW8hInV0RVjLnQfhsbZRlS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNAifMg3jSaJDq7V8sd78CBj-EYyGr2VCWH4nWVu_bIwsJ3GJycU0eAy17QsuYzzzLYsx2FZvmpBj0tFU520cK70pSVGgyUwC17s8Ya8PehA-uJt_3K0PLIaOi8V0WbyqaBwxMawG0F5z8MzOCgZv-QSK3T-JJdtJ4mkkR51uW8hInV0RVjLnQfhsbZRlS" width="149" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRkSFX3XpgjEP9CQTaxYCJvaXDFEF8eICqgoDgmqYiLge-fivw3khu7l9G_etxC7xPR6_DoQejvuAM9L7LKmkOhB7-_LkYyHe9PEC-7m25idjj8LxeLQ6Dbqhm6sOHjjKGu3YNtjoUCQCDMaJQUCGCjzkAVzAql_mcX0xEvgBYq_7cAWq4TxzBx566LyGY" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="348" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRkSFX3XpgjEP9CQTaxYCJvaXDFEF8eICqgoDgmqYiLge-fivw3khu7l9G_etxC7xPR6_DoQejvuAM9L7LKmkOhB7-_LkYyHe9PEC-7m25idjj8LxeLQ6Dbqhm6sOHjjKGu3YNtjoUCQCDMaJQUCGCjzkAVzAql_mcX0xEvgBYq_7cAWq4TxzBx566LyGY" width="158" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_13" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:10.8pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image013.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="14" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image013.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_13" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">BANGLADESH- “No Ground Beneath the Feet” (2.9)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_7" o:spid="_x0000_i1032" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:11.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image014.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image014.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_7" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">PAKISTAN- “In Flames” (3.3)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_9"
o:spid="_x0000_i1031" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:11.4pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image015.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image015.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_9" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">THAILAND-
“Not Friends” (3.5)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_8"
o:spid="_x0000_i1030" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:11.4pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image016.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image016.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_8" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">VIETNAM-
“Glorious Ashes” (3.6)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">These
four films have mostly good reviews but they’re not what Oscar usually goes for
and they haven’t won any awards…They’re not going to make a dent in such a big
group of films. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">THAILAND’s </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">“(Not) Friends” is a commercial comedy-drama about a group of
high-school acquaintances who join together to make a short film about a
classmate who has just died. I used to live in Thailand and I can see this
being a huge hit with teen audiences there, who love the twisty mix of soap
opera, teen comedy and fantasy….but that’s less likely to appeal to older Oscar
voters. It’s an entertaining movie with some fun meta humor in the first half….but
it was probably selected to publicize the film’s release. <b>VIETNAM’s </b>“Glorious
Ashes” is a slow, confusing rural drama focusing on three women in a small
Vietnamese village. There are some good ideas here but they don’t make a
coherent whole and the ending doesn’t come together. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">I
haven’t seen the two films from South Asia but I very much want to. “No Ground
Beneath the Feet” is a drama about a man and his two wives in a flood-prone
area of <b>BANGLADESH. </b>Despite its low Letterboxd score, I’ve heard very
good things about it and it will probably make a good impression on the few
people who bother to watch it. <b>PAKISTAN </b>is fresh off it’s probable 6<sup>th</sup>
or 7<sup>th</sup> place finish last year for “Joyland”, with another very original
film. “In Flames” is an atmospheric horror film and Canadian co-production
about a mother and daughter confronted by visions of the dead. Just not what Oscar
likes…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">BOTTOM TIER<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnQDhKh8ovUmd0prpGcuyenr7MZML6oPl5Kjf6WlH_1_fNziGLot6Aqm-o0RcuX9R63jNNsUgVWtoEPn_lgxQ8M6JtzrCBMR2ZkEI1IzypDBm7pXys8V7a32G8IjzcpS_X0eaSAtZgTVJ2LO-FN7JuCA7CMIHkBlspkQvDfi5Md9IspfwwUBCrfJH-k3zj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="269" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnQDhKh8ovUmd0prpGcuyenr7MZML6oPl5Kjf6WlH_1_fNziGLot6Aqm-o0RcuX9R63jNNsUgVWtoEPn_lgxQ8M6JtzrCBMR2ZkEI1IzypDBm7pXys8V7a32G8IjzcpS_X0eaSAtZgTVJ2LO-FN7JuCA7CMIHkBlspkQvDfi5Md9IspfwwUBCrfJH-k3zj" width="167" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj97kLFmwPvtrBNBBvMjxQbQygzGKpkcDSkMkdw86X_AFqOSeyCfcJ40GomkefpmL1ZIhG5ey_vJjH-HGLQuwQC6KvtGwZePdaVR67pRHCDrmXGwt6jhRJTLX9TjLOqGMPPNi_871xdVI5Xy7xYkLbcCTml3F3B6xYD1h-b_NuEU-NNId3-slm1gIMnWhHa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1322" data-original-width="900" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj97kLFmwPvtrBNBBvMjxQbQygzGKpkcDSkMkdw86X_AFqOSeyCfcJ40GomkefpmL1ZIhG5ey_vJjH-HGLQuwQC6KvtGwZePdaVR67pRHCDrmXGwt6jhRJTLX9TjLOqGMPPNi_871xdVI5Xy7xYkLbcCTml3F3B6xYD1h-b_NuEU-NNId3-slm1gIMnWhHa" width="163" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi12Dqzva7MzB9GKUdnignU3vUZd-FIzoOnBQQndRBpHyY50_W6RdqKRGEM_oDM3Ev8Xjk-oWfx8B3hEK1keRmywPnkeg3audmnzYsMcVy3oW03JqBhJHIPq2IFLdQUt2IUNGGazouKBME-ZErNFi9VxxDtmBvLO2IW4yv3T8AIH0jWRxYFwUZtrC6HD7H_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="380" data-original-width="262" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi12Dqzva7MzB9GKUdnignU3vUZd-FIzoOnBQQndRBpHyY50_W6RdqKRGEM_oDM3Ev8Xjk-oWfx8B3hEK1keRmywPnkeg3audmnzYsMcVy3oW03JqBhJHIPq2IFLdQUt2IUNGGazouKBME-ZErNFi9VxxDtmBvLO2IW4yv3T8AIH0jWRxYFwUZtrC6HD7H_" width="165" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_15"
o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:11.4pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image017.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image017.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_15" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><s><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"> HONG
KONG- “A Light Never Goes Out” (3.2)</span></s></b><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_16" o:spid="_x0000_i1028" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;
height:9pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image018.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image018.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_16" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">MALAYSIA- “Tiger Stripes” (3.2)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_12"
o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:9pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image019.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="12" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image019.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_12" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><s><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">TAJIKISTAN-
“Melody” (2.3)</span></s></b><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">19.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title=""China""><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #3366cc; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_14" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="China"
href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" title=""China"" style='width:17.4pt;
height:11.4pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square' o:button="t">
<v:fill o:detectmouseclick="t"/>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image020.gif"
o:title="China"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><span style="mso-ignore: vglayout;"><img alt="China" border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image020.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_14" width="23" /></span><!--[endif]--></span></a><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">CHINA-
“Wandering Earth 2” (3.2)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">20.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #F8F9FA; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_10"
o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" style='width:17.4pt;height:11.4pt;
visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image021.gif"
o:title=""/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><img border="0" height="15" src="file:///C:/Users/dzong/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image021.gif" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_10" width="23" /><!--[endif]--></span><span class="flagicon"><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> </span></span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;">TAIWAN-
“Marry My Dead Body” (3.3)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This is a bad year for the three Chinese submissions,
with all of them comfortably occupying the bottom tier. From <b>CHINA, </b>sci-fi
prequel “Wandering Earth 2” clearly cost a lot of money. And the Set Design is impressive.
But the film is God awful. Painfully overlong and with a script that sounds
like it was improvised by small boys playing make-believe, this film about a global
project to move the Earth out of its orbit due to a dying Sun, usually makes no
sense. <b>TAIWAN </b>sent a purely commercial comedy with a Netflix deal– “Marry
My Dead Body”. I was excited to see this genre-bending LGBT-fantasy-mystery-comedy
about a macho young cop who becomes linked to a gay ghost murdered in a
hit-and-run a few weeks before. Lots of good ideas are wasted here and while
the film is sometimes entertaining and improves as it goes along, it’s overlong
and silly with mostly unlikable characters (especially the ghost). And even
before <b>HONG KONG</b> was disqualified, the schmaltzy overly sentimental “A
Light Never Goes Out” never had a chance. Although the film’s cinematography is
gorgeous, and the film is clearly a labor of love to Hong Kong’s unsung neon
lights craftsmen, the film is dull and on a different emotional level than will
appeal to Western audiences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">TAJIKISTAN </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">was also disqualified, allegedly because
of problems with the selection committee….although the film was a majority
Iranian production so that may have been an issue as well. “Melody” is a
pleasant little film about a young woman who goes on a quest to record bird sounds
to organize a concert for the sick children she works with. The film makes
Tajikistan look absolutely beautiful but the script is very weak and the film
is more ethnographically than dramatically interesting. But I enjoyed it and
was sorry to see it eliminated. <b>MALAYSIA </b>sent a great choice- Cannes
horror film “Tiger Stripes”- but this weird adolescent body-horror film about a
Muslim teen girl going through horrifying changes is exactly what Oscar is <b>unlikely
</b>to like. But I’m thrilled they sent it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Genres: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Lots of
genre films this year….We have one sci-fi movie (China), one animated film
(Philippines), two “action” disaster flicks (Korea and India), one thriller (Indonesia),
and two bona fide horror films (Malaysia and Pakistan). We also have one comedy
(Taiwan) and two comedy-dramas (Bhutan and Thailand), leaving just ten straight
dramas (three of which were disqualified). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>I’ve Already Seen: 9- China, Hong Kong, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Taiwan,
Tajikistan, Thailand and Vietnam. </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Film I’m Most Excited To See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It’s a
tie between “The Monk and the Gun” (Bhutan) and “In Flames” (Pakistan). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number I Predicted Correctly</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: Just
five….Australia, Bhutan, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Big Four Festivals: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The Asians don’t pay as much attention to the major global
festivals, often preferring to send commercial films. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">None<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cannes-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Japan (Best Actor),
Malaysia (Cannes Critics Week, Best Film), Pakistan (Director’s Fortnight), Singapore
(Un Certain Regard)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sundance-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Australia (Jury Prize)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Venice-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Indonesia, Mongolia (Best
Actor)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Women
Directors- 4 films had female directors: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Amanda
Nell Eu (Malaysia), Noora Niasari (Australia), Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir
(Mongolia),<b> </b>and Anastasia Tsang (Hong Kong)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oldest
and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The oldest is almost
certainly German director Wim Wenders, 78, who is representing Japan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The youngest are probably Atta Hemwadee
(Thailand) and Zarrar Khan (Pakistan), both of whom are 32. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There are three entries in
Mandarin (China, Singapore and Taiwan), two entries in Persian (Australia and
Tajikistan), two in the Malay-Indonesian languages (Indonesia, Malaysia)…..plus
one each in Bengali, Cantonese, Dzongkha, Japanese, Korean, Kyrgyz, Malayalam, Mongolian,
Nepali, Thai, Urdu and Vietnamese. The Philippines entry is apparently in a mix
of Filipino and Ilocano. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Three.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Likely to Get Nominated for the First Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
Philippines ….but that’s not going to happen. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“The Missing” (Philippines)
and “Shayda” (Australia) (tie) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Letterboxd Ratings (as of December 6, 2023): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Japan
(4.1) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b>Worst: </b>Tajikistan (2.3)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Dumbest Decision: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">China, as usual. It’s
clear that “Wandering Earth 2” cost a lot of money…but it’s a terrible
movie….and China makes some wonderful, wonderful films (including
government-approved ones) that could have been sent instead. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Controversies and Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The two
representatives from Central Asia- <b>Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan- </b>appear to
have been disqualified. Kyrgyzstan’s beautiful “This Is What I Remember” was
disqualified after </span><a href="https://www.screendaily.com/news/kyrgyzstan-declines-oscar-invitation-after-international-entry-rejection/5188196.article#:~:text=The%20film%20from%20the%20Central,2023%20in%20order%20to%20qualify."><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">AMPAS cited problems
with its domestic release date</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">. Last year’s eligibility
period was January 1<sup>st</sup> to November 30<sup>th</sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2022, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and this year’s eligibility period was
December 1<sup>st</sup> 2022 to October 31<sup>st<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></sup>2023 (The eleven-month eligibility
periods are a vestige of the pandemic, and will eventually go back to
one-year). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Remember” was released on
November 18<sup>th</sup> 2022 but the deadline that year was an unusually early
October 3<sup>rd</sup> and the Kyrgyz argued that their film had no release
date planned when the film was selected in September. While AMPAS has made
exceptions in the past (including for the Oscar-nominated “Lunana”), it seems
their pandemic-era flexibility is gone. Kyrgyzstan declined to send another
film. When I heard that at least one film was disqualified, I assumed it was
likely to be “Melody” from Tajikistan because the film is clearly a majority
Iranian production. But according to ScreenDaily, it was actually disqualified on
a technicality because the country- which hadn’t sent a film in 18 years- didn’t
have its selection committee approved by AMPAS. The same thing has happened in
the past (including “Love Child” from the Dominican Republic and- yet again-
“Lunana” from Bhutan) but it seems “Melody” is out. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Hong Kong’s </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“A Light Never Goes Out” was
disqualified reportedly because an unnamed actor from the film was on Hong
Kong’s Oscar selection committee. AMPAS said this constituted a “conflict of
interest” and asked them to send a different film, but Hong Kong declined. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">My opinion on this? Both Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan did
violate the rules, but since exceptions have been in the past, I would hope
AMPAS would show some flexibility to countries from developing nations.”This is
What I Remember” is one of my favorites of the 35 films I’ve seen and it truly deserves
to be considered. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The only other controversy came from <b>Malaysia </b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">when director Amanda Nell Eu publicly
disassociated herself with the version of her film released in Malaysian
cinemas, saying that national censors forced cuts that she did not approve. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Usually we have a controversy from <b>India</b>, as rival
Indian filmmakers inevitably condemn, insult and spit on the film selected by
the Film Federation of India. Happily, that didn’t seem to happen this year….<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifiwEJv2rAGStMoBlGZtLjS_LXfo0fAGAq0ih_Cq40oOvI2II7JlmyL8cj0RyATRapHnF424uV4l_lsQduFkaA5stXHSnZyv1ipQ1AysOTWyTrOEHIxrqfkaiClT3zCUMLq-f-w3BUHrAhVybtDj4fYowTKPTgPT2kMjis58FvlfQd9FAslcR3hM7OSe8e" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifiwEJv2rAGStMoBlGZtLjS_LXfo0fAGAq0ih_Cq40oOvI2II7JlmyL8cj0RyATRapHnF424uV4l_lsQduFkaA5stXHSnZyv1ipQ1AysOTWyTrOEHIxrqfkaiClT3zCUMLq-f-w3BUHrAhVybtDj4fYowTKPTgPT2kMjis58FvlfQd9FAslcR3hM7OSe8e" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oscar History: Wim Wenders </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">is the
big name here. Representing Japan, the German director has been nominated for
three Oscars in the Best Documentary Feature category <b>and </b>has
represented Germany in the Foreign/International Film category three times (he
was shortlisted for “Pina”). “Anselm” was also submitted for consideration to
represent Germany….If it he had been chosen, it would have been only the second
time a director was selected twice in the same year by two different countries.
(Krzysztof Kieslowski was the first, although AMPAS disqualified “Red”). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The other Oscar nominee competing this year is <b>Pawo
Choyning Dorji (Bhutan), </b>who was nominated in this category for “Lunana”. <b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Two other directors- <b>Anthony Chen (Singapore) </b>and <b>Aktan
Arym Kubat (Kyrgyzstan) </b>have been here multiple times. Chen repped
Singapore in 2013 and 2020, while Arym Kubat, Kyrgyzstan’s most well-known
director, repped his country <b>four times, </b>in 1998, 2001, 2010, and 2017. His
son Mirlan was selected twice. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHK5nr05lgaTwh9TRtwYsElAO7WN8lV--mLDT9lPU38fMrjwU6dOr-7pMueynObxDR6v4ZbS8WhTC3L-r8ygMvfAByMUr4DY_7_lW0MO3_JZDRFON6KaCiYAzN90TRN8eGBo-WHcgT8Yzt3Za8PDFCApk1_HhLYTuZPKhjILTl8nW7b4dxQ41UTbReQPZ8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="371" data-original-width="267" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHK5nr05lgaTwh9TRtwYsElAO7WN8lV--mLDT9lPU38fMrjwU6dOr-7pMueynObxDR6v4ZbS8WhTC3L-r8ygMvfAByMUr4DY_7_lW0MO3_JZDRFON6KaCiYAzN90TRN8eGBo-WHcgT8Yzt3Za8PDFCApk1_HhLYTuZPKhjILTl8nW7b4dxQ41UTbReQPZ8=w144-h200" width="144" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKOOVmMs7x9evgkMXwoiDAsLRFbtDs82oHhIjAqxfRXAKyIE-FkYCEnWxEIKAW7JEddvmOHbJDLZWk1C_aHnV2tfcE9XDFanJZzrAfzjk7_VINcNx9rGe7u4Z2fY1b1WtPWJ6Zurk6l_ZbmGi43zQFpgr1XUb8AOSY9rHocAE8Pe2VGoroXHW7zvXm_qh2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKOOVmMs7x9evgkMXwoiDAsLRFbtDs82oHhIjAqxfRXAKyIE-FkYCEnWxEIKAW7JEddvmOHbJDLZWk1C_aHnV2tfcE9XDFanJZzrAfzjk7_VINcNx9rGe7u4Z2fY1b1WtPWJ6Zurk6l_ZbmGi43zQFpgr1XUb8AOSY9rHocAE8Pe2VGoroXHW7zvXm_qh2=w133-h200" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfpCAlivELwWGhxfzV4P9MQo0qunNk-kVuXYz3ZgF1JXxM8hLkkshCHuLCeauTD0h-oKMYENiflD3UvcC_Pehh264NMoWxCBploR1gdK1G0URiQ59Ft5ngJLIFjRRfay93xmBEUG8xr-0WZ0y-kLY7TFd6NYrXiX5MadLmj9Y42WIWD9EqCzW80YT98u2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfpCAlivELwWGhxfzV4P9MQo0qunNk-kVuXYz3ZgF1JXxM8hLkkshCHuLCeauTD0h-oKMYENiflD3UvcC_Pehh264NMoWxCBploR1gdK1G0URiQ59Ft5ngJLIFjRRfay93xmBEUG8xr-0WZ0y-kLY7TFd6NYrXiX5MadLmj9Y42WIWD9EqCzW80YT98u2=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfpCAlivELwWGhxfzV4P9MQo0qunNk-kVuXYz3ZgF1JXxM8hLkkshCHuLCeauTD0h-oKMYENiflD3UvcC_Pehh264NMoWxCBploR1gdK1G0URiQ59Ft5ngJLIFjRRfay93xmBEUG8xr-0WZ0y-kLY7TFd6NYrXiX5MadLmj9Y42WIWD9EqCzW80YT98u2" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: inline !important;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpfpCAlivELwWGhxfzV4P9MQo0qunNk-kVuXYz3ZgF1JXxM8hLkkshCHuLCeauTD0h-oKMYENiflD3UvcC_Pehh264NMoWxCBploR1gdK1G0URiQ59Ft5ngJLIFjRRfay93xmBEUG8xr-0WZ0y-kLY7TFd6NYrXiX5MadLmj9Y42WIWD9EqCzW80YT98u2" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><b><br /></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Notable Omissions: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Japan had the hardest
decision of any country, when they were forced to choose between Oscar nominee
Hirokazu Koreeda’s “Monster” and the final film (maybe?) by national treasure
and Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron”. So, they chose
neither. <o:p></o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjemKp3yVTKrh_L9TFsMxL1yiX5iGiTQZ3fQh8houkZVkY517IiC2hcnB2RFqOWOYohWjv3b1D6MhKDWaSYhnizPR7tEommXaOtfUctfF1OeIpVoZHGmlnMIxXVup5f8INyplLupKnSOEjaTClzQmVPFM3XFglIETnXINDYCQMQPs1DqAtXc6WSnVnxA_0U" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="618" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjemKp3yVTKrh_L9TFsMxL1yiX5iGiTQZ3fQh8houkZVkY517IiC2hcnB2RFqOWOYohWjv3b1D6MhKDWaSYhnizPR7tEommXaOtfUctfF1OeIpVoZHGmlnMIxXVup5f8INyplLupKnSOEjaTClzQmVPFM3XFglIETnXINDYCQMQPs1DqAtXc6WSnVnxA_0U=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">China</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> snubbed movies by two of their most
successful international directors (both nominees in this category)- Zhang
Yimou’s “Full River Red” and Chen Kaige’s (admittedly inappropriately
nationalistic) pro-North Korea drama “The Great War”, as well as “Love Never
Ends” and “Only the River Flows”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Also out: “Cobweb” (Korea; starring Song Kang-ho), “The
Signal” (Laos; they didn’t enter), “Imaginur” (Malaysia), “Inside the Cocoon Shell”
(Vietnam) and possibly “</span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt;">If Only I Could Hibernate” (Mongolia) </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">depending
on its release date. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8We3OaP7hYqjEucRtHtmH5ufbJPaJYHxTDZXlpBosLW8ZbDY1PcIk3J-VwiLKPcZ6oP0CwpukgIA7pYORJx169l9CBa4tFR0wqJ8wJZKfjiEpxJU3rfUwYnpN_yJ--CMtifvEP4FwWy9eMCPhd6cHjYNMLfWfZKMs5g2TmjULck59aIvQSlFOT7Yx3IMz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="690" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8We3OaP7hYqjEucRtHtmH5ufbJPaJYHxTDZXlpBosLW8ZbDY1PcIk3J-VwiLKPcZ6oP0CwpukgIA7pYORJx169l9CBa4tFR0wqJ8wJZKfjiEpxJU3rfUwYnpN_yJ--CMtifvEP4FwWy9eMCPhd6cHjYNMLfWfZKMs5g2TmjULck59aIvQSlFOT7Yx3IMz" width="160" /></a></b></div><b><br />Most
Famous Face: </b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Definitely Andy Lau, who co-stars in China’s “Wandering
Earth 2”……But we also have Dolly DeLeon (Philippines), Lee Byung-hun (Korea), Koji
Yakusho (Japan) and Simon Yam (Hong Kong)….Although you don’t actually see
Dolly DeLeon’s face! <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last Year’s Race: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I saw 12 of the 20
Asia-Pacific films last year. I agree with AMPAS that the two shortlisted films
from Asia- “Return to Seoul” (Cambodia) and “Joyland” (Pakistan)- were absolutely
the best and both deserved Oscar nominations (I give both an ‘A’). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I also saw Indonesia, Mongolia (A-), Australia, Japan, New
Zealand, Taiwan (B+), China, India, Korea (B), Thailand (B-), Nepal and Vietnam
(C+). I failed to see the films from Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Philippines and Singapore (damn Amazon VPN Blocker!)<o:p></o:p></span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-6245596883106908882023-12-05T15:57:00.007-05:002023-12-20T15:27:02.833-05:002023-2024 Oscar Submissions from The Americas (15 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And here are my assessments for Group 2.....the 15 films from the Americas. I've seen seven so far (over 40%) and am looking everywhere for "Cuarencena"! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries Participating this year: 15, </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">one less
than last year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries That Have Participated in the
Past: 22</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who’s Missing?:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">Of the seven missing countries, only </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">ECUADOR </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 18px;">was a major surprise. They’ve submitted nine of the past ten years and entered the Goyas with “Octopus Skin” which I expected would also go to the Oscars. Ecuador formed a new Film Academy this year and reported that they didn’t have time to get an Oscar Selection Committee approved by AMPAS. They promised to return next year. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>PUERTO RICO </b>is no longer invited to participate in this competition, thanks to a ridiculous 2010 rule by AMPAS. Interestingly, this year Puerto Rico was invited to compete in the Goya’s “Ibero-American Film” category for the first time </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">and they got a Goya nomination, </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">showing the quality of their local film industry.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Also missing: </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">GUATEMALA, </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">which </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">submitted two of the past three years and did have some eligible films; not
sure what happened there. The other four have only ever submitted once (Suriname),
twice (Haiti) or three times (Honduras and Nicaragua).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">FRONTRUNNERS:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidf27d7mRgJPJIAZkrgqlgQOtArCU_Sk3HkBf1lFDbMBGZ-Lrly3Ths7U9sq5V7NERjL5wJd6iRNtzlQiElisAtQcvr9Adfrj1OeoaOjoIqgpFzcFs0UM9bqxjhTpVslkzqa0zU9QQbh99Kr9-m7cs-0S1Nk1Ys2xfdkSvCEySitAU_7JuO-FrIN-NUncW" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="556" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidf27d7mRgJPJIAZkrgqlgQOtArCU_Sk3HkBf1lFDbMBGZ-Lrly3Ths7U9sq5V7NERjL5wJd6iRNtzlQiElisAtQcvr9Adfrj1OeoaOjoIqgpFzcFs0UM9bqxjhTpVslkzqa0zU9QQbh99Kr9-m7cs-0S1Nk1Ys2xfdkSvCEySitAU_7JuO-FrIN-NUncW" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho8uZNyYjj4luOcLcqGcvloSwVspkTfd835jFxJSq36oNVN7rRC6b6Ew_VhB_90W7ELCfvZ35e_vppGUQw7HxUujxGhTU0lvpjZ0aICd_xAVbV4s2d9VuP7Nu_P5zSCIEVmXTNFkSYmIxXgJKoTy3-pGieQmeBaNtjTOiJm5Kn0Qz8rDH352Nbyv5u6b3N" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="314" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEho8uZNyYjj4luOcLcqGcvloSwVspkTfd835jFxJSq36oNVN7rRC6b6Ew_VhB_90W7ELCfvZ35e_vppGUQw7HxUujxGhTU0lvpjZ0aICd_xAVbV4s2d9VuP7Nu_P5zSCIEVmXTNFkSYmIxXgJKoTy3-pGieQmeBaNtjTOiJm5Kn0Qz8rDH352Nbyv5u6b3N" width="168" /></a><br /><br /></span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="560" data-file-width="980" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">MEXICO</span></span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Totem” (Letterboxd: 3.8)</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/35px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/46px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> <b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">ARGENTINA</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; text-indent: -0.25in;">- “The Delinquents” (<i>Los delincuentes) </i>(3.5)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">I’m not certain that any Latin American films will make the
shortlist this year. Last year they got two slots (Argentina and Mexico) and these same two countries, which have earned more Oscar nominations than all
other Latin American countries combined- are the two frontrunners this year. </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">MEXICO </b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">has been shortlisted four of the past five years (including “Roma”, which won
the Oscar). The only film that failed to advance – “The Chambermaid” – was the
best film of the five…and was directed by Lila Aviles, the director of this year’s “Totem”.
So, I fear Oscar may not like her quietly sad character studies. “Totem” arguably
has better reviews than “Chambermaid” (I haven’t seen “Totem” yet) and focuses
on a 7-year old girl at a family celebration. It’s been mentioned enough as a
contender that people will watch their screeners…but ultimately will probably be on the
bubble.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">From Argentina, “The Delinquents” won out against strong internal
competition. Many people find it to be a crowd-pleasing and original heist comedy. It’s
currently in U.S. cinemas, which will help the film <b>a lot. </b>The three-hour running
time is a potential obstacle…but Oscar isn’t usually averse to considering long movies. There’s
usually at least one light film on the shortlist (last year was “Bardo”) and
this could very well be the choice for 2024. So, I saw the film last night....The film could easily out 40 minutes of its running time....It's simply too long. And while I don't want to give away any spoilers, the film somehow manages to end abruptly and unsatisfactorily, which is unforgivable considering we in the audience spent over three hours waiting for a resolution. Still....it will come close to the shortlist. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">DARK HORSES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">These
four countries are praying for a miracle. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUNf8QWSgPnZ7qxPl-vitIR9nvK89aci7mEAStlOJv8QTfml0lHXYmDvS_Ze424no1Q2cDxH2vGaSmWTC4gosaOq_oSsCMmEW0lIhSjXQHeQ9Cx8hEoakKOtk_0RlDv0RXdya7PYG3CdzGcOZU51tDD6BoVCS8herGd53LEpLcJT2uGgxEwElt97WOKoI9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiUNf8QWSgPnZ7qxPl-vitIR9nvK89aci7mEAStlOJv8QTfml0lHXYmDvS_Ze424no1Q2cDxH2vGaSmWTC4gosaOq_oSsCMmEW0lIhSjXQHeQ9Cx8hEoakKOtk_0RlDv0RXdya7PYG3CdzGcOZU51tDD6BoVCS8herGd53LEpLcJT2uGgxEwElt97WOKoI9" width="192" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/23px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/35px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/45px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png 2x" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">VENEZUELA-
“Shadow of the Sun” (3.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In A Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A deaf man encourages his brother to enter
a music contest <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">A lot of websites that have reviewed 80 or
90 of these films cite Venezuela’s film as one of the most pleasant surprises. Riding
on the coattails of Oscar winner “CODA”, it is said to a strong mix of comedy, music,
sentimentality and good old-fashioned family drama. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">No buzz. Nobody has heard of it. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbNbWDOJ9C147M72U-TWDJfYdtqafrBIARYBOIx5NGJAqrcG6y6xDWRZmr00aMIUSfPo_oNScwSiGp62KuJUgdvjG825cqNNiGiDFjuVrH-CTem8cMPsHUUMbbolkFVRL1wlsjjskXjwpxWoCCIDobr5XwumpnujDk2IgV_EB6L0aGGigGbubGIfT-n5iR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbNbWDOJ9C147M72U-TWDJfYdtqafrBIARYBOIx5NGJAqrcG6y6xDWRZmr00aMIUSfPo_oNScwSiGp62KuJUgdvjG825cqNNiGiDFjuVrH-CTem8cMPsHUUMbbolkFVRL1wlsjjskXjwpxWoCCIDobr5XwumpnujDk2IgV_EB6L0aGGigGbubGIfT-n5iR" width="163" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="504" data-file-width="720" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/33px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/43px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">BRAZIL</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>- “Pictures of Ghosts” (3.9)</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In A Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Director Kleber Mendonça Filho details the
lost tradition of old-school cinemas in his hometown of Recife. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">This documentary seems to be catnip to
filmmakers….who make up the bulk o AMPAS voters. It’s an homage to cinema and
to the influences of many middle-aged and older filmmakers (Mendonca is 55). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Documentaries struggle in this category and the film
is very niche.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOZoPwQQwyAbJjOHPsCUQVfE2htcucZe4Xf0suGMbNbr09E6xaM1g4vAD-i0hc4HbRzILfEwIsUH2vj9m3rDJrdM1nrO5H5YnTbSZ01CXQ_w3FCWFXoj9NF2lfpJ5MwwOPT-KPGIC10ZyPSyUas8MqOG7Qiqzr-CtLNQOh8QxVXjRJH0sQJPOoTRKSmzTw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="420" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOZoPwQQwyAbJjOHPsCUQVfE2htcucZe4Xf0suGMbNbr09E6xaM1g4vAD-i0hc4HbRzILfEwIsUH2vj9m3rDJrdM1nrO5H5YnTbSZ01CXQ_w3FCWFXoj9NF2lfpJ5MwwOPT-KPGIC10ZyPSyUas8MqOG7Qiqzr-CtLNQOh8QxVXjRJH0sQJPOoTRKSmzTw" width="168" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/23px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/35px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/45px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">CHILE-
</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>“The Settlers” (<i>Los
colonos) (</i>3.6)</b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Set in 1893, it’s a western featuring an American and
Briton whose expeditions (alongside a Chilean interpreter) lead to genocide of
Chile’s indigenous people. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Generally
strong reviews. Oscar likes period pieces and films with a healthy dose of
English dialogue. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It’s
said to be very cold, bleak and hard to “enjoy”. I thought the film would be
disqualified for containing too much English…</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT3FyU4j9IVlkm0llZVj4szlHLUVSaZbM6pK-JNbxZtYJka5VKIM4PPB33a7zDoIADO8Ls9F61deMsemqmrjm1c8C6Ik05nPr73R_EXTICR9NFlyFkv5_LY8ViActSYzorKyXslzCU24mK-9QTP08zlBLGb7sJEn5rIOBBr0nkXDiNpYudu40gJjyJtpi0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjT3FyU4j9IVlkm0llZVj4szlHLUVSaZbM6pK-JNbxZtYJka5VKIM4PPB33a7zDoIADO8Ls9F61deMsemqmrjm1c8C6Ik05nPr73R_EXTICR9NFlyFkv5_LY8ViActSYzorKyXslzCU24mK-9QTP08zlBLGb7sJEn5rIOBBr0nkXDiNpYudu40gJjyJtpi0" width="192" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">DOMINICAN
REPUBLIC- “Cuarencena” (3.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Secrets are revealed when a group of close friends have a
secret dinner during a COVID lockdown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Those
who have seen it say it’s one of the most entertaining films in the group. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">No buzz.
Oscar generally dislikes comedies. This is not to sort of film that’s usually
honored here. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MIDDLE OF THE PACK:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE_NB3AhPYSJHNJO4sG4GtD0SDqwHHrJxtW--XhiEv2_aa18AjW7s-oeWs5iukWqGAZsEoD3cjlsEddBqN7QXfuaAmqU6z1XKYlu0ZQ4T679iOknToFz6GqeHIxCs4iVUnmnwRe7gJ7e-Hx0jg1JnMEE_JtJFDsD1wELG9_hGrV0A2Q4X3-cSMkq7XXfEe" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="267" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE_NB3AhPYSJHNJO4sG4GtD0SDqwHHrJxtW--XhiEv2_aa18AjW7s-oeWs5iukWqGAZsEoD3cjlsEddBqN7QXfuaAmqU6z1XKYlu0ZQ4T679iOknToFz6GqeHIxCs4iVUnmnwRe7gJ7e-Hx0jg1JnMEE_JtJFDsD1wELG9_hGrV0A2Q4X3-cSMkq7XXfEe" width="166" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_zS74FnO5kIdY7RU1xRzuRSpvGO8zLUl4-t6ImYvhG2LI8v9AAVoCJAncz2EY9pC-Co28rbsZNslmp-aN0zTN6WUZizz_Nm1YBDh4c5_seZB8XIasAXCFj9i2J6wyJKrR-S7-vwJuPzP0T5KVfJ_4dNdW2upPobHi7hcqmTfTVReVIcReBnieItnmbiRq" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_zS74FnO5kIdY7RU1xRzuRSpvGO8zLUl4-t6ImYvhG2LI8v9AAVoCJAncz2EY9pC-Co28rbsZNslmp-aN0zTN6WUZizz_Nm1YBDh4c5_seZB8XIasAXCFj9i2J6wyJKrR-S7-vwJuPzP0T5KVfJ_4dNdW2upPobHi7hcqmTfTVReVIcReBnieItnmbiRq" width="163" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6hp9Xu32nTzNVdbXelSjQjfXEb6m27WKke-gXV4_5a02ORiQybgp7nOP7lfGZw4OEZkYxiVHwdZg-D8TQiXyMXvbY4_OBi6LODNstPBa8lmVX0bullTBLoOdMnAQ5kyOB40n4qsI1jLX9mgrQkNEKhd-pCBozcecEz1uHQbEcvZJUIjSOjnYUcpBlGXa9" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6hp9Xu32nTzNVdbXelSjQjfXEb6m27WKke-gXV4_5a02ORiQybgp7nOP7lfGZw4OEZkYxiVHwdZg-D8TQiXyMXvbY4_OBi6LODNstPBa8lmVX0bullTBLoOdMnAQ5kyOB40n4qsI1jLX9mgrQkNEKhd-pCBozcecEz1uHQbEcvZJUIjSOjnYUcpBlGXa9" width="160" /></a><br /></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada" style="background: none; color: #3366cc; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-decoration-line: none;" title="Canada"><img alt="Canada" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></a></span></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">CANADA-
“Rojek” (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/23px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/35px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/46px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">COSTA RICA- “I Have Electric Dreams” (<i>Tengo
sueños eléctricos</i>) (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">9.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/23px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/35px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/45px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">PERU-
“The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><strike><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">10.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="font-size: 13.5pt;">CUBA- “Nelsito’s
World” (<i>El Mundo de Nelsito</i>) (3.7)</span></b></strike></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">11.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="750" data-file-width="1100" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/22px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/34px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/44px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">BOLIVIA- “The Visitor” (<i>El visitante) </i>(3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I managed to see four of these five films.....</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18px;">From North America, we have "Rojek" (<b>CANADA)</b>, a very well-made documentary about ISIS prisoners held in Kurdish prisons. The access the Kurdish-Canadian female director was able to get is truly extraordinary and this film is arguably the most educational and important of all the documentaries sent this year. It's incredible to watch ISIS terrorists explain their motivations and defend their ideology (including a foreign woman dressed in an abaya). In the end, I think this is more of a lesson in international relations than an Oscar contender. From <b>COSTA RICA, </b>we have the coming-of-age drama "I Have Electric Dreams", which has the advantage of being the first film on the list released on Video on Demand in the USA. This is a tough and uncomfortable watch about a girl growing up in a dysfunctional divorced family, with a brave performance by lead actress Daniela Marín Navarro, based on the life of director Valentina Maurel. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18px;">From South America, we have "The Visitor", a really wonderful character study from <b>BOLIVIA. </b>It focuses on a man seeking custody of his daughter after being released from prison....even though the girl is now living comfortably with his wealthy, religious Evangelical in-laws. But it's such a "small" film that I'm sure it will be quickly forgotten, especially if they failed to nominate the better "Utama" last year. But it's worth seeking out! <b>PERU </b>naughtily titled "The Erection of Toribio Bardelli", a jet-black comedy about a horny old man and his three dysfunctional adult children, is not going to be shortlisted for an Oscar. But it is absolutely one of my favorite of the 31 films I've seen so far and one of the reasons I love this category every year. While reviews have been mixed, I see this as a great tragicomedy, able to maintain the tricky tone between comedy and tragedy throughout. A real gem. Congrats to Peru</span><span style="font-size: 18px;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18px;">I haven't managed to see the obscure entry from Cuba but I'm glad to see them back after a three-year absence from the Oscars. This is another comedy, this time about an autistic youth astutely observing society from his hospital bed, after being hit by a car. I think it will finish in the middle of the rankings. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>UPDATE: For unknown reasons, Cuba became the fourth and final country to be disqualified. While "Nelsito's World" was assigned to Oscar voters, it did not appear on the final list of qualified films. </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYkTogflQKC_iHAKjRxVsY4dk1lcm1VPDrBrJLWlgaKxCXKL3p6WPF8S2oC-95O8mIPT60S5MlNw8G_GqCBYwK-rmU8G-18mz69ecBNmX5VKrwiuUVsuW5R5vDjmgVNl-xoJFsT-fjE3l6NHzxUqYIOehbQqtOFKqYYKJB1E5PUvs5pXF2IYvenShvBZgr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="168" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYkTogflQKC_iHAKjRxVsY4dk1lcm1VPDrBrJLWlgaKxCXKL3p6WPF8S2oC-95O8mIPT60S5MlNw8G_GqCBYwK-rmU8G-18mz69ecBNmX5VKrwiuUVsuW5R5vDjmgVNl-xoJFsT-fjE3l6NHzxUqYIOehbQqtOFKqYYKJB1E5PUvs5pXF2IYvenShvBZgr" width="134" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHQvQuWk9mJ8QmrrovgIUAUHLWTlqF18neCDqSjgFE5vya8hTD2tCPUu-Dc0Rz7Tha5gn5CZdECfcMC8T-6X5YDfmxiVfNRoi1iiZ4NbLuY2XC9Ep9N8AOsHMzGLbQboFEEAxrSb6bTIp5IceJtFziB8slzbe1lY15MnArnp3GqZ8P9Qb-RGcIa0Q6kr36" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHQvQuWk9mJ8QmrrovgIUAUHLWTlqF18neCDqSjgFE5vya8hTD2tCPUu-Dc0Rz7Tha5gn5CZdECfcMC8T-6X5YDfmxiVfNRoi1iiZ4NbLuY2XC9Ep9N8AOsHMzGLbQboFEEAxrSb6bTIp5IceJtFziB8slzbe1lY15MnArnp3GqZ8P9Qb-RGcIa0Q6kr36" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJiFCsILEalhOFkaXc7UXWeqap0DTbJFwXOTTnJP3xvZ1JhWsy5UCUOkm3erWaJaqj4FLjnrUHzzoPmOhpnhytlz9XfvuYNDltPeS1yDdjNimVtqtn-3xl6kRwGzZSz0DnvSl8NNByLZeyy_Wr1RpZ2dBRIke2Gc1DdvVqATVC3xs93OSG8WbdK5roAp4T" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJiFCsILEalhOFkaXc7UXWeqap0DTbJFwXOTTnJP3xvZ1JhWsy5UCUOkm3erWaJaqj4FLjnrUHzzoPmOhpnhytlz9XfvuYNDltPeS1yDdjNimVtqtn-3xl6kRwGzZSz0DnvSl8NNByLZeyy_Wr1RpZ2dBRIke2Gc1DdvVqATVC3xs93OSG8WbdK5roAp4T" width="180" /></a><br /><br /></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">12.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="630" data-file-width="945" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/23px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/35px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/45px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">URUGUAY-
“Family Album” (</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Temas propios) </span></i></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">(2.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">13.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png 2x" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> <b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">COLOMBIA- “A Male” (<i>Un varón) </i>(3.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">14.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/23px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/35px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/45px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt;">PANAMA- “Tito, Margot & Me” (2.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">15.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="660" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/23px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/35px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/46px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">PARAGUAY-
“The Last Runway 2” (<i>Leal 2, Comando Yaguareté</i>) (2.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">As always, I want to say that I’m happy these
four countries have entered the race…<b>URUGUAY</b> didn’t have much to send
this year, so they sent comedy-drama “Family Album”, about a 45-year old
divorced father who joins his teenaged son’s rock band as part of a midlife
crisis. <b>COLOMBIA </b>had 15 films on their shortlist, so it was surprising
that they picked “A Male”, a low-profile urban coming-of-age film about an
impoverished teen negotiating the mean streets of Bogota at Christmastime.
Presumably, the Cannes label was what got it selected. It's well-made "poverty porn" although I was distracted by a twist I predicted that never materialized. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">PANAMA </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">likes to send documentaries so this year they
sent “Tito, Margot & Me”, about a Panamanian director exploring the lives
of Roberto “Tito” Arias, a prominent 20<sup>th</sup> century politician and
distant relative of the director, and his wife Margot, a world-famous British
ballerina. It feels like a TV documentary and assumes you know quite a bit
about Panamanian politics. Last but not least, <b>PARAGUAY </b>somehow sent “The
Last Runway 2”, a formulaic action sequel to a hit local film that is now on
Netflix. It’s strictly a genre film and won’t succeed here. Paraguay had
several other choices…I thought “Runway” was the least likely option. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Genres: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have
three documentaries (Brazil, Canada, and Panama), five comedies of varying degrees (Argentina, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru,
and Uruguay), and one action movie....leaving only a minority of six “straight dramas” in the mix. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’ve Already
Seen: 7- Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and Peru. </span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Film I’m Most Excited To See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Definitely
“Cuarencena” from the Dominican Republic, which looks like a lot of fun. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number I Predicted Correctly</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">: <b>5- </b>Bolivia,
Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba and Venezuela (although I cheated by waiting for the
Brazilian shortlist). I should have been predicting the Goyas!….The films I predicted
for Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru and Puerto Rico
were all selected for the Goyas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Big Four Festivals: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Berlin-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Mexico (Main Competition)
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Cannes-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Argentina and Chile (Un
Certain Regard), Brazil (Special Screening) and Colombia (Director’s Fortnight)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sundance
and Venice- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">None<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Women
Directors- 4 films had female directors or co-directors: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Zayne
Akyol (Canada), Lila Avilés (Mexico), Valentina Maurel (Costa Rica) and the
directing team of Mercedes Arias & Delfina Vidal (Panama). Just three years
after a majority of South American submissions were directed by women in 2020, South
American women directors found themselves completely out of luck for the first
time since 2011.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipGFCyPPZZakxy_4lUTVWPgrTNOV5CuCdtL6FH-9q5-keVgrp_tL4HP4ipfLDs7EA4IiiwhR-JQ1bbP3E5ZUq08Rn-4_lXVmxKpbvEIfBSLkXQ5dlGc2v_HdJGpb0OBjD1GaXWow3gghS7DhYGK6owyXBobIaLpTiImN_mBQUW2yRvzb-gil1NFKf4QyfF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="219" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipGFCyPPZZakxy_4lUTVWPgrTNOV5CuCdtL6FH-9q5-keVgrp_tL4HP4ipfLDs7EA4IiiwhR-JQ1bbP3E5ZUq08Rn-4_lXVmxKpbvEIfBSLkXQ5dlGc2v_HdJGpb0OBjD1GaXWow3gghS7DhYGK6owyXBobIaLpTiImN_mBQUW2yRvzb-gil1NFKf4QyfF=w191-h200" width="191" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br />Oldest
and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">79-year old Fernando Perez
(Cuba) is the oldest director in the entire competition this year. 33-year old
David Maler (Dominican Republic) is the youngest from the region. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Languages - </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As usual, the majority of
films from this group are primarily in Spanish (13 of 15) while the film from
Brazil is in Portuguese and the film from Canada is in a mix of languages, with
Arabic predominating. The films from Canada, Chile and Panama have quite a bit
of English. I expected Chile would be asked to submit a different film. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Probably
just two or three. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Likely to Get Nominated for the First Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Venezuela
….but I don’t expect there’s any chance of that happening. Dominican Republic
has the best shot of being shortlisted for the first time but that won’t happen
either. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“The Delinquents”, from
Argentina <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Letterboxd Ratings (as of December 5, 2023): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Brazil
and the Dominican Republic (3.9) <b>Worst: </b>Panama (2.2)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Dumbest Decision: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I wouldn’t necessarily call
“Rojek” from Canada a dumb decision (“Rojek” is very good) but Canada chose an
obscure documentary last year with no luck….“The Nature of Love” or “Solo”
would have been much better choices this year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlrE0GddcM6JFZYUmn0ZzQwXH382zZayyioI4yWY3X_9zMCkikuh4wlgGGldpCetKZ9iCVvI0GLllF_1b_P-9-6FtHROxMLHWJ6dR8TLpDzOTRac_grr0vfsHu1D5gUPShx6nZ5zlS4kEsa5iVtyRp2QA4oMiZvwAkInHuza9Tn1Z9ubV-6CAU1MFEgoS5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlrE0GddcM6JFZYUmn0ZzQwXH382zZayyioI4yWY3X_9zMCkikuh4wlgGGldpCetKZ9iCVvI0GLllF_1b_P-9-6FtHROxMLHWJ6dR8TLpDzOTRac_grr0vfsHu1D5gUPShx6nZ5zlS4kEsa5iVtyRp2QA4oMiZvwAkInHuza9Tn1Z9ubV-6CAU1MFEgoS5=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br />Controversies and Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The only
major controversy came from Venezuela when the director of pro-opposition drama
“Simon” took to social media to protest that his film was not selected to represent
the country, and implied the committee was corrupt. While it’s true that “Simon”
got good reviews and was the surprise winner at the country’s national film
festival, I correctly predicted Venezuela would send “Shadow of the Sun”
instead because “Simon” appeared to have too much English. I’m actually shocked
that the anti-government film was able to screen in Venezuela (it did, and I
heard it had a successful run) and maybe there were shenaningans….but “Shadow
of the Sun” sounds like a very worthy pick. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oscar History: Fernando Perez</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> is
representing Cuba for the third time after “Hello Hemingway” (1991) and “Suite
Habana” (2003). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Lila
Avilés</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> (Mexico, “La camarista”), <b>Kleber Mendonça Filho</b>
(Brazil, “Neighboring Sounds”) and <b>Adrián Saba</b> (Peru, “The Cleaner”) are
all in the race for the second time. Mercedes Arias and Delfina Vidal have been
chosen to represent Panama for the second time although their first try (“Box
25”) wasn’t on the final Oscar list for unknown reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Of the 15 competing countries, four have won the Oscar (Argentina,
Canada, Chile and Mexico), four others have been nominated (Brazil, Colombia,
Cuba, and Peru), and two others shortlisted (Panama, Venezuela). The other 5 are
waiting for their first official trip to the second round. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Notable Omissions: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMlY_5zE_ZVzxUGb5G2QfL5FzoJYAbrQux5-vxWvyeN3hn8pzGp6Fx1uslvoKMMFtga3RR1A1sH7PONUKNpNvcdPygAr5v7e6ncGN1dkdB-MGkQ8CKbt3rWd7KlDQnkcsmbxE3W8wuYOReA3oE75oDHVdgoz2zu1d1iAVyasG-_0KPUSWlac7B29P9a9mb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvSpm41toJUWidRDgZm8XS0Rk1-F9kMgZqgaRA40fWHluqc9rim02HKBVb2AciSWgP8-uK-zzXAE7-IuW4z8ceKBEaOI4Kp3IC-LlBMe-6pbCXQDwtuqDdu2RvGDQ5jt7pMEcGZTU1fCS_mKZHh3q-Bcox2qggypBRbl-7qkcM8hpkzPjdr01ZL1hpy9se" width="161" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMlY_5zE_ZVzxUGb5G2QfL5FzoJYAbrQux5-vxWvyeN3hn8pzGp6Fx1uslvoKMMFtga3RR1A1sH7PONUKNpNvcdPygAr5v7e6ncGN1dkdB-MGkQ8CKbt3rWd7KlDQnkcsmbxE3W8wuYOReA3oE75oDHVdgoz2zu1d1iAVyasG-_0KPUSWlac7B29P9a9mb" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMlY_5zE_ZVzxUGb5G2QfL5FzoJYAbrQux5-vxWvyeN3hn8pzGp6Fx1uslvoKMMFtga3RR1A1sH7PONUKNpNvcdPygAr5v7e6ncGN1dkdB-MGkQ8CKbt3rWd7KlDQnkcsmbxE3W8wuYOReA3oE75oDHVdgoz2zu1d1iAVyasG-_0KPUSWlac7B29P9a9mb" width="163" /></a><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrNCzDv7xBCErYA0gjJqbiw3rtcdLyCaJf4IhWpbiej_zO_JHJZYPAO1TmQz8UoTMOu-D1vdijLPP6Xu-u76jfjy4yr6BgYcKP-HHrIzMQsLgdQnUe33HKdZZe-SlNq0ZGezkRY0hYYt6GdrXUHFNM_ndBTA1__WtoDo6oElSW_dTYxM9vn_A8vi6zv2Ia" width="162" /></span></b></div></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></div></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrNCzDv7xBCErYA0gjJqbiw3rtcdLyCaJf4IhWpbiej_zO_JHJZYPAO1TmQz8UoTMOu-D1vdijLPP6Xu-u76jfjy4yr6BgYcKP-HHrIzMQsLgdQnUe33HKdZZe-SlNq0ZGezkRY0hYYt6GdrXUHFNM_ndBTA1__WtoDo6oElSW_dTYxM9vn_A8vi6zv2Ia"><br /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">There
weren’t too many serious contenders that fell through the cracks from the
Americas. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The most notable absence is “The
Eternal Memory” (Chile), an acclaimed documentary about Alzheimer’s Disease by the
Oscar-nominated director of “The Mole Agent”. It went to the Goyas, as did “Simon”
(Venezuela), whose story I detail above under “Controversies”. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Also out
of the running: Argentina rejected “Puan” (which went to the Goyas) and perceived
frontrunner “The Rescue” (El rapto). Brazil considered “Medusa”, “Toll” and
“Nosso Sonho”. Canada foolishly ignored “The Nature of Love” (<i>Simple comme
Sylvain). </i>Colombia didn’t pick unconventional queer documentary “Anhell69”.
Mexico had to ignore Netflix dramedy “Where the Tracks End” and “Huesera: The
Bone Woman”. And Panama didn’t select “Sister and Sister”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most
Famous Face: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">There are really no famous faces….unless you count the archive
footage of acclaimed ballerina Margot Fonteyn, the subject of “Tito, Margot y Yo”
(Panama). I also recognized Frank Perozo (Dominican Republic) and Uruguayan actors
Cesar Troncoso and Mirella Pascual who play the in-laws in Bolivia’s “El
Visitante”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last Year’s Race: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I saw 12 of the 16 films
from the region last year. I had no desire to see “Kings of the World” (Colombia),
but it ended up being one of my favorite films of the year (A-). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I also saw Bolivia (A-), Venezuela,
Brazil, Mexico and Argentina (B+), Chile, Uruguay (B-), Costa Rica (C+), Canada (C),
Dominican Republic and Ecuador (C-) and Paraguay (D-). </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I couldn't find the films from Guatemala, Panama, and Peru.</span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-70740155797146985172023-11-30T15:29:00.005-05:002023-12-15T08:43:19.500-05:002023-2024 Oscar Submissions from Eastern Europe (20 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Here are my assessments of the 20 films from Eastern
Europe. I’ve been very fortunate to see more than half (11of 20) of these films.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries Participating this year: 20</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number of Countries That Have Participated in the
Past: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All 24 Eastern European countries have participated at
least three times. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Who’s Missing?: RUSSIA </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">is
boycotting the Oscars for the second year in a row in protest of…. alleged
“disrespect to Russia” for their unprovoked invasion of neighboring Ukraine
(?!). <b>BELARUS, </b>a Russian ally, is also sitting out after sending films
from 2018-2020. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Sadly, <b>AZERBAIJAN, </b>which had a strong film year, is
also not participating though their decision has nothing to do with
Russia/Ukraine. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The most surprising absence however is <b>KOSOVO, </b>a
country that is typically obsessed with proving their nationhood (it’s still
only recognized by half of UN Members, after declaring independence from Serbia
in 2008). Kosovo has submitted every year since they were recognized by AMPAS
in 2014 and this year the Kosovo Cinematography Center received four
submissions, including frontrunner “The Land Within”, which won the Best First
Feature award at Tallinn Black Nights 2022. Director Fisnik Maxville condemned
the decision not to send any film to represent Kosovo. I’ve said it once and
I’ll say it again. Most of the 92 submissions have little chance at being
nominated, and I don’t understand why a country like Kosovo would refuse to
send an award-winning film, and get some free publicity for their hard-working
filmmakers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">FRONTRUNNERS:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3bfpUS9y7vXf3jjm0nf4jm4DAKvaOULCgxyXhTM9S5Dh80fnAAyqHARUBOOJ1Tsrk719auPJCwTtbVjX6U9KPJ2hSJ_yailK83sqe4T2bRm9BsPvFn9J4jtuahE6NGAZqXQYlX1HSpYYuOjEw48KO4txfX2CQE9JEOs43dMlMc5ejBK_ndbpz0s4OP80q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="315" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh3bfpUS9y7vXf3jjm0nf4jm4DAKvaOULCgxyXhTM9S5Dh80fnAAyqHARUBOOJ1Tsrk719auPJCwTtbVjX6U9KPJ2hSJ_yailK83sqe4T2bRm9BsPvFn9J4jtuahE6NGAZqXQYlX1HSpYYuOjEw48KO4txfX2CQE9JEOs43dMlMc5ejBK_ndbpz0s4OP80q=w140-h200" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1L6WpGWn9KaQEswI2qoRSjVRuC3unuODVcxFwtP4YtKZ45QFaEa6R1xDsJcAm69i_-xKBQ_ShN58chZjdhtZxUfW4MEQQmxQEIEeHMwA8H_HBONkFS2vtmGlP8geVrn__T-C-V6oTwC1nWQsSrp5muevcdA1lNBm2uGJt6Ae5AGppttzHrC8UC066Ecvf" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1L6WpGWn9KaQEswI2qoRSjVRuC3unuODVcxFwtP4YtKZ45QFaEa6R1xDsJcAm69i_-xKBQ_ShN58chZjdhtZxUfW4MEQQmxQEIEeHMwA8H_HBONkFS2vtmGlP8geVrn__T-C-V6oTwC1nWQsSrp5muevcdA1lNBm2uGJt6Ae5AGppttzHrC8UC066Ecvf=w133-h200" width="133" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">1. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">UKRAINE-
“20 Days in Mariupol” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Letterboxd: 4.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">2. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ROMANIA-
“Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">These two frontrunners have charmed audiences in very
different ways. <b>UKRAINE’s </b>“20 Days in Mariupol” is a devastating, gritty
documentary, documenting the human tragedies and war crimes against civilians
that took place during the first two weeks of the Russian siege of the city of
Mariupol (</span><span lang="UK" style="background: white; color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: UK;">Маріуполь</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">) in
February 2022. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians were killed. Last year,
I predicted that goodwill towards Ukraine would help “Klondike” make the
shortlist....but "Klondike" was a very difficult film to appreciate. “Mariupol” is also difficult to watch, but it’s certainly more accessible and has the best scores on
IMDB (8.7) and Letterboxd (4.2). I think it will be nominated in Documentary
Feature and shortlisted in International Film. One possible hurdle: the version
I saw was almost entirely in English….but it appears to be on the AMPAS list? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ROMANIA’s </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">3-hour comedy is Radu
Jude’s fourth try at Oscar, and arguably the best-reviewed of his four films (yes,
I know “Bad Luck Banging” won the Golden Bear, but it was quite divisive). Critics and
audiences really seem to like it and it’s high-profile enough to get voters to
watch it (which made all the difference last year). It’s on the bubble. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">DARK HORSES:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDaG82apxnvR4vGcAXt8x6LUwdVdruF29kPve7y3lYQZCgW2lCTMt2ocPWSZnl3-cVj3PzBDVklHOt_yGnIT5GyP0rKiDhy_SRLR-H4MiH0OATMNczXBIpkeessZCtdog8tSfChyWa-BSAyZBf93eYnn7giha7hH0UHH3yr8Un2tu9xEqqDI3vecxSIl6R" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDaG82apxnvR4vGcAXt8x6LUwdVdruF29kPve7y3lYQZCgW2lCTMt2ocPWSZnl3-cVj3PzBDVklHOt_yGnIT5GyP0rKiDhy_SRLR-H4MiH0OATMNczXBIpkeessZCtdog8tSfChyWa-BSAyZBf93eYnn7giha7hH0UHH3yr8Un2tu9xEqqDI3vecxSIl6R" width="168" /></a></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-tFFgHxeF-bAV9UCn-yvJUISuPZd7ytEnEdGFOnUudDEtsbNK92zeOa-dN3GAHZSM5Uw5A6EYQHvw1mZmQKfDq3Rk0BArqX947kVO3XOGOfWTb2vM0otZlH-MEkwPo5_hd4sP1xvB00qrJnIMovClG6gGcZOGkIZsk3vs2Dc03j_nQ5ExXUY4yIhSTezy" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-tFFgHxeF-bAV9UCn-yvJUISuPZd7ytEnEdGFOnUudDEtsbNK92zeOa-dN3GAHZSM5Uw5A6EYQHvw1mZmQKfDq3Rk0BArqX947kVO3XOGOfWTb2vM0otZlH-MEkwPo5_hd4sP1xvB00qrJnIMovClG6gGcZOGkIZsk3vs2Dc03j_nQ5ExXUY4yIhSTezy" width="169" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjazTRZydDSFE706N8SDQ98jofNZeLoPhVXQg2XugXYEY_o2sHb82iLE7e2nw7SAAgVFbue5bf57uNhmhR76HF2JJvpsVgneE2po3i484-_tupOPuVs0JDnok7e-LJCnQYI9XbonCyDPEMuiM3Qy9sspXSyrqEKhhaSQ0FFWxtr2m2K6lNVey81hEK0zPqj" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="270" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjazTRZydDSFE706N8SDQ98jofNZeLoPhVXQg2XugXYEY_o2sHb82iLE7e2nw7SAAgVFbue5bf57uNhmhR76HF2JJvpsVgneE2po3i484-_tupOPuVs0JDnok7e-LJCnQYI9XbonCyDPEMuiM3Qy9sspXSyrqEKhhaSQ0FFWxtr2m2K6lNVey81hEK0zPqj" width="169" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0YwGhHG4MerCPtAQbnTdgfDk5rZWn__O1QD_5wO3RaHY8o61_IrzJeLQi6fiC9wCvilp2sRygwN5jLdOWaxMr8lNrjl3Xa2he0m2y7UjHepsL9KiMNWbETBdoiS-5PReY-kDkq10sYl9pOcj-NpgjG-y9Lt8q8p1GScB21bWz9gyLsVjh8K6w2pWB2nit" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0YwGhHG4MerCPtAQbnTdgfDk5rZWn__O1QD_5wO3RaHY8o61_IrzJeLQi6fiC9wCvilp2sRygwN5jLdOWaxMr8lNrjl3Xa2he0m2y7UjHepsL9KiMNWbETBdoiS-5PReY-kDkq10sYl9pOcj-NpgjG-y9Lt8q8p1GScB21bWz9gyLsVjh8K6w2pWB2nit" width="168" /></a></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none;">3. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none;">BULGARIA- “Blaga’s Lessons”</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">4. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">CZECH
REPUBLIC</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> - “Brothers” (3.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">5. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1280" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">POLAND- “The Peasants” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">6. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Lithuania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lithuania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Lithuania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Lithuania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Lithuania.svg/46px-Flag_of_Lithuania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">LITHUANIA- “Slow” (3.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">BULGARIA</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A surprising thriller about an elderly victim of fraud who
decides to seek revenge. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">It’s a
fantastic and original film with an Oscar-worthy performance by Eli Skorcheva,
who came out of cinematic retirement to make the movie. Stepan Komandarev was
shortlisted once before, so this committee appreciates his work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As last
year proved, being a fantastic Bulgarian film isn’t enough to make the shortlist
if nobody sees it. Bleak. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">CZECH
REPUBLIC</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Based on a true story, this is a thriller about a pair of
brothers who go on a violent journey to escape Communist Czechoslovakia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This Cold
War drama looks like a real “traditional” Oscar choice…even the creaky “Charlatan”
made the shortlist a few years ago and “Brothers” is far more exciting. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">While
Oscar likely won’t care that these brothers are very controversial figures in
their native Czech Republic, nobody is talking about it. This was the last film
on the list to premiere meaning few have seen it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">LITHUANIA</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A quirky romantic drama about a dancer and a sign-language
interpreter with dramatically different sex drives<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Critics
and audiences really seem to like it. Sundance play showed it has broad appeal
with U.S. audiences. Asexuality has rarely been explored in film. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">This is
a small drama from a small country and is much more intimate the films Oscar
usually shortlists. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">POLAND-</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">In A
Nutshell: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">A beautifully animated film set in rural 19<sup>th</sup> century
Poland, by the makers of “Loving Vincent”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Pros: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Good
reviews and a very high profile. Based on the new rules, the important thing is
getting the film seen…and the film has buzz and a U.S. released well-timed for
December. “Loving Vincent” got an Oscar nomination and the film has overall
good reviews. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cons: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The reviews
are good but people I know have been less enthusiastic. As far as I know, an
animated fiction feature has never been shortlisted or nominated….They may feel
this should be rewarded in Animated Feature. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">A STRONG SHOWING:</span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgraewckOiHkV74O2rkJZeB983hUJkaK9YuYgbIVVQobUVIzqhBjbmtxPmzbbvojdDsXkXKyEx1XBYJYcYoVqm1XNTv-11oBzkL0m1wH2gHjxoGJ8nDOS5ta2SfbWrQeMrEcPRSr8Ecq-HM8qurijzhO0d0tqLM7qnFHy1PiHNqM3vQNBqwO2dO2anWmz4G" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgraewckOiHkV74O2rkJZeB983hUJkaK9YuYgbIVVQobUVIzqhBjbmtxPmzbbvojdDsXkXKyEx1XBYJYcYoVqm1XNTv-11oBzkL0m1wH2gHjxoGJ8nDOS5ta2SfbWrQeMrEcPRSr8Ecq-HM8qurijzhO0d0tqLM7qnFHy1PiHNqM3vQNBqwO2dO2anWmz4G" width="162" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAWi0ZTWe7bGo9WbDPw0u6ZuA8kuBzlcgRaJKA-K0rnXTuWeZ4W4Lhwx9y4zC0eXNA0fgHhEj5k-vSRJiZVQvEii-ojyQj3TwiliGMCUBV9cpeJo8aSQK2vQg3JWRs4NC6RRZNkObxhy7FZYAfYjQFDpzZpODUlQ_BrnUw6yG0LC4gNcV3yGbr-cKydwCZ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3507" data-original-width="2480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAWi0ZTWe7bGo9WbDPw0u6ZuA8kuBzlcgRaJKA-K0rnXTuWeZ4W4Lhwx9y4zC0eXNA0fgHhEj5k-vSRJiZVQvEii-ojyQj3TwiliGMCUBV9cpeJo8aSQK2vQg3JWRs4NC6RRZNkObxhy7FZYAfYjQFDpzZpODUlQ_BrnUw6yG0LC4gNcV3yGbr-cKydwCZ" width="170" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ2TxbDz42KgQq3op749KYJte-tjNJN-g_PwD_aZBjdKmD2gPJGuZId_dtBSc_z5VeD49DW5WujDzpyXJNMUQmiLzX3NQ6Z0w9KDqIY_hOv-qNBg8sDKnyUlgeSd1DiQGbMk7OAhEGxH4ge7l2CFPEF0ZmD_wGGG1yHz5LfwO9cDkCCHCWfexvqD_bST81" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ2TxbDz42KgQq3op749KYJte-tjNJN-g_PwD_aZBjdKmD2gPJGuZId_dtBSc_z5VeD49DW5WujDzpyXJNMUQmiLzX3NQ6Z0w9KDqIY_hOv-qNBg8sDKnyUlgeSd1DiQGbMk7OAhEGxH4ge7l2CFPEF0ZmD_wGGG1yHz5LfwO9cDkCCHCWfexvqD_bST81" width="162" /></a><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl6O1jkiAHSefvLSE9ZLihyQlqjI9ld82E67RbyMKbpqUSGUWIPga49UgUth7m26tdmuGYAu6g6fkb6ORKQm_2jYlaol30foGJtOq6wBVoQyBndAN4zR7A1ZQ7Qo7tMat7-mbl3UIugu0tfGn82NwLRD1gDYH3_rxLSdbEOe94FJ2QuQXprkwNmFb3-qDQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgl6O1jkiAHSefvLSE9ZLihyQlqjI9ld82E67RbyMKbpqUSGUWIPga49UgUth7m26tdmuGYAu6g6fkb6ORKQm_2jYlaol30foGJtOq6wBVoQyBndAN4zR7A1ZQ7Qo7tMat7-mbl3UIugu0tfGn82NwLRD1gDYH3_rxLSdbEOe94FJ2QuQXprkwNmFb3-qDQ" width="168" /></a></div></div></b></div><b>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">7. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MACEDONIA- “Housekeeping for Beginners” (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;">8. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="630" data-file-width="990" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none; mso-shading: yellow;">ESTONIA</span></b><b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"> - “Smoke Sauna
Sisterhood” (3.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;">9. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;">ARMENIA-
“Amerikatsi”</span></b><b><span style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> (3.6)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">10. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: rgb(248, 249, 250); color: #202122; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">SLOVAKIA-
“Photophobia” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">These four countries
are praying for a miracle.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“Housekeeping for
Beginners” actually has really great reviews for its comedy-drama about a
lesbian reluctantly forced into motherhood by her partner….but most of its festival play has come from LGBT sidebars.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">“Smoke Sauna
Sisterhood” has some of the best reviews on paper, but this documentary
about nude women (mostly shown without faces) bearing their souls in a traditional sauna is probably much
too feminist to score here….stories about women rarely do….Plus Ukraine is
likely to get the unofficial documentary slot. “Photophobia”, a docudrama about Ukrainian
children surviving the Russian invasion, doesn’t have as strong reviews as "Sauna" and so will likely suffer a similar fate.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Finally, we have the
lighthearted “Amerikatsi”, a crowdpleaser from Armenia about an Armenian-American
who accidentally ends up in a 1950s Soviet prison when he<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>accepts an offer for emigres to help rebuild
the homeland after WWII. This is a U.S. co-production which got a domestic
release and it treats very serious subjects with humor…but that may lead to
viewers thinking the film is too light. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MIDDLE OF THE PACK:</span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy96_Z_BrJHW_G1ZzyZjy_h7ACtSvM5-1cWTGoqImwBMCZAsX5QQheKdzUUNcv5_0bNQdLqGzSCXnbuqXscQaw51tvu7UnP47A_68acB6d4yChYNbB6Lt-4s3s2SkGFxI4u0Nmx1zKD7A4XwVFKZlcVIFYgDmPy2nS-GQq31uDlShXKgaH7kPfZlQ1yJ9s" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiy96_Z_BrJHW_G1ZzyZjy_h7ACtSvM5-1cWTGoqImwBMCZAsX5QQheKdzUUNcv5_0bNQdLqGzSCXnbuqXscQaw51tvu7UnP47A_68acB6d4yChYNbB6Lt-4s3s2SkGFxI4u0Nmx1zKD7A4XwVFKZlcVIFYgDmPy2nS-GQq31uDlShXKgaH7kPfZlQ1yJ9s" width="168" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdS3Y1hfxUrJduz-tqLJLAEHRLZNvLDUdE-5fLd4zgMDtEyYB9LDvtvXouGJnG26NjowTcU0soHPBfaqU_lWVUPT0-8tlEN3DqHZV2s1fmkzZWB2iAvsaZtC4336RswzM2UyQ69evvGmZlL6G4MdouHlI8oMd9PE8wKoalsjJe48aRp_XCEU_JmU8t-sEB" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="184" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdS3Y1hfxUrJduz-tqLJLAEHRLZNvLDUdE-5fLd4zgMDtEyYB9LDvtvXouGJnG26NjowTcU0soHPBfaqU_lWVUPT0-8tlEN3DqHZV2s1fmkzZWB2iAvsaZtC4336RswzM2UyQ69evvGmZlL6G4MdouHlI8oMd9PE8wKoalsjJe48aRp_XCEU_JmU8t-sEB" width="161" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEij4qxc7eW3VCO6XM_rhn-79XL66MjUVsdBKY38noGxILsxEZwg_SVa6Fn_lJH964Ku3QXKf2fVDxeATGi-YD8ptliuzofxjJALXguH8A1jXWj_ev3M2K5eSVqJ2ezcEkT-UMDjwokQOqcwR-gQZkNF3Qb0HyEYy58bEyTRDMTeF-OiRyq-QbFWJJjmnsG_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEij4qxc7eW3VCO6XM_rhn-79XL66MjUVsdBKY38noGxILsxEZwg_SVa6Fn_lJH964Ku3QXKf2fVDxeATGi-YD8ptliuzofxjJALXguH8A1jXWj_ev3M2K5eSVqJ2ezcEkT-UMDjwokQOqcwR-gQZkNF3Qb0HyEYy58bEyTRDMTeF-OiRyq-QbFWJJjmnsG_" width="170" /></a><br /><b><br /></b></div><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoJ9w8ToPhY8ykPeGdg9tR29E3wZvy7H64kTquwGRreUSYSdMb0ZSwomiOM5wVC6XguD7zE_Gt5eLuqCtsIG8fzLC8uEWo_AjwbglKv6kiIO0PN46NHl8aAvEDpIlRVM3liCWYiJY-i-bwQMAawVWaxaHmsS0fRZWOl7e1KSz1fry3Dnoa3WUdudj42a0I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoJ9w8ToPhY8ykPeGdg9tR29E3wZvy7H64kTquwGRreUSYSdMb0ZSwomiOM5wVC6XguD7zE_Gt5eLuqCtsIG8fzLC8uEWo_AjwbglKv6kiIO0PN46NHl8aAvEDpIlRVM3liCWYiJY-i-bwQMAawVWaxaHmsS0fRZWOl7e1KSz1fry3Dnoa3WUdudj42a0I" width="169" /></a></div>
<!--[endif]--></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">11. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA- “Excursion” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none;">12. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-ligatures: none;">GEORGIA- “Citizen Saint”</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> (3.4)</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">13. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/23px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/35px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/46px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">HUNGARY-
“Four Souls of Coyote” (3.5)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">14. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">SLOVENIA- “Riders” (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">In a field of 90-odd films, these four films are
likely to be forgotten. I’ve seen “Citizen Saint” (Karlovy Vary), a B&W
arthouse film from <b>GEORGIA </b>about a mysterious man who appears to be the
reincarnation of a missing religious icon. “Citizen Saint” starts off
sloooow…..and I’m willing to bet that many viewers won’t have the patience to
finish it. That’s a shame, because the film has one of the most powerful
endings in this group and it gave us a lot to talk about…But one of my friends
left the room for 20 minutes in the middle and said she felt like she didn’t
miss anything. From the former Yugoslavia, come two quiet dramas…“Excursion”
from <b>BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA </b>(Locarno) is about how rumors and lies about sex
affect a teenage girl, her school and her entire community. It’s a great story
but I don’t predict it will break out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Set
in 1999, <b>SLOVENIA</b>’s<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Riders” is
an overlong coming-of-age story and road movie, with a mostly unlikable set of
characters. It didn't find anything about it interesting, although apparently critics liked it better than I did. “Four Souls of Coyote” from <b>HUNGARY
</b>(Annecy) is a very well-made 2D animated film about Native
American mythology, with environmental issues prominently in the background. But animated films have an
uphill battle in this category and the film may be unfairly compared to
neighboring Poland’s “The Peasants” which has more innovative and beautiful
animation. I found it to be a solid and well-made film, mixing a number of Native legends, but not particularly memorable. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKmtyYKks8OVVwcojYg9gtM7ELn5e1qkm4mrEaYgVqDKj_uDvGpbYf1TpJUYlNMEDNk8XzOeAjbfAES5YHQZDQR4dH3QMKChN_UIDHC1wBAsobktwQ0NvSvwdihiVdHKoikHJAefhXf_TcX2HlXN8ryV4mhyFHl_nS6JMKF5YXy78PI8CMiuEYZLU3Syt_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKmtyYKks8OVVwcojYg9gtM7ELn5e1qkm4mrEaYgVqDKj_uDvGpbYf1TpJUYlNMEDNk8XzOeAjbfAES5YHQZDQR4dH3QMKChN_UIDHC1wBAsobktwQ0NvSvwdihiVdHKoikHJAefhXf_TcX2HlXN8ryV4mhyFHl_nS6JMKF5YXy78PI8CMiuEYZLU3Syt_" width="170" /></a> </b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPHuhjdthoE4tYWJ5ka6vKhIr9MdOhK90fjiAsAhlnxihN2QWmpRD_EyB8_mdQ06wJpRHPBeBGZAbxOrFO_G_NJH2hmiY8BPeKM7onbvUr7JyBEx9LiffpU_MbTtOlZdYdQ1StfQFsKa3Bri1MIaal1yKYir_u1q-binMmVRK06gmJtz3CR6fJLl_edWM9" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="755" data-original-width="510" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPHuhjdthoE4tYWJ5ka6vKhIr9MdOhK90fjiAsAhlnxihN2QWmpRD_EyB8_mdQ06wJpRHPBeBGZAbxOrFO_G_NJH2hmiY8BPeKM7onbvUr7JyBEx9LiffpU_MbTtOlZdYdQ1StfQFsKa3Bri1MIaal1yKYir_u1q-binMmVRK06gmJtz3CR6fJLl_edWM9" width="162" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiTCIVZSHY8-sXYg64CwqZZasB8HauDFy8Aq3c0WMEAFLzWh1BlRWHvMLGJ9WsYop_WrEkKnRnaq6Gx2K9JrZetHHhDCopLB4R6NaIaE72oBq9A3rl5Tryc6xGh2bi6yxzZX0aSfbfnCk1rUwGscOEoRPh-4VZ9ZuqpSXQ3HDX93xollS-Ybv_ly5LlqFE" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1462" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiTCIVZSHY8-sXYg64CwqZZasB8HauDFy8Aq3c0WMEAFLzWh1BlRWHvMLGJ9WsYop_WrEkKnRnaq6Gx2K9JrZetHHhDCopLB4R6NaIaE72oBq9A3rl5Tryc6xGh2bi6yxzZX0aSfbfnCk1rUwGscOEoRPh-4VZ9ZuqpSXQ3HDX93xollS-Ybv_ly5LlqFE" width="171" /></a><b><br /></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">15. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1350" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">SERBIA- “The Duke and the Poet” (2.9)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">16. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1800" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/23px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/35px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/46px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MOLDOVA- “Thunders” (3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">17. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="700" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/21px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/32px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/42px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">ALBANIA- “Alexander” (2.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">18. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/23px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/35px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/46px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">MONTENEGRO- “Sirin” (2.6)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">19. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">CROATIA- “Traces” (2.8)</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">20. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><span class="mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File"><img alt="" class="mw-file-element" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">LATVIA- “My Freedom” (2.7)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">As I say every year, I’m
very happy when smaller countries like Albania and Moldova send films and I’m
always excited to see them. It gives me an opportunity to take a tour around
the world and revisit countries I’ve travelled to (I’ve been to all 20 countries
in this group except Poland). And it gives smaller film industries the
opportunity to get their films seen in Hollywood. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">These six films are here
to represent their countries but they won’t be making it to the next round, in
large part because American audiences won’t understand or relate to them. <b>ALBANIA
</b>has selected a documentary – “Alexander” - for the first time. The subject
of the documentary, Alexander Gruda, is an extraordinary individual who
hijacked a warship to neighboring Yugoslavia during the Communist era alongside some friends, his wife, and his infant daughter who was killed by enemy
fire. It’s an old-fashioned “talking head” doc and although Alexander (now
working at a NYC hotel in anonymity) and his wife have a fascinating story, the
documentary doesn’t caption any of the participants and it’s often confusing
who characters are and where they are located. <b>MOLDOVA, </b>participating
for only the fourth time, selected a new low-budget drama set in the 1990s
called “Thunders”, about two children whose parents oppose their friendship.
One of the only reviews I can find describes it as a “non-linear” film with a
weak script. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 260.4pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">From the former
Yugoslavia, we have three dramas –“Sirin”, “Traces” and “The Duke and the Poet”.
<b>CROATIA</b>’s “Traces” is a dull drama about a female anthropologist dealing
with the death of her father. Having won only three small tech awards at
Croatia’s national film festival, it was a surprise pick by the usually edgy
Croatians (I loved their last three films) and “Traces” has one of the lowest
Letterboxd and IMDB scores in the Eastern European group. I saw it and it’s
well-acted but really not very interesting. <b>MONTENEGRO</b>’s “Sirin” was the
only film submitted this year to represent the smallest country in Eastern Europe...but - unlike neighboring Kosovo- Montenegro sees the value of participation so here they are. The film is fairly interesting to watch but suffers from a really troubled script.
The subject of the film seems to jump around and a lot of questions go
completely unanswered. I read a synopsis of the film <b>after </b>watching
it, and there were some key points that weren’t explained in the film at all. <b>SERBIA
</b>is represented by “The Duke and the Poet”, an obscure effort about 19<sup>th</sup>
century history which is unlikely to resonate with U.S. audiences. The film is
supposed to be pleasant enough, but had no festival play and has been compared
to a production for television. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 260.4pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Finally, <b>LATVIA </b>has
selected “My Freedom”, based on the life of a Polish-Latvian woman who helped
advocate for an end to Soviet rule in the late 1980s. Her personal life is
interesting and there’s a lot (too much?) of interesting folk music….but too
much of the film concentrates on the intricacies of Soviet Latvia’s burgeoning
political parties and it’s just not likely to hold the interest of a
non-Latvian. I think AMPAS audiences will be bored. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Genres: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have
three documentaries (Albania, Estonia, Ukraine) plus an odd docu-drama
(Slovakia)…..and two animated films (Hungary, Poland). We also have three
“dramatic comedies” (Armenia, Macedonia, Romania) and one thriller (Czech
Republic. The other ten are straight-up dramas. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">I’ve Already Seen: 11- Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Ukraine. </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">My
favorite so far is Bulgaria’s “Blaga’s Lessons”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Film I’m Most Excited To See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">“Housekeeping
for Beginners” (Macedonia).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Number I Predicted Correctly: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ugh….<b>Only
5 out of 20 (Bosnia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Romania and Slovenia) </b>In my
defense, my picks for Albania and Hungary were delayed to next year. And
several countries picked very late releases. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Big Four Festivals: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Very few! <b> </b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">·</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Cannes
and Berlin- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">No Films<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Sundance-
</span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Estonia (Best Director,
Documentary), Lithuania (Best Director, Fiction), Ukraine (Best Documentary,
Audience Award)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Venice- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">Macedonia, Slovakia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Women
Directors- 7 films were directed or co-directed by women: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">All
three directors from the Baltic Republics: Anna Hints (Estonia), Marija
Kavtaradzė (Lithuania), and Ilze Kunga-Melgaile (Latvia) plus Una Gunjak
(Bosnia-Herzegovina), Tinatin Kajrishvili (Georgia), Dubravka Turic (Croatia), and
DK Welchman (co-director, Poland). </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidpMChDLQ6VdU1nsPPwPKjQpgtfLRuec8L9zRyb9gJpp_kMSOblKTJoYS4RvFzYre8yAGm2V8bfbGUZYJTbVrnNO-eWFpoCI8AqgLd1kIlBXaaPDBDfe5c55E4zjWfJk26TNVHdEs9bb2qmP3OB5J7XacuMgavfOF7MaamqZ1bGhBfiyeftf94iX0-OTvo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidpMChDLQ6VdU1nsPPwPKjQpgtfLRuec8L9zRyb9gJpp_kMSOblKTJoYS4RvFzYre8yAGm2V8bfbGUZYJTbVrnNO-eWFpoCI8AqgLd1kIlBXaaPDBDfe5c55E4zjWfJk26TNVHdEs9bb2qmP3OB5J7XacuMgavfOF7MaamqZ1bGhBfiyeftf94iX0-OTvo=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Oldest and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">58-year
old Milorad Milinković (Serbia) is the oldest of the group, while 32-year old Marija
Kavtaradze (Lithuania) is the youngest. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">We have four films in the
Serbo-Croatian languages, plus two in Romanian, and one each in Albanian,
Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Georgian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Macedonian, Polish, Slovene and Ukrainian (Slovakia). The Armenian and
Ukrainian films are in a roughly even mix of Russian, English and the local
language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Six or seven? <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Likely to Get Shortlisted/Nominated for the First
Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ukraine has a shot at a nomination, with Lithuania is a dark horse for the shortlist. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Probably “The Peasants”
from Poland, although that’s mostly for the film’s innovative animation techniques.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Letterboxd Ratings (as of 30 November 2023): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ukraine<b>
</b>(4.2), <b>Worst: </b>Montenegro (2.6) <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Dumbest Decision: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Serbia’s inexplicable
(corrupt?) snubbing of a critically acclaimed Cannes darling (“Lost Country”)
and a big-budget WWII movie about Serbia-U.S. cooperation (“Heroes of Halyard”)
to send an obscure Serbian history lesson. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Controversies and Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
biggest controversy was in Poland, where the government actively attacked Oscar
contender “The Green Border”, comparing Agnieszka Holland (who is part Jewish)
to a Nazi, and insisting that a disclaimer accompany the film in cinemas. Kosovo
also decided to be controversial (and dumb), when they announced that they
wouldn’t send a film despite receiving two strong candidates-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“The Land Within” (Tallinn Black Nights) and LGBT
drama “I Love You More”- in addition to an obscure documentary (“Actors of
Cannes”) and an Albanian-German co-production (“The Albanian Virgin”) which probably
would have been disqualified due to nationality. Trivia: In 2011, Albanian
director Bujar Alimani threw a fit when serious Oscar contender “The
Forgiveness of Blood” was chosen over his dull “Amnesty”. He complained to the
Academy that Albania shouldn’t pick a movie by a foreign director (even though
that’s not against the rules). But this year, Alimani submitted his film to
represent Kosovo, even though he is Albanian and the film has almost no Kosovar
input. Hypocrite!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Oscar
History: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The only Oscar nominees are husband-and-wife team Dorotea
and Hugh Welchman, who got a Best Animated Feature nomination for “Loving
Vincent”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Stephan
Komandarev</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> is representing Bulgaria for the third time, managing
Bulgaria’s first and only shortlist spot for “The World Is Big and Salvation
Lurks Around the Corner” and was later picked for “The Judgment”. <b>Radu Jude</b>
is representing Romania for the fourth time in nine years, after the deserving
“Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”, the charming “Aferim!” and the underwhelming
“I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Two other directors are here for a second time: <b>Goran
Stolevski</b> (Macedonia), who represented Australia last year for “You Won’t
Be Alone”, and <b>Ivan Ostrochovský</b> (Slovakia) who had “Goat” in 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Of the 20 competing countries, four have won the Oscar (Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland), four others have been nominated (Estonia,
Georgia, Macedonia, Romania), and two others shortlisted (Bulgaria, Serbia).
The other ten are waiting for their first trip to the second round. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most Notable Omissions: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0t_NVf_s0tmh-AcyAzytrL2O54cYQLCc87SRLcgO67Xf3ExGOHCeKAsVgSmTLI6col2ppWh3_-oyBgKlayhzt49R89h-hNw2m0z483KPBiqGiQKnGKEuUmiM8gOIBHIaf7XsCLLgkKRUn05W9I7DIoVfbbZ3ATNbuVlGGRry2AKZKj_7QfwDcByXgqRgc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0t_NVf_s0tmh-AcyAzytrL2O54cYQLCc87SRLcgO67Xf3ExGOHCeKAsVgSmTLI6col2ppWh3_-oyBgKlayhzt49R89h-hNw2m0z483KPBiqGiQKnGKEuUmiM8gOIBHIaf7XsCLLgkKRUn05W9I7DIoVfbbZ3ATNbuVlGGRry2AKZKj_7QfwDcByXgqRgc" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg2i5cTjk84wesbp3ei66efjQK4-Gk-O6sQf54YdLxrBheBcJMiq_m_etXfc3FMGsli1u4QHLW-89FSetxVLNrXgYHkEiILTr40WVhtkexET8Aa8jbYIpBq-Mcfm2sM5S6UDW6SLyuxFzPlFiohHnP4VDP_YH-x-YstkHaclWY8Vm_fkxH3KOEl-eVlbMr" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="447" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhg2i5cTjk84wesbp3ei66efjQK4-Gk-O6sQf54YdLxrBheBcJMiq_m_etXfc3FMGsli1u4QHLW-89FSetxVLNrXgYHkEiILTr40WVhtkexET8Aa8jbYIpBq-Mcfm2sM5S6UDW6SLyuxFzPlFiohHnP4VDP_YH-x-YstkHaclWY8Vm_fkxH3KOEl-eVlbMr" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKPDx8v92au7Qd7FnkzdEVUs7P5UMnB35GyZEdkgCxBuulFgykVpLQ_6g4GNt1cwqAF38Rd0zwU4HSfskp-qOtVxhAKip4pzmG_ZKKm47kzvRgrMLZCVHvC5hYFw6OxbSmTn4S3HzcUpQU3rsXDcWoF50LP2S5kuV1tHWA-F5uXCCGJCkWPGs8sYAG_Qpo" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhKPDx8v92au7Qd7FnkzdEVUs7P5UMnB35GyZEdkgCxBuulFgykVpLQ_6g4GNt1cwqAF38Rd0zwU4HSfskp-qOtVxhAKip4pzmG_ZKKm47kzvRgrMLZCVHvC5hYFw6OxbSmTn4S3HzcUpQU3rsXDcWoF50LP2S5kuV1tHWA-F5uXCCGJCkWPGs8sYAG_Qpo" width="176" /></a> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl_0xNoUSWdxRqW4G4wh2taE2D60v3X6rvM-aNoJDKzrAdm_ON-UG6zvIrVr7OPsP0gzU9yDh7Iklw2H350Wt-SZFOSchZ_Ql27dDzBNpbzea8wVf6Jkgqp86g9vA9PW-UznlbpnfZtTMrWDEngqM7-0Wg5inB5r2r4BQ5Dz2rcBKdKqup-FhlJyFJdUfx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl_0xNoUSWdxRqW4G4wh2taE2D60v3X6rvM-aNoJDKzrAdm_ON-UG6zvIrVr7OPsP0gzU9yDh7Iklw2H350Wt-SZFOSchZ_Ql27dDzBNpbzea8wVf6Jkgqp86g9vA9PW-UznlbpnfZtTMrWDEngqM7-0Wg5inB5r2r4BQ5Dz2rcBKdKqup-FhlJyFJdUfx" width="160" /></a></div></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Every
year, there are lots of wonderful films that fail to make the longlist due to
the “one film per country” rule. And this year, four major contenders from
Eastern Europe were eliminated in the preliminaries. The highest-profile of the
four was Venice Jury Prize winner and European Film Award nominee “Green
Border”, by three-time Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland. Originally, most people
said animated film “The Peasants” was the Polish frontrunner. Then when the
Polish government began attacking Holland and her film prior to Polish
elections, people said “Green Border” would be sent as a symbolic act of
protest. In the end, migrant drama “Border” lost the tight two-way race. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Georgian-language
drama “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” (Cannes) applied to represent both
Georgia and Switzerland and was almost certainly the runner-up for both
countries. It was considered the Georgian front-runner all year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">As
mentioned above, “Lost Country” (Cannes) was a dark horse threat for an Oscar
nomination and probably deserved to represent Serbia (I haven’t seen it yet).
But Serbia selected the most obscure film on its 7-film shortlist which was
extremely suspicious. Lastly, war-torn Ukraine had a fiercely competitive race,
with acclaimed documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” ultimately beating out
“Pamfir”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 13.5pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Also out
of luck: “The Art of Falling (Bulgaria), “We Have Never Been Modern” and
“Restore Point” (Czech Republic), “Explanation for Everything” and “White
Plastic Sky” (Hungary), “M” (Macedonia), “Varvara” (Moldova), “Freedom” and
“MMXX” (Romania), “Guardians of the Formula” (Serbia), “Plastic Symphony”
(Slovakia), and “Luxembourg Luxembourg” (Ukraine)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Most
Famous Face: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">German actress Nina Hoss (“TAR”), who co-stars in Romania’s
“Do Not Expect Too Much of the End of the World”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Last Year’s Race:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> Last year’s
best two films – “In the Heart of the Machine” (Bulgaria) and “Aurora’s
Sunrise” (Armenia) – came from this region…but the Academy chose to ignore them
both. These beautiful, inspiring, heartbreaking movies are two of the reasons I
try to watch all the films each year. I give them both an ‘A’. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Also seen last year: Lithuania and Macedonia (A-), Croatia,
Czech Republic, Serbia and Slovakia (B+), Georgia, Ukraine and Oscar nominee
Poland (B), Romania (B-) Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Kosovo and Montenegro
(C). I couldn’t find the films from Albania, Azerbaijan, Hungary, Latvia,
Moldova and Slovenia anywhere…<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"><br /></span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-51505116991133141492023-09-14T00:42:00.002-04:002023-09-16T15:21:49.604-04:00 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR, PREDICTIONS FOR WESTERN EUROPE (20 countries)<p> And here's the last group of countries....Last year, this group (unfairly) claimed seven of the 15 spots on the shortlist. All seven were "good" (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland and Sweden), although I only would have considered shortlisting Belgium and possibly Sweden. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjolJj80eBGLi5B0BrNbV3ILSn3HvFcTm-9md5cgdvvxmnyQg9zA1XMBo9URqVRTg7FIgn85rlcXf_-tm3xJ7cmbtEIC49W_yvEXeQPYLgeHqAg1wicm-TrtePlbbl_J0KKyHq_UpiUtiikxlaudBXfwj6YFJLB5PwPiaQRR6U_R49juIudnRzO36xF5s4J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="567" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjolJj80eBGLi5B0BrNbV3ILSn3HvFcTm-9md5cgdvvxmnyQg9zA1XMBo9URqVRTg7FIgn85rlcXf_-tm3xJ7cmbtEIC49W_yvEXeQPYLgeHqAg1wicm-TrtePlbbl_J0KKyHq_UpiUtiikxlaudBXfwj6YFJLB5PwPiaQRR6U_R49juIudnRzO36xF5s4J=w200-h150" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p class="ydp44ab7480msolistparagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">AUSTRIA- “The
Fox” </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Austria
is looking to get shortlisted for the third year in a row and they have a fierce
three-way race to represent the country- “Eismayer” and “Vera” (both from Venice
2022) and “The Fox” (Tallinn Black Nights). “The Fox” clearly has the best reviews and
Austria is usually pragmatic and logical about their film, so that’s my prediction. Set at the beginning of
WWII, it’s about a young soldier, a fox cub and the brutality of war. Many people are predicting “Eismayer”, an LGBT military drama in which a closeted
senior officer falls for a young, out soldier. It’s very possible…but maybe too
similar in theme to “Great Freedom”? Both "Fox" and "Eismayer" were nominated for Best
Picture against “Corsage” at last year’s Austrian Film Awards….but all three of
them lost Best Picture and Best Director to the unheralded Italian-language
docu-drama “Vera”, which blends drama and “reality TV” voyeurism
(“Eismayer” won Best Screenplay but failed to get a Best Director nomination).
AMPAS is much more likely to nominate “The Fox”. But Austria has had a good year.
Two other possibilities including the upcoming B&W thriller “Theory of
Everything” which will premiere at Venice 2023…It’s a majority German
production but Austria has picked German co-productions six of the past ten years.
Corruption drama “Europa” (Sarajevo) is set in Albania and directed by Sudabeh
Mortezai who was famously disqualified for “Joy”, which ended up convincing AMPAS to change the rules for films in African dialects of English. Reviews have been good and they could pick her as a consolation for the disqualification. But I’m sticking with “The Fox”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="ydp44ab7480msolistparagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMPjZ1qBqKQ4WgGoNkYJdLrTaZ4S6Ob2WD2t5mh0Fo2sS-0GFMzfYZWXmCuNsEaxrG4WOsI49zbfAITgdGVWBDAwf4GoKnC3_I_fiIGV7tWbrBngoSvCj26egWsU-miXnSpO5SjMdjzPyuJTlEDHrHVFw9N-njPdws2fmwfT-9CFSTob0wIXQAOugXukyI" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMPjZ1qBqKQ4WgGoNkYJdLrTaZ4S6Ob2WD2t5mh0Fo2sS-0GFMzfYZWXmCuNsEaxrG4WOsI49zbfAITgdGVWBDAwf4GoKnC3_I_fiIGV7tWbrBngoSvCj26egWsU-miXnSpO5SjMdjzPyuJTlEDHrHVFw9N-njPdws2fmwfT-9CFSTob0wIXQAOugXukyI=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="ydp44ab7480msolistparagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. <b>BELGIUM- "When It Melts" </b>I've read a rumor that Belgium is considering four films- two from French-speaking Wallonia (“Omen” and “The (Ex)perience of Love") and two from Dutch-speaking Flanders (“Holly” and “When it Melts”), although that's not official. All four got major festival play in 2023; "Holly" in Venice, "Melts" in Sundance. and the two French ones at Cannes. "Holly", a Belgian take on "Carrie" about a psychic young girl who avoids a school fire that kills ten classmates due to premonition, was long the favorite since it got a coveted Main Competition slot in Venice. But reviews have been weak. A 2.9 on Letterboxd, a 5.5 on IMDB and a 50% on Rotten Tomatoes just aren't good enough for Belgium. I like the Belgian sense of humor so I'd love to see them pick "(Ex)perience of Love", about an infertile couple who learn they have a rare condition that requires they both sleep with every lover they've ever had again, in order to conceive a child. But that may be too light (though my favorite Belgian submission, the whimsical "Brand New Testament" had a similar fantasy element). So, that leaves "Omen", an African drama that really should be representing the <b>CONGO, </b>and "When It Melts", said to be a "feel-bad" drama about a 26-year old woman confronting a childhood trauma. This is going to be really close...but Belgium hasn't picked a Dutch-language film in years....and that may be enough to break the tie in favor of "When It Melts" especially if the Belgians were able to convince Congo to revive its long-defunct committee (they last submitted in 1997). But I wouldn't be surprised at all to see "Omen" selected. </span></p><p class="ydp44ab7480msolistparagraph" style="margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYnWKn4oKQ-m-a27vjs9aJgxEf-wMBHCzV6yIs5QPhrIwNkrVCx_v3qmpCGV2tnUctrkfAVWFTwy3ErVZmSUHq_7JKW5DB4PC4xGnN7J8fatT74G4tL2DZ5RGnSqIg9-fIceaeciW9WXmE-xYYUbZgbviNCpCK5RJ8zy9JuwUf0Is_MnwOgz5OwxIuBjPz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="716" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYnWKn4oKQ-m-a27vjs9aJgxEf-wMBHCzV6yIs5QPhrIwNkrVCx_v3qmpCGV2tnUctrkfAVWFTwy3ErVZmSUHq_7JKW5DB4PC4xGnN7J8fatT74G4tL2DZ5RGnSqIg9-fIceaeciW9WXmE-xYYUbZgbviNCpCK5RJ8zy9JuwUf0Is_MnwOgz5OwxIuBjPz=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></b></div><p></p>
<p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">DENMARK- “The Promised Land” </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Denmark has a remarkable record in this category. Despite being
one of Western Europe’s smaller countries, since 2010 they’ve made the shortlist <b>ten times </b>(out of 13), winning twice and getting five more nominations. Before Denmark announced their shortlist on August 24th, I was pretty sure that the three finalists would be drawn from four extremely strong candidates. Three of
the four directors already had Oscar nominations- “The Liberation” (aka
“Before It Ends”) by the director of Oscar Short Film winner Anders Walter
(“Helium” and “Ivalu”, neither of which I liked very much), “The Promised Land”
(aka “The Bastard”) by Nikolaj Arcel, the director of “A Royal Affair”; and
“Tove’s Room”, by Martin Zandvliet, director of “Land of Mine”. I felt that these three would be competing against “Quiet Migration”, a quiet Korean adoption drama
that played in Berlin Panorama, for the shortlist. In the end, I dumped "Tove's Room" (which was correct) but included "Quiet Migration", thinking they would want a female director on the list. "The Liberation" and "The Promised Land" made the cut, but "Quiet Migration" didn't. Instead they picked documentary "Apolonia, Apolonia" which gave the list some female representation. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">18</span><sup style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> century period drama “The
Promised Land” is the biggest of the three.,..it has international movie star Mads Mikkelsen
and just premiered in the Main Competition of the Venice Film
Festival, winning an Honorable Mention. That makes it far and away the frontrunner although “The Liberation”,
about refugees from Nazi Germany mistreated in Denmark during the final year of WWII, is also a strong contender, while "Apolonia" is just happy to be on the list. Trivia: 75-year old Oscar winner Bille August has a new Netflix movie (“Ehrengard: The
Art of Seduction”) premiering in October but it wasn't on the list, possibly because it wasn't shown in cinemas; and feminist drama “Unruly”, which unexpectedly Best Nordic Film at the Goteborg Film Festival, defeating
favorites “Godland” and “Let the River Flow”, also failed to make the list. In the end, Mads and
Nikolaj should get this fairly easily.</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcq6_bdXu_MCbHR6o7qOi7bgfopl1P_g7D03TZrgoyME4LAMLJk63o8_wwcPna2L7Do1udHmUSiNXkCgkJbGAtbBnmA75ySgIXuclLbq0yoaj2v0QrhVJPDYi-u_uysJ744J3zpn53G0xCpXGhKQmV6E1ysHwnO2MME9Kr97TDBH2ArQXl2ihjNrB7wXyJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcq6_bdXu_MCbHR6o7qOi7bgfopl1P_g7D03TZrgoyME4LAMLJk63o8_wwcPna2L7Do1udHmUSiNXkCgkJbGAtbBnmA75ySgIXuclLbq0yoaj2v0QrhVJPDYi-u_uysJ744J3zpn53G0xCpXGhKQmV6E1ysHwnO2MME9Kr97TDBH2ArQXl2ihjNrB7wXyJ=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <b>FINLAND- “Fallen Leaves” (if Kaurismaki allows it to be
submitted) </b>Finland doesn’t have too
many options this year and their two frontrunners both have problems. The undisputed
critical darling of the year in Finland is Aki Kaurismaki’s “Fallen Leaves”.
However, the grouchy director- who cannot separate art from politics- has made
six films since 1996. Four were selected to represent Finland at the Oscars....but he
demanded that two be withdrawn (purposefully waiting until after the deadline to make sure that no other Finnish director could be selected instead) but he allowed two to compete ("Le Havre" and "Man Without A Past"). When his
most recent film, “The Other Side of Hope”, came out in 2017, he announced (in
advance, this time) that he didn’t want his film considered, opening the door for the sexy “Tom of Finland”. “Fallen Leaves”, winner of
the Cannes Jury Prize, has gotten some wonderful reviews for its story of two
lonely people finding romance….but there’s no way of knowing if the
temperamental director will allow it to be submitted. Finland’s second-best
options, family Christmas dramedy “Family Time” (Berlin), and
polyamory drama “Four Little Adults” (the feature debut of Oscar-nominated
Short Film director Selma Vilhunen) aren't scheduled to be released until November and December respectively. Unlike some other countries, Finland doesn't do early releases for the Oscars. So I’m confused. If
none of these are eligible, then the race is wide open and Finland
will likely choose a late release that hasn’t premiered yet, probably “Lapua
1976” (a true-story factory explosion), ”Je’vida” (Tribeca/Toronto; filmed in an obscure Sami dialect) or “Power
of Love” (which looks like a rural “Blue Valentine”?). This is all up to
Kaurismaki. I'm hearing he has said yes....So it’s probably “Fallen Leaves”. If not, it’s probably “Je’vida”.</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhclkzK666pbJtZzPhM7af5JiAw2qFprAxOSaJoSKyTVv5FaH9TVQT1O4FLfszs48e1Kv6TO3myuB1vDiYWJoldrWQdo0rxL5PmFUCkrFc-vIdjkZs6pXbLg8rVdcBtJPdmlzCMKJfhVT_ZTxwX2XX_34ocZCtwPRWG1n6yIptWNOmtMJ6hjUe8Dwu8kkVU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhclkzK666pbJtZzPhM7af5JiAw2qFprAxOSaJoSKyTVv5FaH9TVQT1O4FLfszs48e1Kv6TO3myuB1vDiYWJoldrWQdo0rxL5PmFUCkrFc-vIdjkZs6pXbLg8rVdcBtJPdmlzCMKJfhVT_ZTxwX2XX_34ocZCtwPRWG1n6yIptWNOmtMJ6hjUe8Dwu8kkVU=w285-h175" width="285" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><b>5. FRANCE- "Anatomy of a Fall" (<i>Anatomie d'une Chute) </i></b>France announced a 5-film shortlist today, with five well-regarded films, including four from the Cannes Film Festival - Palme d'Or winner "Anatomy of a Fall", Best Director Winner "The Taste of Things" (<i>Le pot-au-feu)</i>, Un Certain Regard participant "The Animal Kingdom" (<i>Le Règne animal</i>) and Cannes Critics Week (2022) participant "Sons of Ramses" (<i>Goutte d'or)</i>. Three of the five have big international stars- </span></span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">Oscar winner Jean Dujardin stars in "On the Wandering Paths" (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><i>Sur les chemins noirs</i>, </span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: -0.25in;">the only non-Cannes title), </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Oscar winner Juliette Binoche stars in "The Taste of Things", and Romain Duris stars in "The Animal Kingdom". To represent the great filmmaking nation of France, you have to have a high-profile, great reviews and be accessible to AMPAS. That eliminates three films from the list. The small-scale "Sons of Ramses", a thriller about a phony psychic facing off against a Moroccan gang, was a surprise finalist (possibly knocking out Johnny Depp's "Jeanne du Barry"??). It has good reviews but is probably too small to represent <i>la France</i>. "On the Wandering Paths", about an active explorer who goes on a solo trek after being crippled in accident, sounds inspiring but reviews haven't been as strong as the other four. And while "Animal Kingdom" does have good reviews, a sci-fi adventure (even an intellectual one) about a world where some people begin mutating in animals will be seen as too "genre" and too risky....especially after body horror movie "Titane" didn't even get shortlisted. So, this is very much a two-way race. The first candidate is murder-mystery-thriller "Anatomy of a Fall", about a young blind man who is the only witness to his father's death....possibly a suicide, or possibly a murder committed by his mother. The second is "The Taste of Things", a period drama about food, food and food...in the tradition of Oscar winner "Babette's Feast". Despite the reorganization of the French committee, it's difficult to see them rejecting a critically acclaimed Palme d'Or winner. "Anatomy of a Fall" has the best reviews of the five. However, they could be turned off by the fact that the film is approximately 60% in French and 40% in English. In that case, French-Vietnamese </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;">Tran Anh Hung ("Scent of Green Papaya") could contend for his second Oscar nomination. But I'm predicting the Palme d'Or winner, followed by "Taste" and "Animal Kingdom" in a very distant third. </span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXFtQlZqaYGy_SazpGYjVZ4jMZ01-66d7p7VwQM6ODBaQEjtAeihU7ayOLLUmCL8eq38f3cdL_tYwJIbGNxtpEvg-ndr250TUa2CwUYCL-xaGvauzSQkIdIaiMjKmzrjDjVhcAa9HNZMG9osY8pK39ZlJq4av5Yj3vHEQwY6vYCwOlOMefI6h7UJf0q0FF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="500" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXFtQlZqaYGy_SazpGYjVZ4jMZ01-66d7p7VwQM6ODBaQEjtAeihU7ayOLLUmCL8eq38f3cdL_tYwJIbGNxtpEvg-ndr250TUa2CwUYCL-xaGvauzSQkIdIaiMjKmzrjDjVhcAa9HNZMG9osY8pK39ZlJq4av5Yj3vHEQwY6vYCwOlOMefI6h7UJf0q0FF=w135-h166" width="135" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>6. GERMANY- “The Teacher's Lounge" </b>Germany announced a 12-film shortlist in August, including three directors who've been picked before. Before the announcement, I divided the films into three tiers:</span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tier One: </span></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt;"><b>Afire
</b>(Berlinale Jury Prize), <b>Teacher’s Lounge</b> (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay
and Actress, German Film Awards), <b>The Theory of Everything</b> (Venice), <b>A Whole
Life</b></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tier Two: </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt;">Anselm, Elaha,
Sisi & I, Weekend Rebels</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tier Three: </span></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt;">The
Ordinaries, Orphea in Love, What You Can See From Here, A Woman</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span> In my opinion, only the Top Tier films had any remote chance of representing Germany. Germany announced before I had a chance to write the films up but I was planning on predicting the universally beloved "Teacher's Lounge", with "Whole Life" a very close second, and "The Theory of Everything" a bit further behind in third. </span><br /></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipMC34BsXbK9dUCrtrAmgJYlsPoH_0O4Dzy0qrR7Z0bKITcSxyiXI9D5Znj6NtIZ9tEnRCX3uEt5u_AS8BELTFYLl556YnKDcS-f8N7JHx7ofHxpbmKyPjaRpf_VvCYlEF7-gpPN8JIxhVmBLHG66SCUYzZwEoMvuDGQQ0vUdbqocl6tG9B6B1NY80_rEp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipMC34BsXbK9dUCrtrAmgJYlsPoH_0O4Dzy0qrR7Z0bKITcSxyiXI9D5Znj6NtIZ9tEnRCX3uEt5u_AS8BELTFYLl556YnKDcS-f8N7JHx7ofHxpbmKyPjaRpf_VvCYlEF7-gpPN8JIxhVmBLHG66SCUYzZwEoMvuDGQQ0vUdbqocl6tG9B6B1NY80_rEp=w138-h200" width="138" /></a></span></b></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">7. GREENLAND-
“Twice Colonized”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">Greenland hasn’t sent a film since 2012 and I’ve
heard their selection committee is long defunct. That’s a shame because Greenland
(population: 57,000) has a growing film industry and an annual film festival.
If they do return this year, it will certainly be Sundance documentary “Twice
Colonized”, about an activist/lawyer trying to promote Greenlandic language and
culture under Danish rule. It has a Danish director but boasts some local
Greenlandic crew and “creative control”. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmIALDElNTeOrRcsJDHi5bUfdli1b02Gz8kvZvmLYh6OdAbzyHGQX6qlJQIrtoBNzzJkRLXw5Ew5oucaL6cqDgXWxXrUCrl67KB4KXYlJaKVgD9i7iflJApx9_0EUGWL9wbAFH5XTBEYNzHYJhYy5duLC9mX9M5OKDJuQ8cS09eHDNtg0g8TptcIkdd31w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="717" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmIALDElNTeOrRcsJDHi5bUfdli1b02Gz8kvZvmLYh6OdAbzyHGQX6qlJQIrtoBNzzJkRLXw5Ew5oucaL6cqDgXWxXrUCrl67KB4KXYlJaKVgD9i7iflJApx9_0EUGWL9wbAFH5XTBEYNzHYJhYy5duLC9mX9M5OKDJuQ8cS09eHDNtg0g8TptcIkdd31w=w146-h171" width="146" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>8. GREECE- “Behind the Haystacks”</b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"> In the
past, the winner of Best Greek Film at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (usually)
went to the Oscars. Since the creation of the Hellenic Film Awards, the winner
of Best Picture (2010-2015, 2021-2022) usually but not always goes to the
Oscars. When “Behind the Haystacks” won both of these precursor awards, it became the clear favorite to represent Greece. It swept the local Greek Film Awards, and the story focus on a moral dilemma drama (I love
these) focusing on a family that begins to help refugees cross the porous Balkan borders in exchange for economic benefits. But it’s not an automatic process like
Thessaloniki used to be, so the Greek Academy could easily choose “Black
Stone”, a dramedy about an overprotective Greek mother who agrees to participate
in a documentary to clear her beloved son’s name…but who learns she may not
know him as well as she thought. It got nominated for seven Hellenic Film
Awards, winning one (Best Actress). It will almost certainly be one of these
two but other options include “Animalia” (Locarno) about dancers who perform in
tourist resort shows, “Listen”, about a young deaf woman, or breezy LGBT
comedy “Summer with Carmen” (though I think that will be eligible next year). </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPUp656nWrAGTW_aFNl3PNbC7fnpj79oi-dM-5qvJfxsofsbuQ1Ib6fnOn6BrvqCuE5VVa9zaDDKAN8xVbMzcgyRzyCvft8Xq_bforbFr0mzGRuYiljwKmsALxf6wTA-A1rPJjJKtCaDH6cKk5XAuSmGhoCXubexwsAL5l9XT558BiuV6KbVU8M68-m0MF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1288" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPUp656nWrAGTW_aFNl3PNbC7fnpj79oi-dM-5qvJfxsofsbuQ1Ib6fnOn6BrvqCuE5VVa9zaDDKAN8xVbMzcgyRzyCvft8Xq_bforbFr0mzGRuYiljwKmsALxf6wTA-A1rPJjJKtCaDH6cKk5XAuSmGhoCXubexwsAL5l9XT558BiuV6KbVU8M68-m0MF=w153-h171" width="153" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>9. ICELAND-
“Godland” </b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">Godland, about a young 19<sup>th</sup>
century Danish priest sent to a remote part of Iceland, has won tons of awards
and gotten tons of exposure since it premiered at Cannes Un Certain Regard
2022. It premiered in Icelandic cinemas in March 2023 and got a limited U.S.
release this summer. In any other year, quirky dramedy “Driving Mum”, about a
man on a road trip with his dead mother to fulfill her final dying wish, would
represent Iceland easily. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdHWlidrEGhu8tMqSi9cIXkdgf826MAQ4AZFLdCw6gp1sCxuxVYIngtx3LekmMO3BdXlRokxkVBrYCr18RHNodObhv1hjp14t385iI2YPebZQ2U77dzfkRHYLyL9gPHUB0cmwjfXqLHIbNESTCf15IX2-z7gsvMbWtpLTvPFEiuC6H9aQJq-2cx-fiX-U3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdHWlidrEGhu8tMqSi9cIXkdgf826MAQ4AZFLdCw6gp1sCxuxVYIngtx3LekmMO3BdXlRokxkVBrYCr18RHNodObhv1hjp14t385iI2YPebZQ2U77dzfkRHYLyL9gPHUB0cmwjfXqLHIbNESTCf15IX2-z7gsvMbWtpLTvPFEiuC6H9aQJq-2cx-fiX-U3" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>10. IRELAND- “Viva Mary”</b></span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Ireland was nominated in almost every
category at last year’s Oscars and much was made of their first-ever nomination
in the International Feature category for the sweet “The Quiet Girl”, a rare
box-office and critical hit in the Irish language, spoken by only 2% of Irish
people on a daily basis. They have had Irish language features eligible the
past three years (and at least two in 2021 and 2022) which is why it’s so sad that they don't have any this year, to follow up on their historic Oscar nomination. They
did have three new short-but-feature-length documentaries (50 to 70 minutes) in
Irish and English at the Galway Film Festival, as well as one in Arabic (“In
the Shadow of Beirut”) by a previously submitted documentary filmmaker. None of
these look especially likely and I fear Ireland may be absent for the first
time since 2018. But their best option is “Viva Mary”, a spare 52-minute
documentary about the life of a feisty Irish grandmother who has been an
educator, a sailor and a housewife. I have “Rebel Hearts”, about lesbian
relationships in early 20th century Ireland, in second place.</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK_19qQYJe4UaNTo48Qmq0HdxD6SYjvO9KwCTU58VZCv7SOI4muJV0AM8d4uuocn4OEShDCJVQKBdzXkNhxQ2m0Cx9eTcXnC67Oa5cEVuhRiSGs5o2dxLtmuaAWcdlx_ERs_8fN2wTfIdL4BdbDaYDy6VQH96BvkTUUUlZKQ4WaHYZLroZvR6_CThlPm76" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK_19qQYJe4UaNTo48Qmq0HdxD6SYjvO9KwCTU58VZCv7SOI4muJV0AM8d4uuocn4OEShDCJVQKBdzXkNhxQ2m0Cx9eTcXnC67Oa5cEVuhRiSGs5o2dxLtmuaAWcdlx_ERs_8fN2wTfIdL4BdbDaYDy6VQH96BvkTUUUlZKQ4WaHYZLroZvR6_CThlPm76=w141-h200" width="141" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><b>11. ITALY- " La chimera" </b>Italy announced that twelve films had registered to represent the country, including films directed by one Oscar winner (Gabriele Salvatores), one Oscar nominee (Alba Rohrwacher), two Palme d'Or winners (Nanni Moretti and Marco Bellocchio) plus a two-time Cannes Jury Prize winner and Venice Golden Lion nominee (Mateo Garrone). The four men have represented Italy a total of eight times, though only Gabriele Salvatores has made it to the next round, winning for "Mediterraneo" in 1991/1992. I've divided the twelve films into six tiers of two:</span></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><b>Tier One: The Captain (Garrone; Venice), La chimera (Rohrwacher; Cannes)</b></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><b>Tier Two: Kidnapped (Bellocchio; Cannes), </b></span></span><b style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">Last Night of Amore (Berlin)</b></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><b>Tier Three: A Brighter Tomorrow (Moretti; Cannes), Fireworks</b></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Tier Four:<span> Casanova's Return (Salvatores), Thank You Guys</span></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;"><span>Tier Five: <span> </span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;">C’e ancora domani, Mixed by Erry</span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;">Tier Six:<span> Noi anna luce, Land of Women</span><span></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span>The films in Tiers Four through Six either have weak reviews (Casanova, Noi anna luce and especially Land of Women), no buzz (the yet-to-be-released C'e ancora domani) or will be considered too light (comedies Thank You Guys and Mixed by Erry). Although Salvatores has won before, he's not in contention this year. </span></span></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">Google Nanni Moretti's "meta" comedy "A Brighter Tomorrow" (in which he directs, writers, produces and stars) about a director confronting his complicated family history while directing a movie, and you'll get wildly uneven reviews. The <i>Guardian </i>called it "</span></span><span style="color: #5f6368; font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold;">bafflingly awful</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><b>"</b> </span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">though others say it's charming. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">Though "Fireworks", about two gay teens in violent 1980s Sicily, has some of the best reviews it's probably the only one without a chance, since it has the least buzz, minimal festival play, and a subject matter that may make the Italian Academy uneasy. So they're probably out. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: -0.25in;">And that leaves our Top 4, which includes three of the big names- Garrone's migrant drama "The Captain", Rohrwacher's comedy "La chimera" and Marco Bellocchio's period religious drama "Kidnapped", plus crime thriller "Last Night of Amore". The other four play to what the Italians usually choose- Italy has selected three movies centered on migration and four crime dramas since 2011; Rohrwacher's film seems to be channeling Fellini and Sorrentino; and 82-year old Bellocchio is following in the footsteps of his own three previous submissions. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">While I'm rooting for comedy "La chimera", Italy's Academy almost never chooses women directors (only 2 1/2 times since 1990; Cristina Comenici was their second choice when "Private" was disqualified) and Rohrwacher has been a favorite twice before ("The Wonders" was beaten by human trafficking drama "Terraferma", while "Happy as Lazarro" was beaten by Garrone's "Dogman"). I fear she may experience deja vu. Garrone's "The Captain", about young African migrants going through hell trying to illegally emigrate to Europe, is arguably the best-reviewed film of the year and it just won Best Director at Venice. I know "Captain" is the favorite and fits the Italian Academy...but I'm hoping that Rohrwacher's Best Short Film nomination last year and the fact that Garrone was picked twice without success since 2008 (for the very good "Dogman" and the dreadful, overrated "Gomorrah") may give her the edge. But probably not. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">Bellocchio's 19th century anti-Semitism drama "Kidnapped", based on the true story of the abduction of a Jewish child by the Catholic church, just got a 5-star review from the Guardian, and will definitely have its supporters. But Bellocchio was picked just four years ago...although he's 82 and every film could be his last. "Last Night of Amore" is a slick crime drama with very good reviews...but they picked a crime drama starring </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;">Pierfrancisco Favino last year....These two are probably great films but I think this is a two-way race between the two frontrunners. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px;"><br /> </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 18.6667px;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW14rG-LVE-8mcNA_5RUGac9wfOjiFBb86RfxSyJZS7ksxnmnHxhn6xCufiafKA3WQGNSZ-t9Fe5r_kXbw3_ObXvwvl98QeYKGnqlts5drnSFS0VVPUqpw-XpBD9_ZvtvUOeL8LuOmqvGMiT2X2WVn1kRYzeArBktOJzT0rryVXoIVh44lHmLoQKlAOUY4" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="679" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW14rG-LVE-8mcNA_5RUGac9wfOjiFBb86RfxSyJZS7ksxnmnHxhn6xCufiafKA3WQGNSZ-t9Fe5r_kXbw3_ObXvwvl98QeYKGnqlts5drnSFS0VVPUqpw-XpBD9_ZvtvUOeL8LuOmqvGMiT2X2WVn1kRYzeArBktOJzT0rryVXoIVh44lHmLoQKlAOUY4=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #1d2228;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">12. LUXEMBOURG-
“Little Duke" </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">As far as I know,
tiny Luxembourg has four eligible options (in alphabetical order) “The Last Ashes”, a
B&W feminist revenge drama set in the 19<sup>th</sup> century, “Little Duke”, about two aging friends with money problems
who are surprised to inherit a debt-ridden pub, “Maret”, a thriller about a
woman with amnesia, and “Wolfkin”, a horror-drama about a woman whose son inherits monstruous qualities from her estranged family. Directors
Laura Schroeder (“Maret”) and Andy Bausch (“Little Duke”) have been picked
before. “Maret” was the only local feature in competition at the Luxembourg
City Film Festival but “Duke” has the stronger reviews. Bausch, one of Luxembourg’s
first directors to work in the local language, made Luxembourg’s second-ever
Oscar submission in 1998 and picking him would be
a kind of lifetime achievement award. I say “Duke” will get this, followed by
“The Last Ashes”, “Wolfkin” and “Maret” in last place. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijEOupU2vjHJn12hdP3HDuf2x25bGFiB6NeOIZPi9d9lolg5cjsrxaSwY1axuklSNmkejuMfCPDvlsBmnEkjm7ceh8if-FvqW6DzEk-XNS-CY7cBJnJJkTwpIEMXBBS41y18PmrzrTHT2XkwRDU_UxSGW_8Lm2n3I0VOe5m0h4dVKcIa91Ec-GrU_HKx8J" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1268" data-original-width="1258" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijEOupU2vjHJn12hdP3HDuf2x25bGFiB6NeOIZPi9d9lolg5cjsrxaSwY1axuklSNmkejuMfCPDvlsBmnEkjm7ceh8if-FvqW6DzEk-XNS-CY7cBJnJJkTwpIEMXBBS41y18PmrzrTHT2XkwRDU_UxSGW_8Lm2n3I0VOe5m0h4dVKcIa91Ec-GrU_HKx8J" width="149" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>13. MALTA- “Night Owl” </b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tiny Malta has sent films two years in a row
though the charming but flawed “Carmen” was disqualified last year because it was
definitely more than 50% in English. Beautiful Malta is branding itself as an
international filming location and they don’t have many Maltese-language
productions. They did release a Maltese-language comedy this year based on a popular TV sketch show- “Klassi
Ghalina versus Dragula”, but they surely won’t send that. If they try to enter, it
will likely be 50-minute short film “Night Owl” (films can enter if they are
40 minutes or more) about a Maltese expat in Korea…but like “Carmen”, the
trailer has quite a bit of English dialogue. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuSlggX7XFBkizeahpP6QebzkjeUnJ8FsBgpDr2KZzcWL-m9lXWTEXPen5fkUA_KTp99lJF9kjumPoC25C5jrXGbmNuoG7YB0-QQJH9B6Ai-lo1M8Qg0q9ho2tlLwOCR86AD8l1N_h4o62exqBzhLINhD1yGtXfu8BSgUDucXUwwxVQgXNjBPunSDb9PxX" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="839" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuSlggX7XFBkizeahpP6QebzkjeUnJ8FsBgpDr2KZzcWL-m9lXWTEXPen5fkUA_KTp99lJF9kjumPoC25C5jrXGbmNuoG7YB0-QQJH9B6Ai-lo1M8Qg0q9ho2tlLwOCR86AD8l1N_h4o62exqBzhLINhD1yGtXfu8BSgUDucXUwwxVQgXNjBPunSDb9PxX=w157-h189" width="157" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">14. NETHERLANDS- “When We Lost to the Germans” (written August 20) </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">The Netherlands announced a shortlist of 15
films on August 14<sup>th</sup>. I think we can eliminate five of these films
right off the bat (comedy “All-Inclusive”, depression drama “Broken”, Netflix
mystery “Faithfully Yours”, low-budget immigrant drama “That Afternoon”, and
family thriller “Under Water”). Reviews just aren’t good enough. The next tier
of films have mostly good reviews but are probably too small or not mainstream
enough to represent the country at the Oscars- “Inside My Heart”, a documentary
about intellectually disabled actors, “Kiddo”, a mother-daughter road movie
that played at Berlinale’s 14+ Section, “The Man From Rome”, a comedy-thriller
about a priest, “Mascot”, a gritty indie about a troubled youth, and “Under the
Naked Sky”, an upcoming film about a girl with an intellectually disabled
mother. And then there were five. </span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"> I think the five frontrunners with a real
chance at representing the kingdom at the Oscars are (1)- “Line of Fire”, a
drama (premiering in September) about a Dutch war hero who is unable to translate
his wartime successes to the real world, (2)- “Lost Transport”, a Holocaust drama
about three women from three nationalities who find friendship in the closing
days of WWII, (3)- “Summer Brother”, the Closing Film for this year’s
Nederlands Film Festival, about a boy developing a relationship with his mentally disabled brother, (4)- “Sweet Dreams”, set at a
Dutch-Indonesian colonial plantation, and (5)- “When We Lost to the Germans”, a
period drama set in 1974, about two Dutch boys and the mysterious disappearance
of a classmate. Most people are predicting “Sweet Dreams”, which is the only
film on the list that has screened at a major festival (Locarno and Toronto)… and has earned much praise as a comeback vehicle for 80s star Renée Soutendijk.
And the sumptuous, exotic “Sweet Dreams” looks beautiful and is very, very possible! But recently,
the Netherlands Academy has picked an underdog (perhaps one reason they
haven’t been nominated in 20 years?) and has preferred small, intimate films
over big ones…“Do Not Hesitate” and “Instinct” were both good….”Narcosis” was
fine…”Bulado” was a mess….But what they all four had in common was that they were barely known before (and even after)
they were selected over bigger titles. So, I’m going rogue and predicting the Netherlands selects
the upcoming “When We Lost to the Germans”, with “Sweet Dreams” a close second,
“Line of Fire” in third and “Summer Brother” in fourth. The baity “Lost
Transport” whose premise is stronger than its reviews will come a strong fifth
place.</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizqi8i8EzYRT56HhjELkw4HRrDb_eN43ztZ8zynm2GRMRhOj9N-2byMnpjVFZNBUWr7Q_L-zn7YZNQFtGEbh_bfdeK2lFS7rnEOEA0jfecoDWsRvdUBchscqUjiyO1ImgdUhtAaJBhwLYwEWsFZ08PEOujjTG6RIK-G51UJanZJCwjVI51cxI63wQaZy7I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEizqi8i8EzYRT56HhjELkw4HRrDb_eN43ztZ8zynm2GRMRhOj9N-2byMnpjVFZNBUWr7Q_L-zn7YZNQFtGEbh_bfdeK2lFS7rnEOEA0jfecoDWsRvdUBchscqUjiyO1ImgdUhtAaJBhwLYwEWsFZ08PEOujjTG6RIK-G51UJanZJCwjVI51cxI63wQaZy7I=w145-h187" width="145" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>15. </b></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">NORWAY- “Narvik: Hitler’s First
Defeat” </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">Norway
usually announces a three-film shortlist before naming their Oscar candidate….and this year I
suspect that those three spots will go to “Let the River Flow”, “Narvik:
Hitler’s First Defeat” and “The Riot”, with “Dancing Queen” hoping to knock one
of those films out of the third slot. The Norwegian Academy sometimes chooses
its most “critically acclaimed” film of the year (“Hope”, “Worst Person in the
World”) but they often go with their “biggest, most impressive” films of
the year (“War Sailor”, “The Wave”, “Kon-Tiki”), in an effort to impress AMPAS
voters. “Let the River Run” tells the true story of a Sami (Lapp) indigenous
community in northern Norway fighting back against government efforts to build
a dam. This story, set between 1979-1981, tells the story of an important moment
in Norwegian history and won Best Picture and Best Director at the 2023 Amanda Awards (“War
Sailor” didn’t get a Picture, Director or Screenplay nomination). “Narvik”
didn’t do very well at the Amandas (it got a Best Actress nomination and four
tech nods) and reviews aren’t nearly as good as “River”. But it’s one of the most
expensive Norwegian movies ever made, it has a Netflix streaming deal in the
U.S., and it tells the patriotic story of the first defeat of Nazi forces
during WWII, by Norwegian forces. Last year’s shortlist was almost entirely
films that had U.S. distribution deals (“War Sailor” premiered on Netflix <b>after </b>the
announcement of the shortlist) and “Narvik” will likely resonate more with
American audiences. “The Riot” (Sulis) is the third period contender. Directed
by Nils Gaup, who directed Norway’s first Oscar nominee in the modern era
(“Pathfinder”), The Riot” is about an early 20<sup>th</sup> century mining
rebellion. The fourth strong contender- “Dancing Queen”- is described by one
Letterboxd reviewer as “Napoleon Dynamite meets Pitch Perfect meets John
Hughes” (!) and is a well-liked feel-good dance movie but it may have trouble shifting
one of the three heavyweights. A few dark horses: “Sister, What Grows Where
Land Is Sick?” got an Amanda Best Pic nomination against “Let the River Flow”
and comedy “Sick of Myself” (which was on Norway’s shortlist last year);
societal satire “The Hypnosis” (Karlovy Vary); and documentary “Last Film” is
about a filmmaker trying to complete his final film. I think “Narvik” has the
edge, though “Let the River Flow” (#2) and “The Riot” (#3) are extremely close.</span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIvwy5mkl5x0MxNs564KWMZM03YLj3GL64TwFvW6l_emxfE6IZEXhQJ2-C8359CCzw_ZhItUaoN35MVE0U0vB25qtAhoCO6GrSK3XOnLvZO66-QeH5u1w4sVw00xgSNS8-dUMyxSfV625jXB4N5Ik_UxFCfDPo8KtOzm_TAVAs0WJI2TcnN3gHGe-LuS7S" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1441" data-original-width="1000" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjIvwy5mkl5x0MxNs564KWMZM03YLj3GL64TwFvW6l_emxfE6IZEXhQJ2-C8359CCzw_ZhItUaoN35MVE0U0vB25qtAhoCO6GrSK3XOnLvZO66-QeH5u1w4sVw00xgSNS8-dUMyxSfV625jXB4N5Ik_UxFCfDPo8KtOzm_TAVAs0WJI2TcnN3gHGe-LuS7S=w143-h192" width="143" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">16. PORTUGAL</span></span></b><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">- “Bad
Living” </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">Portugal
did the unthinkable last year….They picked a good film! No women whispering in
the dark….No narrators reading poetry about their relatives….No three-hour
run-times…..”Alma Viva” was charming, original and special. Bravo Portugal!
Keep going! Portugal almost always chooses a film that premiered at one of
the big festivals…Nine of the past ten years, the Portuguese submission
premiered at Berlin, Cannes, Locarno or Venice. That means the frontrunners are
“Bad Living” (Silver Berlin Bear Jury Prize at Berlin 2023) and “Tommy Guns”
(winner of two minor awards at Venice 2022) or- less likely- “Legua" (Cannes) or "Baan” or “Manga
d’Terra” (both Locarno 2023). I think “Bad Living”, about
a group of female relatives sniping at each other while running a hotel, will
be picked. It’s high-profile and has mostly positive reviews. Portugal has
never been nominated and probably won’t be anytime soon, but this would be the best entry for them. Other films in the mix include one by a previously selected
director- migrant drama “Great Yarmouth” (Marco Martins), plus glossy period
movies- crime drama “Worst Man in London” and artist biopic “Amadeo”. My
predictions for the Top Four: “Bad Living”, “Tommy Guns”, “Worst Man in London”
and “Great Yarmouth”. I expect all four on the shortlist. (<b>UPDATE: Only "Bad Living" made the real 4-film Portugal shortlist, along with "Legua", "Living Bad" and an animated cartoon called "Nayola"....But "Bad Living" ended up being selected as Portugal's Oscar candidate). </b></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIped126xULZ45z6v-8q8al4fnB6MpuDyamt9RNfyKJvth01G8G0664f4rUlhqE4unjwrCDSS1A2Es1NsNptkK99itZ9xo6PPIWsF9mtoqa8QDKHOnxztjWOX0BtDToMzgJifuKBd39d2vdk8h-Km0eK9mGPaWPSoQhVpavMsDaJ7uW4h-sxS8h6lSv1ks" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="300" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIped126xULZ45z6v-8q8al4fnB6MpuDyamt9RNfyKJvth01G8G0664f4rUlhqE4unjwrCDSS1A2Es1NsNptkK99itZ9xo6PPIWsF9mtoqa8QDKHOnxztjWOX0BtDToMzgJifuKBd39d2vdk8h-Km0eK9mGPaWPSoQhVpavMsDaJ7uW4h-sxS8h6lSv1ks" width="163" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">17. SPAIN- "Society of Snow"</span></span></b></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixEo_WvVob4MSY6irTzMc4JyzFY3ppiMfFCNHTjSjfTIHx-HFvJRJlEy_U9xKcppAiJ3HcYFuulDmyLmnl-I2qAaHgT0_FEDDJDRjhrDeOkqXacgfhof5tXz0IarNBL5s_p0UjuxkYxtzGTNwc3gGpZwZAbZ54kZ15WcezTWxASZsQS7ZG8nHfQXgcEk4i" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="322" data-original-width="225" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixEo_WvVob4MSY6irTzMc4JyzFY3ppiMfFCNHTjSjfTIHx-HFvJRJlEy_U9xKcppAiJ3HcYFuulDmyLmnl-I2qAaHgT0_FEDDJDRjhrDeOkqXacgfhof5tXz0IarNBL5s_p0UjuxkYxtzGTNwc3gGpZwZAbZ54kZ15WcezTWxASZsQS7ZG8nHfQXgcEk4i=w154-h180" width="154" /></a></span></span></b></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">18.</span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SWEDEN- “Paradise is Burning” </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ever since 2019, Sweden has joined their fellow Scandinavians in
announcing a three-film shortlist prior to announcing their final candidate. I
suspect that will be “Opponent”, a Persian/Swedish-language drama about
wrestling, “Paradise is Burning”, which will premiere in Venice next month, and
Levan Akin’s upcoming drama “Passage” (aka “Crossing”) set in Turkey and Georgia.
A half dozen other films could get that third shortlist spot, including new
films by previously submitted directors Lukas Moodysson (“Together 99”, a
sequel) and Andreas Ohman (“One Day All This Will Be Yours”, which has weak
reviews) plus “The Abyss”, “Bullets”, “Exodus” (an Arabic-language human
trafficking drama, and the mostly likely of the six) and “The Sugar
Experiment”. Any of the Top Three could easily get picked; only “Opponent”,
which stars Payman Maadi (the husband from “A Separation) as a middle-aged
immigrant who gets asylum in Sweden and joins a wrestling club, has screened
for critics. Akin has been selected once before so I suspect his queer drama
will be beaten by “Paradise is Burning”, a baitier film about three teens
trying to survive after being abandoned by their mother. “Opponent” will likely
come a very close second. (<b>UPDATE: "Paradise is Burning" and "Opponent" made the Swedish shortlist but "Crossing" didn't premiere in time. "Together 99", rather than "Exodus", got the third slot but it won't be selected. This is down to the Top Two). </b></span></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieuGdrMPrFSqCl8u2239rl41kl_LJEmBYpUXOzbKZ1iee-7LKIv9HhajBTcFTX-CybWj8SPTp2HZV875ufJIoDuZxQ0emIrNetGTGxgxsEK4e_l2nR1_QrCjmUZXUzuzVDn6d94Zfonf0PSTXiFuOD4qkh0O2CkL9iLjf-lZFXvYjUdwI4BGmNs_xXuDsC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1698" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieuGdrMPrFSqCl8u2239rl41kl_LJEmBYpUXOzbKZ1iee-7LKIv9HhajBTcFTX-CybWj8SPTp2HZV875ufJIoDuZxQ0emIrNetGTGxgxsEK4e_l2nR1_QrCjmUZXUzuzVDn6d94Zfonf0PSTXiFuOD4qkh0O2CkL9iLjf-lZFXvYjUdwI4BGmNs_xXuDsC" width="106" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="yiv6720800111ydp2f2f8bcfmsonormal" style="background: repeat white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;">19. </span>SWITZERLAND- “Let Me Go” </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; text-indent: -0.25in;">(Written August 3<sup>rd</sup>) Switzerland
announced a seven-film shortlist today and will announce their final pick at
the Locarno Film Festival tomorrow. It’s a pretty obscure list with five
fiction features and two documentaries (they’ve picked four documentaries in
the past ten years). Three are from French-speaking Switzerland, two from
German-speaking Switzerland, one from Italian-speaking Switzerland and one from
Georgia (and not from Switzerland at all!) Here are my predictions:</span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Let Me Go
(French)- </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This obscure French-language feature
played at a Cannes sidebar for independent films (ACID). It’s about the mother
of a disabled child who finds satisfaction in anonymous sexual encounters with
travelers…who is shocked when one man decides to stay and begin a
relationship…which she’s not sure she wants. It’s said to be a divisive film,
but the good reviews are quite good. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Blackbird
Blackbird Blackberry (Georgian)- </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If
this were really a Swiss film, I think it would get picked. It probably has the
best reviews and premiered in Cannes Director’s Fortnight….and Switzerland last
won the Oscar for a film in Kurdish….But it’s really not a Swiss film so I
think it will be the runner-up. Director Elene Naveriani studied film in
Switzerland. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thunder
(French)-</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> A film about faith and friendship set
in a small village when a novice nun returns home after the mysterious death of
her sister. It is probably considered the favorite and has the most festival
play since debuting at Toronto 2022. But it lost the Swiss Film Prize to “A
Piece of Sky”, which wasn’t a huge critical success, winning just Best Sound
and Best Score. I think Switzerland would rather pick something new. <b>(UPDATE: This is the film Switzerland ended up selecting)</b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Last Dance
(French)- </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Premiered at Locarno, Switzerland’s
leading film festival. It’s a well-reviewed comedy-drama about a widower adjusting
to life after his wife’s death. Switzerland picked the unheralded comedy “Wolkenbruch”
a few years ago (though that had a Netflix deal) though it’s certainly not as
serious as the other entries. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Röbi geht (German)-
</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A documentary following a 75-year old
who refuses chemotherapy when he’s told he has three months to live. Completely
off the radar….I had to add it to IMDB. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Becoming
Giulia (Italian)- </span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A documentary
about a prima ballerina trying to return to the cutthroat world of ballet
months after giving birth…Good reviews but it’s a small movie, even for
Switzerland. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">A Forgotten
Man (German)-</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Based on a true
story about the homecoming of the Swiss Ambassador who served in Berlin when
Switzerland chose neutrality during WWII, “A Forgotten Man” looks like total
Oscar bait. But ever since the Swiss Film Prize was created in 1998, all their
Oscar submissions got nominated for Best Feature Film or Best Documentary
Feature except twice (2002 and 2007….long, long time ago). But “A Forgotten
Man” didn’t so I think it’s out. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwm-pgSwbyZ_toJrvON52YkC_qExFxG5bzN585YLoG2kyX5a6t8-eQ2ifJRPHfZfpvVRPjHgNTp45xnt6f7BoVtRdSieBLPd6HU5fYDe8KuisZeVnN2mLB28S95-rl8QsdOGQlWZuKtcoimiBvORUzrMugk7Ca6c6cKCjDjLV9aDDGjO7g3F0gntAlvEU8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="671" data-original-width="680" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwm-pgSwbyZ_toJrvON52YkC_qExFxG5bzN585YLoG2kyX5a6t8-eQ2ifJRPHfZfpvVRPjHgNTp45xnt6f7BoVtRdSieBLPd6HU5fYDe8KuisZeVnN2mLB28S95-rl8QsdOGQlWZuKtcoimiBvORUzrMugk7Ca6c6cKCjDjLV9aDDGjO7g3F0gntAlvEU8=w200-h198" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>20. UNITED KINGDOM-
“Zone of Interest”- </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;">The UK is rarely a serous contender in this
category. This used to be a showcase for Welsh cinema (both of the UK’s Oscar
nominations in this category were Welsh films in the 1990s) but in the past ten
years, only one Welsh film has been selected; another five were based in the
Islamic world (Iran, Pakistan and Turkey), two in Africa (Malawi and Zambia)
and one in Asia (Philippines). This year the UK is one of the frontrunners,
having won the Cannes Jury Prize for “Zone of Interest”, a German-language film
by UK director Jonathan Glazer, about the home life of the superintendent of
Auschwitz Death Camp. That’s bad news for “Y Swyn”, a well-reviewed Welsh political
drama. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnCi5QYZfoKYFd6A263MMK-D3m9LOrcqroHmebUh09ZOHUTGhKRdDeRWnvLGpBGVgvFr-BzoWqP2GLMzzuftQR4lZnyPCksZzNzIRpd9ij7xGhlMUaqObsjLW2XC5wpfI7gBAJNic2Nd_aJ-1WNYdI5mabWl0EcnyJu_Hj57qnMXiiZ-53LP0mcjfZdoju" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1416" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnCi5QYZfoKYFd6A263MMK-D3m9LOrcqroHmebUh09ZOHUTGhKRdDeRWnvLGpBGVgvFr-BzoWqP2GLMzzuftQR4lZnyPCksZzNzIRpd9ij7xGhlMUaqObsjLW2XC5wpfI7gBAJNic2Nd_aJ-1WNYdI5mabWl0EcnyJu_Hj57qnMXiiZ-53LP0mcjfZdoju=w141-h200" width="141" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0.75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>CYPRUS </b>is the only EU country that has never sent a film to the Oscars and they'll probably send something eventually. This year's multi-strand "Iman", about three seemingly unrelated stories that come together during a terrorist attack, has played at quite a few regional film festivals (Thessaloniki, Sofia, Cyprus Film Days). It would be a fitting first submission for Cyprus. They also have abstract romantic drama "Embryo Larva Butterfly" (Thessaloniki). </span></p><p></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-8051335648864748552023-08-30T23:51:00.006-04:002023-09-18T00:46:35.295-04:00 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR, PREDICTIONS FOR THE AMERICAS (22 countries)<p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I was waiting for Venice to start and for Brazil to announce its shortlist (they announced an absurd 28 films earlier today) before publishing, but five of these countries (Canada, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay) decided to announce early</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">. I got them all wrong. 🙄</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitAvOd4dEgj3CHhcXfaKuZZ1XjIhs1ljYZwsBxmNWV3BggrI2o-uT5LMr9FlWWLDvf_CnwtaGBaiEsqGbTErAPxfMl8sWt3TtGyq8wRImx1VX25rwAnbBS0k40eFeCyjhD37sdn2Su1NydY9J17Qx_YUtQbPnaERVtfm20u8Bf6RjI2jznwFLvB4FUpCn1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEitAvOd4dEgj3CHhcXfaKuZZ1XjIhs1ljYZwsBxmNWV3BggrI2o-uT5LMr9FlWWLDvf_CnwtaGBaiEsqGbTErAPxfMl8sWt3TtGyq8wRImx1VX25rwAnbBS0k40eFeCyjhD37sdn2Su1NydY9J17Qx_YUtQbPnaERVtfm20u8Bf6RjI2jznwFLvB4FUpCn1" width="168" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>1. </b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold;">ARGENTINA- “Puan” </span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">As always, Argentina has plenty to choose from
but I think the race will come down to which of two exciting upcoming thrillers
gets better reviews- “Puan” (San Sebastian) or “The Rescue” (Venice Horizons). Kidnapping
drama “The Rescue”, starring Rodrigo de la Serna, is about a man whose brother
is held hostage for ransom. “Argentina 1985” was a Venice premiere (as were “El
clan”, “Distinguished Citizen” and “Zama”) and “The Rescue” is definitely the
favorite…but I’m predicting “Puan”, an “academic thriller” about a dedicated,
hard-working professor in line to become head of a department, who gets
overshadowed by a charismatic new arrival (Leonardo Sbaraglia). Just a hunch. Five
other options (in order) that could conceivably rep Latin America’s most
successful country (8 nominations, 2 wins) in this category: (1)- “Los
impactados” (San Sebastian), about a family whose daughter is struck by
lightning….director Lucia Puenzo has been picked twice before; (2)- “Chronicles
of a Wandering Saint” (SxSW), a low-key but very well-reviewed film about a
religious woman trying to perform a miracle, (3)- “About Thirty” (Berlin), a
comedy about an unlucky 30-year old; (4)- “Let the Dance Begin” (Malaga), about
three aging friends/tango dancers and (5)- “Blondi”, about a mother-daughter
relationship who act like sisters. Less possible: “The Delinquents” (Cannes),
“Ravaging Wind” (San Sebastian) and “Klezmer Project” (Berlin).</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvF5_t5h2tDho4PWbpoO4MS3fXwwMDdQgySe_zX3hzxy_XXGNWrjm0VXfDB6O8ww7wj1gLmjnDJsg3NyI8JMLp38Bv0mIDaqYhFtmgbCKWQrbRPD7MvP7sE9cfPMHX9PqSt1st8IkUkuzcoBglTeVuWz2WXAhK-m5M36KKonhbzY9dOHmzXl2R44Ozjohn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvF5_t5h2tDho4PWbpoO4MS3fXwwMDdQgySe_zX3hzxy_XXGNWrjm0VXfDB6O8ww7wj1gLmjnDJsg3NyI8JMLp38Bv0mIDaqYhFtmgbCKWQrbRPD7MvP7sE9cfPMHX9PqSt1st8IkUkuzcoBglTeVuWz2WXAhK-m5M36KKonhbzY9dOHmzXl2R44Ozjohn" width="150" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2. BOLIVIA- "The Visitor" </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Bolivia deserved at least a spot on the shortlist
for beautiful Sundance winner "Utama"....but the new voting rules
probably caused it to lose out. Bolivia only has a handful of national releases
this year, but it's still a competitive race. The favorite is "The
Visitor", which won Best Screenplay (International) at Tribeca 2022, about
a man released from prison who tries to develop a relationship with his young
daughter who has been raised by his Evangelical in-laws. 87-year old Jorge
Sanjines, considered one of the fathers of Bolivian national cinema also has a promising new film- "Old Soldiers"- about the friendship between an
indigenous Bolivian who moves to the city, and a white Bolivian who moves to
the countryside. But the leftist Sanjines turned down a previous opportunity to
rep Bolivia and his ideological films aren't likely to appeal to Western
audiences. It also may not premiere in time. Confusing drama "Los de abajo" (Best Actor, Moscow 2023), about a poor man
fighting a rich landowner, is a third possibility. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivmi7S40n2L4_u9naDkYyD5B0A7AHHlC-6NJIePmi0gxEoCDvv6rwMzG3CZSgMEX1GxVPilVpzavc0ebAW_wHr3JCX3w6EUTixoHWnFIyRvNtUpmSEjbWxmN-iBI8xdQywde3aFiUaAgh7FdoEPB6uqFZqUpMvBZW37Mre6ca0iqtuDKz5jNAV_onY3PZD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="534" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivmi7S40n2L4_u9naDkYyD5B0A7AHHlC-6NJIePmi0gxEoCDvv6rwMzG3CZSgMEX1GxVPilVpzavc0ebAW_wHr3JCX3w6EUTixoHWnFIyRvNtUpmSEjbWxmN-iBI8xdQywde3aFiUaAgh7FdoEPB6uqFZqUpMvBZW37Mre6ca0iqtuDKz5jNAV_onY3PZD=w132-h200" width="132" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"><b>3. BRAZIL- “Pictures of Ghosts” </b>Brazil announced that <a href="https://m.imdb.com/list/ls527492136/?ref_=m_urls_ls">28 films</a> registered to compete for the Oscar (possibly a record?) which they quickly whittled down to six, including five fiction features- “Alien Nights”, “Nosso Sonho”, “A Strange Path”, “Toll” and “Vultures”. It’s an unusual list almost completely focused on the Afro-Brazilian experience. Of these five, only “Toll” seems likely, although the fact that the unseen musical biopic “Nosso Sonho” made the list over higher profile entries mean it could be a surprise contender. I’m hoping they pick “Toll” the story of a homophobic Christian mother who gets involved with organized crime to earn money to send her son to “gay conversion” center. It’s the only one that got major festival play (Toronto, San Sebastián), although graffiti youth drama “Vultures” won Best Brazilian Film at São Paulo 2022. However, the favorite is the one documentary on the list, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ode to cinema, “Pictures of Ghosts”. The last time Brazil picked a documentary about cinema (“Babenco”) it was the worst film on the entire list (and one of the worst films I saw that year). But the critics adored “Ghosts”, about Recife’s decaying cinemas, which landed berths at Cannes, Toronto and New York and impressed film buffs who got “Last Film show” on the shortlist last year. Kleber is also felt to be “owed”. His “Aquarius” was snubbed, allegedly for political reasons, and they’ll want to reward him. I wasn’t impressed with his previous “Neighbouring Sounds”…but “Ghosts” will probably win against “Toll”…though I hope not. </span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">1. Pictures of Ghosts 54%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">2. Toll 40%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">3. Nosso Sonho 5%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">4. Vultures 1%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">5. Alien Nights 0%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">6. A Strange Path 0%</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5umJcv4KSX07_zs_p8tJKS0gNvUg33wuDd5fi9ppoJKQI4N2O9kzeCajjFrknmcVgUDho6O2TRKKELMSwy0UApdNo8PwxeeTotYZdIeuuhR9LGceRTXDBYKy3mqozfNMfgh_CPRGkyMYDZdTkxlW3B79YTeo7kLPU_tiyFPYXYDKX5zRksb6s4yvMZwQK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="470" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5umJcv4KSX07_zs_p8tJKS0gNvUg33wuDd5fi9ppoJKQI4N2O9kzeCajjFrknmcVgUDho6O2TRKKELMSwy0UApdNo8PwxeeTotYZdIeuuhR9LGceRTXDBYKy3mqozfNMfgh_CPRGkyMYDZdTkxlW3B79YTeo7kLPU_tiyFPYXYDKX5zRksb6s4yvMZwQK=w134-h200" width="134" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">4. CANADA- “The Nature of Love” (Simple comme Sylvain) </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Once a major power in this category,
Canada has been uneven recently and they haven’t been nominated in eleven years. Over
the past decade, they’ve sent some wonderfully deserving films (“Mommy”, “Drunken Birds”)
as well as odd duds (“Felix & Meira”, “Eternal Spring”). As usual, Canada has
plenty to choose from but many of their leading contenders are premiering at the Toronto Film Festival in September (many with unannounced
release dates) and it’s difficult to tell what is good and what is eligible. For
now, my prediction is “The Nature of Love” a well-reviewed relationship drama
about the problems of monogamy that earned quite good reviews for Monia Chokri at
Cannes Un Certain Regard. But it has plenty of competition, notably from two Toronto premieres- LGBT
drama “Solo” about Montreal’s drag scene and Holocaust
drama “Irena’s Vow”, about the Polish housekeeper to a Nazi officer who hides
Polish Jews. Both have female directors who were selected once before. Of
these two runner-ups, I give “Solo” the edge because it actually has a release
date, unlike “Irena”. Rounding out the Top Five from Canada are
“Temporaries” (Richelieu), about a woman trying to help exploited Guatemalan
migrant workers (“Drunken Birds” showed the Canadian Academy’s interest in
migrant stories) and “What We See”, a drama in Inuktikut about two First
Nations sisters separated by COVID restrictions. One final dark horse is
“Riceboy Sleeps”, a sleeper hit about a Korean-Canadian and his
immigrant mother…though the trailer seems to be about 50% in English and
Canadian won’t want to repeat a “Funny Boy” announcement and disqualification.
But it will be a strong contender if it’s eligible. <b>Update: Canada surprised everyone by going with little-known ISIS documentary “Rojek” </b></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2dDJHze1F4rYVZTe6EPLkNg6Xu-nWEvnNGSyBF9R2LLZqcnpLEQ0BOi2BFLDXkdA1EY4fW1cPlhG-zehoRTt4r31v-f4hzW6cUWASkuav4bAZJVrtEnZ19kbQXz26ZBrVzkS-FhaWmjwRhLlb_EUuw-RBGeJQAFqZgxrGq15ZlRN1nBziMGYLkZnwjvxk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="750" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2dDJHze1F4rYVZTe6EPLkNg6Xu-nWEvnNGSyBF9R2LLZqcnpLEQ0BOi2BFLDXkdA1EY4fW1cPlhG-zehoRTt4r31v-f4hzW6cUWASkuav4bAZJVrtEnZ19kbQXz26ZBrVzkS-FhaWmjwRhLlb_EUuw-RBGeJQAFqZgxrGq15ZlRN1nBziMGYLkZnwjvxk=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><b>5. </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: bold;">CHILE- “The Eternal Memory” </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Even before<b> </b>Chile
announced its five shortlisted candidates for the Oscars, I assumed they had
four frontrunners. Three or these had major factors standing in their way- Pablo Larrain had been picked
four times and has one Oscar International Feature nomination (“No”), plus he
directed two Oscar nominated films in English (“Spencer” and “Jackie”)…but his
upcoming Netflix film “The Count” is a vampire comedy about bloody dictator
Augusto Pinochet, which some Chileans (on both left and right!) may find to be in bad taste. Grim
historical drama “The Settlers” premiered at Cannes and had mostly good
reviews…but two of its three leads are Anglophone and I thlught it may not
qualify. “El vacio” is the comeback vehicle
for Gustavo Graef Marino who was picked way back in 1993 (“Johnny 100 Pesos”)
but who has made very few films since. But this May-December romance had very
little buzz or festival play. i figured the fourth contender- “The Eternal Memory” had everything going for it. It’s timely, critically acclaimed, and about a
topic that will resonate with elderly AMPAS voters (Alzheimer’s disease)..plus director Maite Alberdi got an Oscar nomination (for Documentary feature, plus
an International Feature shortlist spot) for the rather brilliant “The Mole
Agent”. I was very confident
this would go to Alberdi…Just read the reviews! When Chile announced their shortlist, a fifth option- documentary
“Meeting Point”- also appeared on the shortlist. In the end, Chile sent “Memory” to the Goyas and my runner-up “The Settlers” to the Oscars. Probably not a good choice.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5vQ8yBL9_oaigIljR4iKhJmmtNOPZKGr3u4XsgPTmhZnSWUW1gP4nr4_vK-Na3E5b2wcDPQKr0a4eED9PW3vqogTlS564pocJ3B-VN6ufg9dXpLjMg-kuuLmXI9N4rrdD2aNEqUYtBKwPC4vd_2bxmLTSJthY8OIi8LgVz4YN3M6jnHSoHM7LA7bAb6_N" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5vQ8yBL9_oaigIljR4iKhJmmtNOPZKGr3u4XsgPTmhZnSWUW1gP4nr4_vK-Na3E5b2wcDPQKr0a4eED9PW3vqogTlS564pocJ3B-VN6ufg9dXpLjMg-kuuLmXI9N4rrdD2aNEqUYtBKwPC4vd_2bxmLTSJthY8OIi8LgVz4YN3M6jnHSoHM7LA7bAb6_N=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>6. COLOMBIA- “The Other Son” </b></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I originally predicted Colombia would choose “La Suprema” which will premiere in Toronto- but it won’t be released in cinemas this year. I had Cannes drama “Un varon”, about toxic masculinity, as my runner-up. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">But when I saw Colombia’s 15-film shortlist (11 fiction dramas, three documentaries and an animated film), I quickly dumped “Un varon”- which premiered over a year ago and got middling reviews and no buzz- for new drama “The Other Son”, premiering at San Sebastián, about a man falling for his dead brother’s girlfriend. That was a mistake as “El varon” somehow ended up being selected over its stronger competition. I guess the Cannes label went really far. Other films on the list that may have come close: drama “</span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; font-size: 20px; text-indent: -0.25in; text-size-adjust: 100%;">Nubes grises soplan sobre el campo verde”, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">documentaries “Alis” (Berlin)
and “Anhell69” (Venice), </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Somos Ecos”, a guerrilla
rebel drama, commercial thriller “Timeline” and wordless animated film “The Other Shape” </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiioUGXGhrvB1hqC6DGu0dWP4fuVQ2DfpoOqPzY5RF2RKmFd1jneBapn9AS28N5z6qnHHagCrWz3srExYeLp9u-rZ2BX4hO2w0y-PRWW5II0E9x32k2Ry1gM1XD-EYOwF27aUQGJEs92aVIfRoGLCXIWttHrfbA9zmoOdVhU1D1Ukr9gRk0KNgnvfZvlzuA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="857" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiioUGXGhrvB1hqC6DGu0dWP4fuVQ2DfpoOqPzY5RF2RKmFd1jneBapn9AS28N5z6qnHHagCrWz3srExYeLp9u-rZ2BX4hO2w0y-PRWW5II0E9x32k2Ry1gM1XD-EYOwF27aUQGJEs92aVIfRoGLCXIWttHrfbA9zmoOdVhU1D1Ukr9gRk0KNgnvfZvlzuA=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">7. COSTA
RICA- “I Have Electric Dreams” (<i>Tengo sueños eléctricos</i>) </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s
difficult to see Costa Rica choosing anything other than “I Have Electric
Dreams”, a coming-of-age drama (already on Mubi) and feature debut by Belgium-based Costa Rican director
Valentina Maurel, who has had her short films screened at Cannes. “Dreams”,
about a teenage girl torn between her divorced parents, premiered at Locarno
2022. It’s difficult to say what Costa
Rica would pick if “Dreams” isn’t eligible….possibly “Guian”, a documentary
about the Costa Rican-Chinese community. Should be an easy selection this year. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVVvqw0dGoIVj8eTtO1zIDhYZ2OQpr6pr0jpPV6sMPEvyqjxB3em5KhbE2dGA1CjunYT82yrIGqxEj1Lok8gQr37bwHVisH5w89ElOBgfm2lzwB3Nv5fJtxbknNMpuVl82n-O5a_gBY-G4ZK50fTCs_TSaPHnBqRWK1A-XHorsHNrYFXR9Ua-01hxCuzHT" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="470" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVVvqw0dGoIVj8eTtO1zIDhYZ2OQpr6pr0jpPV6sMPEvyqjxB3em5KhbE2dGA1CjunYT82yrIGqxEj1Lok8gQr37bwHVisH5w89ElOBgfm2lzwB3Nv5fJtxbknNMpuVl82n-O5a_gBY-G4ZK50fTCs_TSaPHnBqRWK1A-XHorsHNrYFXR9Ua-01hxCuzHT=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>8. <span style="color: #1d2228;">CUBA- “El mundo de Nelsito” </span></b></span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cuba submits films roughly half the time, although they have
taken the past two years off. They had two fiction features and two documentary
features at the December 2022 Havana Film Festival, so if they send anything it
will probably be one of these “approved” films. Both fiction features- “El
mundo de Nelsito” and “Under a Powerful Sun”- are by fairly senior directors,
including 79-year old Fernando Perez who was selected twice (a long time ago)
in 1991 and 2003. “Under a Powerful Sun”, about a director haunted by the
ghosts of characters from three of his films, looks a bit less accessible than
“Nelsito”, a dramatic comedy about the imagination of an autistic teen</span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPGqNMoOq2dJYHH3iVXsEfECM3oKCjry0dyJzpWOcIgt5gXjzP5hC-dV-4uZPamQo2MBiTIbld2lkiwQRm32gFNmhgI5saSRGDpAYL_AMAVBkWWhlor3Fhu8AjWF2Fv2FDzINCIhIid6MFSzs2QUCtLD8sdQ7TjvjIIImnyBk2yKNBXYHXud0M-sfFYKO2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPGqNMoOq2dJYHH3iVXsEfECM3oKCjry0dyJzpWOcIgt5gXjzP5hC-dV-4uZPamQo2MBiTIbld2lkiwQRm32gFNmhgI5saSRGDpAYL_AMAVBkWWhlor3Fhu8AjWF2Fv2FDzINCIhIid6MFSzs2QUCtLD8sdQ7TjvjIIImnyBk2yKNBXYHXud0M-sfFYKO2=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">9. </span>DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- “Boca Chica” </b></span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">The Dominican Republic, the only
Caribbean nation to submit films regularly, has sent films every year for the
past 12 years. That includes three films by Leticia Tonos, three by Jose Maria
Cabral and two from the team of Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas. The prolific Jose
Maria Cabral (one of my favorite Latin American directors) has no new films this year
but the other two are hoping to be selected again. The three frontrunners are
Tonos’ postapocalyptic sci-fi “Aire”, now in post-production after winning a genre award at Cannes Film
Market, Guzman/Cardenas’ “La Hembrita” (Rotterdam), a subtle drama about a
depressed but wealthy housewife who begins taking care of her housekeeper’s
granddaughter; plus “Boca Chica” (Tribeca), about a 12-year old girl growing up
in a poor, beach area famous for prostitution. “Aire” doesn’t have a release
date yet and could compete next year….The other two quiet dramas will be
close….but I’m predicting “Boca Chica” because of its Tribeca award in the USA
and because it’s stylistically closer to what the DR picked last year. Rounding
out the Top Five: comedies “Cuarencena” and “Year of the Tiger". </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFrKeSKIlM3lzfaNNTOJOkLXIpZHgXA61oKzaJd8nZaXuCAV8TnqmLeCgWQxIe8D0tZPzP5TOTic9ivoNQGpuY9150rULWdkS0Zq_r0i5rdREUAP5DXOyPp08cP2qM4ouSvE81EkeBjcm9znIEztpWmHy1PzXdMpRowUpG_Bl-5dDvmhcLwOxuhNOqO1B0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFrKeSKIlM3lzfaNNTOJOkLXIpZHgXA61oKzaJd8nZaXuCAV8TnqmLeCgWQxIe8D0tZPzP5TOTic9ivoNQGpuY9150rULWdkS0Zq_r0i5rdREUAP5DXOyPp08cP2qM4ouSvE81EkeBjcm9znIEztpWmHy1PzXdMpRowUpG_Bl-5dDvmhcLwOxuhNOqO1B0=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"><b>10. ECUADOR- “Octopus Skin” (La piel
pulpo) </b></span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ecuador has
submitted films regularly since 2013. The only Ecuadorian film on the film
festival circuit this year is “Octopus Skin” (San Sebastian), a drama about two
17-year old twins (a boy and a girl) with an uncomfortably close relationship.
Writer/director Ana Cristina Barragan was selected once before for “Alba”.
Unlikely but possible: thriller “Distortion”, about a man left emotionally
unstable when his wife leaves him, and black comedy “Los Napoles”. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6nsb8xrlaVKQevKCMmhp6VnHyAi1DFIloTp_Al4BQgfBciZ066xV2Ls0nVVOcI-z5AFzTjZcIthbEnATgqBXBZiueEePhVcsSHiiBCQfYHzcZW3KALFgAkJGkdfGPafTmPdLsGZIWOdUNP0NGWU4ucyCrQbjBUEn9Bf6PuONcV_uqMpTj1jf-H_w1pOkK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1684" data-original-width="1191" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6nsb8xrlaVKQevKCMmhp6VnHyAi1DFIloTp_Al4BQgfBciZ066xV2Ls0nVVOcI-z5AFzTjZcIthbEnATgqBXBZiueEePhVcsSHiiBCQfYHzcZW3KALFgAkJGkdfGPafTmPdLsGZIWOdUNP0NGWU4ucyCrQbjBUEn9Bf6PuONcV_uqMpTj1jf-H_w1pOkK" width="170" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">11. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;">GUATEMALA-
“Roza” </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Guatemala has sent films two of the past three years. I
hate predicting the same film two years in a row, but Guatemala has been quiet
(Jayro Bustamente is working in the U.S. this year) and “Roza” (Locarno Open
Doors 2022) seems to be their only viable option. The film follows a young
indigenous laborer who returns to his Guatemalan village only to find his wife
and family unenthusiastic about his return. The film had its Guatemalan
premiere in October 2022 (the “start” of the Oscar year begins December 1,
2022) but it could qualify if it got a qualifying release in local cinemas later. Less likely: documentary “A
Song Left Recorded”, about two aging musicians, or low-budget crime drama
“Misogyny”. Or, like most years, they may skip. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhE2pYX3K9aw1usg9MiURZI8nvskbXwubLU8Yu4X3psI-LnnuMTkG7mX11OSh-SstA3GxcDeB1XFk9PboexqmhLt20Ec8ZcCqw5OMUJpE8e_ZDd6EenCliAXHmocRhpIv-GhraLjqWsYMst7YVFP3DpVQlufQ_ZM-V1xH_Tra9mhS0ayYhqftvCdZyur_Xu" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhE2pYX3K9aw1usg9MiURZI8nvskbXwubLU8Yu4X3psI-LnnuMTkG7mX11OSh-SstA3GxcDeB1XFk9PboexqmhLt20Ec8ZcCqw5OMUJpE8e_ZDd6EenCliAXHmocRhpIv-GhraLjqWsYMst7YVFP3DpVQlufQ_ZM-V1xH_Tra9mhS0ayYhqftvCdZyur_Xu" width="320" /></a></div></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">12. </span><span style="color: #1d2228;">HAITI- "Mountains” </span></b></span></span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Impoverished, unstable Haiti sent two
films to the Oscars, in 2017 and 2021. As I ’mentioned last year, they have a big film in
post-production- “July 7”- about the 2021 assassination of Preisdent Jovenel
Moise but there don’t seem to be any updates since last summer. If Haiti does choose to submit, it will be "Mountains", a majority U.S. production directed by Haitian-American Monica Sorelle. It follows a Haitian-American immigrant family, appears to be mostly in Haitian Creole, and has been a critical success at Tribeca and Toronto...but may not be considered "Haitian" enough. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnDlSvNbbxrEMSe3iNY_g7bsMrDB1zqxQyoLQApRL2DYe7toGdizRjg9jQx_-ef5ouVbRLCx6jFH2WSq_RpJIW9FDs4vnv2GiyYaZy3pOlGIlDmnYvEvMTt-jIqgPHM5z_hbjCetlcuL8_15zr_91TBpDZoRyuQ9ig_egr5uh5HglP4ldz7ITNeIvbEVFt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnDlSvNbbxrEMSe3iNY_g7bsMrDB1zqxQyoLQApRL2DYe7toGdizRjg9jQx_-ef5ouVbRLCx6jFH2WSq_RpJIW9FDs4vnv2GiyYaZy3pOlGIlDmnYvEvMTt-jIqgPHM5z_hbjCetlcuL8_15zr_91TBpDZoRyuQ9ig_egr5uh5HglP4ldz7ITNeIvbEVFt=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><span style="color: #1d2228;">13. </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">HONDURAS-
“Berta, Soy Yo” </span></b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Honduras submitted films three times
between 2017-2020, but they’ve been absent the past two years. I don’t think
they’ll send anything this year either but their best option would be “Berta,
Soy Yo”, a documentary which attempts to solve the murder of indigenous activist Berta
Caceres via clues left behind by her crusading work.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYUyx8U-gO4u2V8vCIlAqJ3vyFr-bFYzumL_Ks4pP_x5XQTeVnvVZtjHz6QOWhEUqOlVYbXBaUt5smnKCHqS7FgvR9uNTZg7J6HEwmalhgzhPT8SuAbLGs_ySDVt4bydYrASZAMtgbWr1XjhhBvX3LASOXvGDfDKi89YWw4lRTIupPjcKB6BpOiJ9acEAv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="827" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYUyx8U-gO4u2V8vCIlAqJ3vyFr-bFYzumL_Ks4pP_x5XQTeVnvVZtjHz6QOWhEUqOlVYbXBaUt5smnKCHqS7FgvR9uNTZg7J6HEwmalhgzhPT8SuAbLGs_ySDVt4bydYrASZAMtgbWr1XjhhBvX3LASOXvGDfDKi89YWw4lRTIupPjcKB6BpOiJ9acEAv" width="103" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>14. MEXICO- “Noise” (</b><i style="font-weight: bold;">Ruido</i><b>) </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mexico announced a six or seven-film shortlist on August 29 (there seems to be some confusion whether “Northern Skies Over Empty Space” is on the Oscar list or if it was only submitted for the Goyas). Of note, Mexico usually picks a movie backed by Netflix and four of the films (The Great Seduction, Noise, Que Viva Mexico! and Where the Tracks End) are already streaming. So, assuming “Northern Skies” isn’t competing and that “Que viva Mexico!” isn't competitive due to poor reviews and the ire of the Mexican President, we have five choices. Despite very good reviews, horror flick “Huesera” would be an odd choice and comedy “The Great Seduction” (costarring Yalitza Aparicio) doesn’t look serious enough, which leaves us with three strong options. In third place, “Where the Tracks End” is a simple story with cute kids about a dedicated teacher in a rural area. This formula worked for “Lunana”, but the film will likely come third place. So, will Mexico select Netflix’s “Noise”, about a woman searching for her missing daughter? Or quiet family drama “Totem”? I think they’ll send one to the Oscars and one the to the Goyas. Though “Noise” worryingly failed to get a Best Picture nomination at this year’s Ariel Awards (Totem wasn’t eligible), I think Netflix and the universal subject matter will justify its selection. I predict “Totem” as both runner-up and Goya candidate.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhom9vE0kvLieRa0eU95EOlZxxUDSd6DXltCPewAFLC4KKig-wV4ZYKF18pP9O9jzST3FbLvsqngeUU12MBWJjx7sxArrRnpsYVtJcQaGesC_xeml59hQXmY6BNiaJ_hv0WOWMOvpCmWNe84YwsYBJlb805783jQd911GcqlX3fYvYt4p_0KaQ0fbGrPtqF" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhom9vE0kvLieRa0eU95EOlZxxUDSd6DXltCPewAFLC4KKig-wV4ZYKF18pP9O9jzST3FbLvsqngeUU12MBWJjx7sxArrRnpsYVtJcQaGesC_xeml59hQXmY6BNiaJ_hv0WOWMOvpCmWNe84YwsYBJlb805783jQd911GcqlX3fYvYt4p_0KaQ0fbGrPtqF=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></b></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>15. NICARAGUA-
“Daughter of Rage” (La hija de todas las rabias) </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Nicaragua
hasn’t send a film to the Oscars since 2010 but “Daughter of Rage” is their
highest-profile feature film in over a decade, earning a berth at San Sebastian
2022 and a coveted Premios Platino nomination for Best First Feature. The
story, about an impoverished mother and daughter working in a dangerous
landfill, would represent a welcome return for Nicaragua.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWN3_gGMU2dtYQ1Y9IN2Zjzc4xLuRcUUc_vdaprH4Ba3zf36piwpSuHudtKwSOYnvUhZGiNIHhAvlmzmybI6QEc7nGqjIcVLx1Fl2uk1jupUKEcphBc5blSSxVJ5VhyeTjRh3vNWk4vyMO_E_zLZFoFBXh_nf1nj4IvOvkoknw-pZoaqvCEwSEoDxANtqB" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3600" data-original-width="2430" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWN3_gGMU2dtYQ1Y9IN2Zjzc4xLuRcUUc_vdaprH4Ba3zf36piwpSuHudtKwSOYnvUhZGiNIHhAvlmzmybI6QEc7nGqjIcVLx1Fl2uk1jupUKEcphBc5blSSxVJ5VhyeTjRh3vNWk4vyMO_E_zLZFoFBXh_nf1nj4IvOvkoknw-pZoaqvCEwSEoDxANtqB" width="101" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>16. PANAMA-
“Sister & Sister” (Las hijas) </b></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Panama likely has a
two-way race between drama “Sister & Sister” (SXSW), a coming-of-age story about
two teenaged sisters on a road trip to find their estranged father, and wrestling
documentary “Nation of Titans”, which won the main award at Panama’s scaled
down national film festival in 2023. Panama is partial to documentaries (three of
their nine submissions were docs) but “Titans” takes a very ‘local’ theme (beloved
local wrestlers) so I think the festival play of “Sister & Sister” will
make that the winner. Other options: drama “Gauguin & the Canal” and
documentary “Tito, Margot y yo”.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUAM7DgNKMPgGvvofmH1pVnZEIVS_M_pPjQU7vd7THXqS-JfpD1oXULy8xaxZXVCoaZHVjB54v3aTs58DSUNv7eO1kZMIiO7BF1QyXeLtj_MRISDqYnvY43zNaNjHP8nyMioahX2kUewp-PYbcJ_lccV_D1eG7H44wiVNj5sCOM8HSlbaEMaz18sZWqT_l" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUAM7DgNKMPgGvvofmH1pVnZEIVS_M_pPjQU7vd7THXqS-JfpD1oXULy8xaxZXVCoaZHVjB54v3aTs58DSUNv7eO1kZMIiO7BF1QyXeLtj_MRISDqYnvY43zNaNjHP8nyMioahX2kUewp-PYbcJ_lccV_D1eG7H44wiVNj5sCOM8HSlbaEMaz18sZWqT_l" width="167" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14pt;">17. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">PARAGUAY- ”Guapo’y” </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Paraguay has sent six films since joining
the Oscar race in 2015, and five of them have been decidedly “arthouse”. I was strongly predicting they would send “Boreal”, about Paraguay’s isolated Mennonite community, which
recently appeared at a Locarno 2023 sidebar for “the most interesting
independent films” from small Latin American countries. However, I was surprised it wasn’t on their three-film Goya list. The biggest
Paraguayan movie of the year- “The List”- is being touted as the first-ever
U.S.-Paraguayan co-production and essentially transports the “The Purge” to
South America, as Paraguayans are given 12 hours to take revenge on a family
with ties to the former dictatorship. I think it would qualify despite its
American director, but it was also absent from the Goya list. The three Goya finalists- drama “Guapo’y”, claustrophobic horror film “The Apartment” and action sequel “Leal 2” will probably all submit themselves for the Oscar and “Guapo’y” is likely to be selected. Or, as in 2019, they could vote to
send nothing at all. For now let’s say “Guapo’y” with “Boreal” the runner-up. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhg5f834yzvmeTFktSMfADvj302rV5TFz_dWVcolsb81lrz_GnKV0L-vtzt0nw-d3ZC_uegnduC5eyTtjbdpnS4fGaJvmgoF2pYlc86HdSIg4oHDkJb-6JYol3pjulKQl5kUgaKwvhN6rd9a84Q8chCyqMN3bxYm_bTkfv4Zv6y1y1sC56ba9OCb5Uk0sK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="313" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhg5f834yzvmeTFktSMfADvj302rV5TFz_dWVcolsb81lrz_GnKV0L-vtzt0nw-d3ZC_uegnduC5eyTtjbdpnS4fGaJvmgoF2pYlc86HdSIg4oHDkJb-6JYol3pjulKQl5kUgaKwvhN6rd9a84Q8chCyqMN3bxYm_bTkfv4Zv6y1y1sC56ba9OCb5Uk0sK=w141-h200" width="141" /></a></span></b></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">18. PERU- “Willaq Pirqa” </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Last year, I predicted “La pampa” (The Invisible Girl), a
critically acclaimed human trafficking drama, which finally premiered in
Peruvian cinemas in 2023 and is now of the year’s three frontrunners. It’s main
competition comes from two indigenous films- the Quechua language “Willaq
Pirqa”, about cinema coming to an indigenous community that doesn’t speak
Spanish, and the Aymara-language “Yana-Wara” which has a tragic, sentimental
backstory. Filming started in 2021 by up-and-coming 34-year old indigenous
director Oscar Catacora (His tragically sad “Winaypacha” represented Peru in 2018). He died unexpectedly of appendicitis when he
was unable to get medical attention in time, and his uncle (also a director)
completed his film, about a respected elder accused of murdering his
granddaughter. It’s premiering at the Lima Film Festival in August, but Peruvian
films often have a year-long delay, making it doubtful it will be eligible this year. Peru’s 2017 submission had played at festivals
two years before it was selected! “Willaq” won the major prizes at last year’s Lima Film
Festival and has been a minor box-office hit, and is confirmed to have gotten a
cinematic release. Rounding out the Top 5 for Peru: Spanish-language drama
“Diogenes” (Malaga) and another indigenous tale, “Shipibos Stories” (Lima), in
the Shipibo language spoken by roughly 30,000 people. <b>UPDATE: </b>“Willaq Pirqa” was selected to represent Peru at the Spanish Goya Awards but was not on the Oscar shortlist, which received a great deal of criticism in Peru. According to one source, “Willaq Pirqa” was disqualified by the Peruvian Academy because it entered and lost the race to “Moon Heart” last year before changing its release date and becoming a hit in December 2022. “La Pampa” was also on the Goya list but not the Oscar lost, possibly for the same reasons. Peru selected dark family comedy “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” for the Oscars which I had never heard of. The fact that “Willaq Pirqa” beat “Torbilio” and “La Pampa” for the Goyas shows it did in fact have very strong support. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuWE2eCmj0xm2jrJz1ZllFbBm5L9uBXUCleX2VZQhyzcNm0YoBy34BdqN28jnjXSWeyE1yfT0_dkCHV0xML-XkGDctg-EQQMqL_1WG5U84ihL9vNlouOn2JYSFOnoKQCSuKsqMUWlo8uXxdJ7NUttiXCprUdNhPOpZ4A4GGm0J6ZNwl4UW2CxVuFOYYSru" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3004" data-original-width="1944" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhuWE2eCmj0xm2jrJz1ZllFbBm5L9uBXUCleX2VZQhyzcNm0YoBy34BdqN28jnjXSWeyE1yfT0_dkCHV0xML-XkGDctg-EQQMqL_1WG5U84ihL9vNlouOn2JYSFOnoKQCSuKsqMUWlo8uXxdJ7NUttiXCprUdNhPOpZ4A4GGm0J6ZNwl4UW2CxVuFOYYSru" width="97" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">19. PUERTO RICO- “La pecera” </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Puerto Rico was uninvited from the
Oscars for ridiculous and obscure reasons in 2010 when U.S. territories were
banned from the competition- even though Puerto Rico is the only one of the
five U.S. territories that has a film industry. This happened even though other
territories like Greenland (Denmark) and Hong Kong (China) with a similar
status are welcome to submit films and in spite of the fact that Puerto Rico earned an Oscar
nomination (during the 1989/1990 race) when countries like Egypt, Philippines
and Venezuela never have. This year Puerto Rico had a great film year, and if they were
allowed back at the Oscars I think they’d send “La pecera”, a wholly Puerto
Rican film that competed at Sundance. It’s the story of a woman who returns
to her home in Puerto Rico when her cancer returns, and reviews have been
great. But with “Without Prescription” (Audience Award, SXSW 2022) and “The
Kings of Salsa”, which prominently showcases Puerto Rican music, this would
have been a very competitive year.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-0emivSuXxfu8SdtaRk-zEhJ5JcDynMAp6C5uktJBXSykG4ExBhqSNAbI5h_aA6DIgbakLCBccD1Kd7E-t7N63LAiwaQwF7dQb7mZsinL49RDZXJ6T-FKXk_1lZrscvtglbBFOY08C6B2mL5WIuxtQ9MXTKl81cXxDSSIa1ga-1qarciAu3wrJYVc8lg6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="255" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-0emivSuXxfu8SdtaRk-zEhJ5JcDynMAp6C5uktJBXSykG4ExBhqSNAbI5h_aA6DIgbakLCBccD1Kd7E-t7N63LAiwaQwF7dQb7mZsinL49RDZXJ6T-FKXk_1lZrscvtglbBFOY08C6B2mL5WIuxtQ9MXTKl81cXxDSSIa1ga-1qarciAu3wrJYVc8lg6=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">20. SURINAME- Nothing </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tiny Suriname (pop: 610,000) is the
smallest country in the region ever to enter the Oscar race. They entered just
once during the pandemic, in 2020. As far as I know, they don’t have any films
this year that would be eligible. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT6Sk1qOqWzHLTBYTE5JdTaHbwxmQloeYXQTwa-4jx9rEMUeJJFAZGrty68w2DgpEn7LHPJ8ypRZ_DpYxlrziRt91QJb2q9XNs2UZX0lyvUxf7hQfjZ1cfI8GSKOppMU63E6qYfCBtqdxsHcaU58_iBQbmcaQOYcBBTEmN3pk5zT6q98nZo4-FeVLHLHCq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgT6Sk1qOqWzHLTBYTE5JdTaHbwxmQloeYXQTwa-4jx9rEMUeJJFAZGrty68w2DgpEn7LHPJ8ypRZ_DpYxlrziRt91QJb2q9XNs2UZX0lyvUxf7hQfjZ1cfI8GSKOppMU63E6qYfCBtqdxsHcaU58_iBQbmcaQOYcBBTEmN3pk5zT6q98nZo4-FeVLHLHCq=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">21. URUGUAY- “Milonga” </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">A lot of people are predicting that JA Bayona’s “Society
of the Snow” will represent Uruguay and possibly win the Oscar. I disagree. Of
course, I agree that “Society of the Snow” could potentially win an Oscar.
Bayona is a brilliant director and the story of Uruguay’s Flight 571 is one of
the greatest survival stories of the 20<sup>th</sup> century (most people know
it as the flight from the movie “Alive”). And it’s a defining moment of Uruguayan history. But if it’s chosen, it will need to be selected by Bayona’s</span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> native
Spain, because “Snow” is a majority Spanish-production. The directors, writers
and producers are all Spanish. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Only one
executive producer, the cinematographer and a few actors </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">are Uruguayan. That’s not enough to establish “creative control”
according to AMPAS. So, I think Uruguay will select either “Milonga”, a tango
drama starring Paulina Garcia (“Gloria”) and Cesar Troncoso (a local star who
has been in at least half a dozen Uruguayan submissions) filled with music and
dance, or documentary “Portrait of My Father”, featuring a filmmaker trying to
solve the mystery of his own father’s suicide. I have teen friendship drama
“Nina & Emma” in third and, because Uruguay likes to send comedies, “Temas
propios” in fourth. </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <b>UPDATE: </b>Never underestimate Uruguay’s desire to send comedies almost every year. They sent “Temas propios”…”Milonga” was on the list of considered films. As I predicted, “Society of the Snow” was not. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; mso-spacerun: yes; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheIlFwS2OJQxuSAGAISmQueF19ZFz1MeepMbGTHkSaQaPpcSoeQ2mCTXwqUNBUqWva7JGQgAdBHuIKhAsX9DUujpmTshpv1zrUk8bUCrd72dSHUbPPwG1TlrjZnk2cXuZUBNZBTCP_Y4vQRvlTwDpApHrzApFYa6wP8LeMZQkMJZvEpNpQd0VeNueJGd4V" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1800" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheIlFwS2OJQxuSAGAISmQueF19ZFz1MeepMbGTHkSaQaPpcSoeQ2mCTXwqUNBUqWva7JGQgAdBHuIKhAsX9DUujpmTshpv1zrUk8bUCrd72dSHUbPPwG1TlrjZnk2cXuZUBNZBTCP_Y4vQRvlTwDpApHrzApFYa6wP8LeMZQkMJZvEpNpQd0VeNueJGd4V" width="105" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt;">22. VENEZUELA- “Shadow of the Sun” (La
Sombra del Sol) </span></b><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Venezuelan
filmmakers continue</span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> to make great films despite political and economic
problems at home. The annual </span><i style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">Festival del Cine Venezolano </i><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">is the main
pre-cursor for Venezuela and this year’s big winner, “Simon”, was a shock because it’s fervently anti-government, focusing on a
Venezuelan activist seeking asylum in the United States. I’m not sure
if Venezuela’s selection committee is pro- or anti-regime (or neutral) but I’ve heard “Simon” is great but mostly in English. I think that three films from this
year’s festival- “El salto de los Angeles”, “Shadow of the Sun” (which won
two of the smaller Best Film prizes) and “Sons of the Revolution” are the strongest candidates, alongside the
winner of the 2022 festival (“Me & the Beasts”) that was finally
released in Venezuelan cinemas in 2023. All four are in with a chance but
I’m predicting “Shadow of the Sun”, about two brothers- one deaf, one hearing-
who enter a music contest together. It won four awards at the Venezuelan Film
Festival and Venezuela may be influenced by “CODA”’s Best Picture victory two
years ago. I have “Sons of the Revolution” in second place because it seems
like the sort of grim </span><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">drama that the Venezuelan Academy usually goes for.
It’s about twenty years in the lives of two very different individuals born on
the same day…but it’s more political than what Venezuela usually chooses and it only
won awards for its actresses. I’m personally hoping for “Me & the Beasts”,
a quirky comedy, but it doesn’t look serious enough. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>El Salvador </b>is the only country in Latin America that has never sent a film to the Oscars. They actually had suitable contenders in 2018 ("La palabra de Pablo", which I loved), 2021 ("El suspiro del silencio") </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228; font-size: 18.6667px; text-indent: -0.25in;">and 2022 ("Sueños Ilegales") but nothing really promising that would encourage them to debut this year. </span><span face="Verdana, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-indent: -0.25in; text-size-adjust: 100%;"> </span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-18217709173267575352023-08-21T16:01:00.002-04:002023-08-21T16:01:43.369-04:00 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR, PREDICTIONS FOR THE ASIA-PACIFIC (28 countries)And here are my predictions for the countries from Asia and the Pacific:<div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTeSYggk_spYwT3MCDh6xJZ2CG_BCh0FnmG4JDzF7S5IXqbTCjeF8IXdmfENhkfPAAqKkJiOBKv82L9lQKZ8Z3SanW-ot8zf-swwVkjn0GkESffm_GtDYS2XmuF5yO20yLafsx3dLkvXnnkNAzGdhdneZ8_h16-eGRORvZJgDvNlg3BeVb9p1LJma5s_XV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTeSYggk_spYwT3MCDh6xJZ2CG_BCh0FnmG4JDzF7S5IXqbTCjeF8IXdmfENhkfPAAqKkJiOBKv82L9lQKZ8Z3SanW-ot8zf-swwVkjn0GkESffm_GtDYS2XmuF5yO20yLafsx3dLkvXnnkNAzGdhdneZ8_h16-eGRORvZJgDvNlg3BeVb9p1LJma5s_XV=w320-h181" width="320" /></a></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1. AFGHANISTAN- “Bread and Roses” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Taliban re-opened cinemas in 2022, and appointed a new and inexperienced 29-year old to head the
country’s National Film Agency. That may sound like an improvement (they used
to publicly burn films) but it's really not. There are vague, confusing rules
banning women from appearing or working in most films. While Afghanistan has more
important things than the Oscars on their mind, it would be a lovely symbolic move if they sent documentary “Bread and Roses” which debuted at Cannes 2023, about the lives of
three women after the 2021 Taliban takeover, produced by an exiled female
director.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmsZUCc6U1uIdIrDOf_1IL5ZWZ0zmQhKEyDoArM_Ak-H-GT067DpWYbXgJlcDlEIpZy3ZtFzCOhAblnA8IOQTmby4MXu-864wee39RhvphQkKT5zRoFGDuakzVHMWQKBXpdonZB5FSTRf5Z506RHwwQMMr06Z84NDTKcgw4lj831s_kBkHx4ELp1fGeE9_" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmsZUCc6U1uIdIrDOf_1IL5ZWZ0zmQhKEyDoArM_Ak-H-GT067DpWYbXgJlcDlEIpZy3ZtFzCOhAblnA8IOQTmby4MXu-864wee39RhvphQkKT5zRoFGDuakzVHMWQKBXpdonZB5FSTRf5Z506RHwwQMMr06Z84NDTKcgw4lj831s_kBkHx4ELp1fGeE9_=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. AUSTRALIA- “Shayda” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">As usual, the big
problem with predicting Australia is that it’s unclear which films have enough non-English dialogue to qualify. “Shayda”, about an Iranian mother and daughter who
find refuge in an Australian women’s shelter, got rave reviews at Sundance and
will probably be selected if it is more than 50% in Persian. If not, they'll probably choose Goran Stolevksi ("You Won't Be Alone") for a second year in a row for queer comedy-drama "Housekeeping for Beginners" (Venice; completely in Macedonian). Other
possibilities: Paul Mescal’s re-telling of “Carmen” (partly in Spanish, but probably
too much English?), aboriginal documentary “Audrey Napanangka” and
Pacific Islander anthology “We Are Still Here” (which is my prediction for New
Zealand).</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYh7T8FKdweF9KulByUVxCrj2CFNppWcVf9Il32ItiCTkDgIEztz7RWDVpg54j9r4vXcZsFNrDoXAZZHu7ZtyJc64M6wfR6nICOfyOOaSRF12Dizib_LT_9YOGsZQql1D1JAIIwuBJYePgR7O04wk4WXLUewZrPZ_7Vr0xGFsuqFlPk98U20mBX8SUU3pg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYh7T8FKdweF9KulByUVxCrj2CFNppWcVf9Il32ItiCTkDgIEztz7RWDVpg54j9r4vXcZsFNrDoXAZZHu7ZtyJc64M6wfR6nICOfyOOaSRF12Dizib_LT_9YOGsZQql1D1JAIIwuBJYePgR7O04wk4WXLUewZrPZ_7Vr0xGFsuqFlPk98U20mBX8SUU3pg=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3. BANGLADESH- “Memories of Gloomy Monsoons”
</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Bangladesh has quietly become one of the most reliable countries
in Asia, missing just one year since 2005. They typically produce about 100
films annually though they've never had a serious Oscar contender. This year, arthouse film “Memories of Gloomy Monsoons” made the news in
Bangladesh after it won a major award and glowing reviews at the Dhaka
International Film Festival but couldn’t get a cinematic release because it
“lacked big stars”. It was eventually released in five cinemas and sending it to the Oscars would
be a nice way to reward it. Two upcoming films- “A Tale of Two Sisters”, set
during the 1971 War for Independence, and “Roktojoba”, about an anonymous
letter that causes a great deal of trouble- could also be selected. Less possible: “Payer Chhap”, about
a girl growing up in an impoverished family. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Last year, Bangladesh picked a box-office hit (“Hawa”) so they could pick “Priyotoma”….but I don’t think reviews are good enough. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Bangladesh's submission probably should be
terrorism drama “Saturday Afternoon”, one of the best-reviewed Bangladeshi
films of all time, which finally won approval from Bangladeshi censors four
years after premiering in Moscow, in 2019. I don’t think it ever got a cinematic
release and doubt the Bangladeshi Academy would be brave enough to send it.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5PVirgnCWkoiE1QBxrmXlDor7jxhYviLIqmxT4wzlGERrrvseuqFjSw6wT3PW0VgwdHj3NJuqWA1EPugFSlylaBUrotilmzcOFFNJ11PkrCUsZukv1NUFLP-0Nb2WVQd0-BDdQTRKDmlKWxuDj60ql4JAygxIbEnuJPXOTKMSbH6061HAJJLx12iFBHie" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="529" data-original-width="794" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5PVirgnCWkoiE1QBxrmXlDor7jxhYviLIqmxT4wzlGERrrvseuqFjSw6wT3PW0VgwdHj3NJuqWA1EPugFSlylaBUrotilmzcOFFNJ11PkrCUsZukv1NUFLP-0Nb2WVQd0-BDdQTRKDmlKWxuDj60ql4JAygxIbEnuJPXOTKMSbH6061HAJJLx12iFBHie" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4. BHUTAN- “The Monk & the Gun” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Oscar-nominated director of “Lunana", </span>Pawo Choyning Dorji,<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> has a new
film premiering at the Toronto Film Festival- "The Monk & the Gun"- and Bhutan did launch an open call for Oscar submissions perhaps in anticipation of sending it. We'll see if the Bhutanese can get "Monk", about the 2006 introduction of television, Internet and democratic elections- in local cinemas by October 31. Bhutan has an
active Bollywood-style local film industry but they seem to have decided to just
send films made for an international audience. If "Monk" doesn't get released at home, they could send “Choegyal Norzang & Yeethro
Lhamo”, which looks like a sort of Bhutanese “Crouching Tiger” period drama.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiQ83-0QhNMeQ808l2Nz_hpIuCQSBVehSbtIeTd823G1_zf5kolBML7izCo6THLhu5seQgJyB9LsEAiBlbOBGnNV9mTE4kL6jE2xw3E2knjJWY_JKL3BqSIh2z5XHHEAHj1jzgwpXN3K5DqAML1-juDsppgvZ6raZ0p16O-Ilz8N3KDNCuovNIZNeLRUct" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiiQ83-0QhNMeQ808l2Nz_hpIuCQSBVehSbtIeTd823G1_zf5kolBML7izCo6THLhu5seQgJyB9LsEAiBlbOBGnNV9mTE4kL6jE2xw3E2knjJWY_JKL3BqSIh2z5XHHEAHj1jzgwpXN3K5DqAML1-juDsppgvZ6raZ0p16O-Ilz8N3KDNCuovNIZNeLRUct=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5. CAMBODIA- “Wishing Lollipop” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Cambodia
doesn’t have much to choose from this year, as a follow-up to their excellent “Return to Seoul” which was deservedly shortlisted last year. However, they’ve only missed one year
since they started submitting regularly in 2012….so I suspect they’ll find something.
That could be “Wishing Lollipop”, described as an unconventional romantic
comedy. I think “The Perfect Motion”, a documentary about the Cambodian Royal
Ballet whose ranks were decimated when the Khmer Rouge tried to
massacre all national artists, would be a far stronger choice. But the film- which is wholly Cambodian
but has a foreign director and mostly foreign crew- may not qualify. Other options: drama
“A Cambodian Winter”; documentary “Lotus Sports Club” (about a transgender
athlete) and even horror movie "The House" could compete if they were released in such a weak year. </span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEia8vmrSvMhRefftv1T0vs7joyIj2lwu8ypbseHbum2-FryXsgOUVx8-LackAQ1sBQJlBUCJZ6Um1P3WYIDSvFwBqMeWPHfsaqz3BuPuDuyv4VdvMlhn1wQOxabFdDYsYEntFHtzdQRxo0hoXORAMa-evkwyRVrYFGU2YPy_18cZywqmP5rD64MrNhP3l5r" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEia8vmrSvMhRefftv1T0vs7joyIj2lwu8ypbseHbum2-FryXsgOUVx8-LackAQ1sBQJlBUCJZ6Um1P3WYIDSvFwBqMeWPHfsaqz3BuPuDuyv4VdvMlhn1wQOxabFdDYsYEntFHtzdQRxo0hoXORAMa-evkwyRVrYFGU2YPy_18cZywqmP5rD64MrNhP3l5r=w137-h200" width="137" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6. CHINA- “Full River Red” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">China makes
some great films….but the Chinese Academy rarely sends them to the Oscars. In
the past eight years, only one film (“Cliff Walkers”) has been a serious Oscar
contender, selected alongside films like the atrocious action movie “Wolf
Warrior 2” and the (admittedly beautifully animated) children’s cartoon “Ne
Zha”. Recently, China has preferred box-office hits over award-winning films. Although murder mystery “Only the River Flows” (Cannes, Un Certain Regard) is probably
China’s best shot, the censors will surely find some way of being offended by some aspect of it…I see
two main possibilities for China- “Full River Red” by master filmmaker Zhang
Yimou (who has repped China </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">eight times </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">and Hong Kong once) and “Love
Never Ends”, a romantic drama about Chinese senior citizens that opened the
Shanghai Film Festival, was one of the winners of the “Most Popular Film of the
Year” (2022 submission “Nice View” won last year) and which could potentially
resonate with elderly Oscar voters. They’ve only picked one out of the four films Zhang has made since helming “The Great Wall” in Hollywood, but
it’s always risky betting against China's most important international director.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">China is usually impossible to predict, but a few other strong
possibilities (in order)- “Lost in the Stars”, a box-office smash crime drama
about a missing woman who reappears with no memory of her husband, “Hidden
Blade”, a patriotic thriller starring Tony Leung, “Never Say Never”, a
box-office smash sports drama about orphans, “The Coldest City”, an anti-Japan
action drama set in 1945, “The Great War”, a Korean War movie by film great
Chen Kaige about China “protecting” North Korea from U.S.-South Korean forces,
“Creation of the Gods”, a massive fantasy blockbuster based on Chinese
mythology and history; “Chang An”, a stylish animation movie, and “Shadowless
Tower” (Berlin) rounding out the Top Ten.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" class="placeholder" height="150" id="53fc06ab28047" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url('https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png'); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" width="200" /></div></div><br /><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">7. FIJI- Nothing </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Fiji sent a single film
in 2005. The director of that film, Hawai’i-based Vilsoni Hereniko, made an
animated short last year (Sina ma Tinirau) but it’s too short and was made in English. Fiji doesn’t have a
domestic film industry and they don’t have anything eligible. </span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixTTj4rOweLVSApID9Fjgay1ixJzWBw3UB0tOupyQqLwlzyDYrZd4zfi2e7FfYgpR_do4NZIcBq6c2GPfp3H5492k7Y9T6QwzT6BbHXjNd-wPdPZPIM175dNv5JDNbqxyynjKiS2B2ykMUcujBsrg9_OmhEqDPCiePgiR4IJBU9T7m_WC7a2GSxXLu_vXH" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEixTTj4rOweLVSApID9Fjgay1ixJzWBw3UB0tOupyQqLwlzyDYrZd4zfi2e7FfYgpR_do4NZIcBq6c2GPfp3H5492k7Y9T6QwzT6BbHXjNd-wPdPZPIM175dNv5JDNbqxyynjKiS2B2ykMUcujBsrg9_OmhEqDPCiePgiR4IJBU9T7m_WC7a2GSxXLu_vXH=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">8. HONG KONG- “The Goldfinger” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Hong
Kong Academy loves crime dramas with big HK stars- even when nobody else likes
them….Last year’s “Where the Wind Blows” (starring Tony Leung and Aaron Kwok)
didn’t have particularly good reviews and couldn’t even manage a Best Picture nomination at the Hong Kong Film Awards. So, this year’s hotly anticipated “The
Goldfinger” (previously known as “Once Upon A Time in Hong Kong”), reuniting
HK film royalty Tony Leung and Andy Lau twenty years after “Infernal Affairs” and
reportedly the most expensive HK film ever made will automatically be
chosen….if it gets a qualifying release. I think it will. The long-delayed film has been announced for New Year’s Eve weekend…two months after the October 31 deadline. But Hong Kong has been known to pick films and do a one-week unpublicized preview release to qualify for the Oscars. They did this in 2005, 2009, 2011, and- most recently- last year.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> “Goldfinger” has been
delayed so long I can’t see it missing another year. If Hong Kong saves it for next year,
the race to represent the city-state is wide open. My other five predictions (in
order): “Mad Fate” (Berlin 2023), a gory murder mystery that opened the 2023
Hong Kong Film Festival and is produced by Johnnie To, whose films have repped
Hong Kong four times, “The Narrow Road”, a COVID-era drama that got nominated
for Best Pic at the HK Film Awards (HKFA), “To My 19-Year Old Self”, the
sleeper documentary about high-school girls that actually won Best Picture at
the HKFA, and was directed by 72-year old Mabel Cheung who repped Hong Kong over
thirty years ago, “A Guilty Conscience”, a dark comedy about a lawyer trying to
exonerate an innocent woman, and “Sunny Side of the Street”, about a HK-born
Pakistani youth. The HK film I most want to see this year is jet-black housing
comedy “Over My Dead Body”, but that’s a pretty long shot.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">9. INDIA- TBD</b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxPoqs4c9EI33YVQOwA9hC2Ah1hOb0jpW8kRjNTYv4Zi63CPEgvdwgzUwXWryOBsKCswAqow1CQoEUh0MZJCfkgFIO1ZRd7EWjnXUc3pJBgRs9rVyNcuVDG3nfSPAfKCufffO0PFeoap-3pt5fcWRe5SLOF6FY3zYsxGfPLqaHFGjx2mWRcZEiHSJsDeyD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxPoqs4c9EI33YVQOwA9hC2Ah1hOb0jpW8kRjNTYv4Zi63CPEgvdwgzUwXWryOBsKCswAqow1CQoEUh0MZJCfkgFIO1ZRd7EWjnXUc3pJBgRs9rVyNcuVDG3nfSPAfKCufffO0PFeoap-3pt5fcWRe5SLOF6FY3zYsxGfPLqaHFGjx2mWRcZEiHSJsDeyD=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10. INDONESIA- “Autobiography” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In the past
five years, Indonesia has selected three acclaimed arthouse dramas featured at
major film festivals (Cannes, Toronto and Venice) and two surprising genre
films- a bloody horror film and a commercial comedy that had each inked U.S. streaming
deals. This year, “Autobiography” (Venice and Toronto 2022), a drama about complicated class relationships,
seems to be the strong frontrunner. It’s gotten very good reviews for its
creepy story of a young man who gets caught up in political intrigue when his
ex-military boss decides to run for mayor, and it’s the only eligible film nominated for Best Picture at last year’s national Cintra Awards. With Mouly
Surya’s historical epic “This City is a Battlefield” delayed, “Autobiography”
doesn’t have much competition…But if Indonesia does choose something more
commercial, then social media drama “Like & Share” or group suicide
thriller “Fireworks”- which both have Netflix deals- could contend. But I predict an easy win for “Autobiography”. </span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr7VYYUeiP-nTcFFkgSOFvTmKnjIdAH3jQH3IXZIeHXRSyUanQLyWKy8UcALipngdSNM8KVlTEp0H5feHj46v_8nmOD11FCkbOYMSQ5fMT2E06JQN5T8YNqcT4agWFyGmMgW-n2KCt1m_UfGDKJwl7IBob80zUdxiQfo-3R4Ha5HaySLiMyyLBJq-Ogzty" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="306" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgr7VYYUeiP-nTcFFkgSOFvTmKnjIdAH3jQH3IXZIeHXRSyUanQLyWKy8UcALipngdSNM8KVlTEp0H5feHj46v_8nmOD11FCkbOYMSQ5fMT2E06JQN5T8YNqcT4agWFyGmMgW-n2KCt1m_UfGDKJwl7IBob80zUdxiQfo-3R4Ha5HaySLiMyyLBJq-Ogzty=w144-h200" width="144" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">11. JAPAN- “Monster” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Of course, Japan
produces tons of great films every year but this year looks like a brutal
showdown between two of the country’s greatest directors- Hirokazu Koreeda, who
was nominated for “Shoplifters” and now has “Monster” (Cannes), and two-time
Oscar winner and national treasure Hayao Miyazaki, 82, who has announced
that “The Boy and the Heron” (Opening Film, Toronto) will be his final film. Both films have great
reviews but it’s “Monster” that will be clearly be a more serious threat for a nomination so
that’s my pick. Japan should push “Boy” for Best Animated Feature….But a big part of
me really thinks this will go to Miyazaki. Two other Oscar veterans are in the
mix: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, director of the overrated, overlong “Drive My Car” has
a new film premiering at Vencie (“Evil Does Not Exist”)….IMDB says it will
premiere in Japan in 2024, but this could be a surprise last-minute contender.
And 91-year old Yoji Yamada, nominated for “Twilight Samurai”, has a new film
that may also be his last- “Hi, Mom!”….though Japan should know better that the
other two would be stronger choices. “Kubi” and “Perfect Days” got positive
notices at Cannes but I doubt Japan would choose a foreign director (Oscar
nominee Wim Wenders) and they’ve never gone for a Takeshi Kitano film.</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHDWGFHxeyO6RSHGnhXnErYY1px2U7QJOvDDveDCdL3Msn4XVjdTN9szbInrSmnDCyN-btdewrVlbb8uuPhBBHDBWK0YJprLJZ0OUTXXuNG-W3lcrQ5_NvRAcPK0C3xTeN8IaxpERS-H8GnXOFrI-WgvQ374SUse81P03uYuM7dZU5zt6JXrTAw1tRh-D5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="416" data-original-width="739" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHDWGFHxeyO6RSHGnhXnErYY1px2U7QJOvDDveDCdL3Msn4XVjdTN9szbInrSmnDCyN-btdewrVlbb8uuPhBBHDBWK0YJprLJZ0OUTXXuNG-W3lcrQ5_NvRAcPK0C3xTeN8IaxpERS-H8GnXOFrI-WgvQ374SUse81P03uYuM7dZU5zt6JXrTAw1tRh-D5" width="320" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">12. KAZAKHSTAN- “Final Judgment” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Kazakhstan
usually sends films that showcase national heroes, Kazakh history and
Soviet atrocities against Central Asian people, although they’ve gone with more
“modern” tales the past two years. As usual, they have quite an open
competition and I’m not sure what to predict. For now, I’m going with “Final
Judgment ”, an upcoming film by a prominent arthouse director about a Kazakh author
targeted by brutal Stalinist purges. In second place, I have Qas” (aka “Qash”), a
film about the devastating Soviet-engineered famine that killed over a million
people in the 1930s. Kazakhstan selected a similar film in 2020. I’m not sure
if that will help or hurt the film but “Qash”, which won a New Talent award in
Shanghai, seems to be a much more personal story than the larger-scale “The Crying
Steppe”. Two well-reviewed festival favorites from last year- “Happiness” (Berlinale,
Panorama Audience Award) and “Scheme” (Berlinale, 14+ Grand Prix) finally got
released in Kazakhstan in February and July 2023 respectively and “Happiness”
was sent to the Golden Globes last year. Both films would be great choices but
they highlight social problems that the Kazakh Academy may not like (domestic
violence and teen delinquency). There were also two Kazakh films in competition
at their national Film Festival (Eurasia), namely crime drama “Brothers”, and
“Storm”, a Soviet-era melodrama about a traveler who accidentally ends up
crossing the Chinese border during a storm. Lastly, we have “Ademoka’s
Education”, a dramedy about a Tajik migrant, one of three 2022 releases by
prolific, award-winning Adilkhan Yerzhanov who had a film sent for the first time in 2021. Highly
unlikely: “Balaban” may be the best-reviewed Kazakh film of the year, but I
find it unlikely they’ll select an LGBT-themed film (although last year Morocco
and Pakistan did….so who knows?)</span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2daOSRZpi4PHWy26v2PGQh6CxeJ7lmLF1YY0Ewt_nMbEGYnPUbwcZbgzmfn4FfAemYNZxv3_pvtKcVKZQsMg-2mFtaU7fK7R6JeA46iA0-d1Mt88BGMvGYskoPsCQeOto_szaQVUoCiFWZ3YhtahH8Rsp7Fqq5AtIdyCHXmcqZGaHWTxn4E-yOrmZuqGt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="366" data-original-width="255" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2daOSRZpi4PHWy26v2PGQh6CxeJ7lmLF1YY0Ewt_nMbEGYnPUbwcZbgzmfn4FfAemYNZxv3_pvtKcVKZQsMg-2mFtaU7fK7R6JeA46iA0-d1Mt88BGMvGYskoPsCQeOto_szaQVUoCiFWZ3YhtahH8Rsp7Fqq5AtIdyCHXmcqZGaHWTxn4E-yOrmZuqGt=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13. KOREA- “<strike>Cobweb</strike>” NOTE: I wrote this the day before the Korean announcement. KOREA selected "Concrete Utopia" </b></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Korean Film
Council (KOFIC) announced on July 25</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> that they would be
considering </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/list/ls525472487/" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13 films</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> to
represent South Korea at the Oscars next year, with a strong emphasis on action
movies and thrillers. I
think three of the films have no chance (poorly reviewed Afghanistan rescue
movie “The Point Men”, serial killer thriller “Target” and action drama
“Ransomed”) but here are my rankings for the other ten:</span></div><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>1, Cobweb- </b>A “meta”, original story
centered on a film-within-a-film….it has good reviews, the strongest buzz on
the list, an Out-of-Competition berth at Cannes, starpower (“Parasite” star Song
Kang-ho) and is made by a popular director who was picked once before in 2016. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>2.</b> <b>The Moon- </b>A hotly
anticipated, big-budget (by Korean standards) space survival drama about a
Korean astronaut accidentally abandoned on the moon…that I think American audiences will like. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>3.</b> <b>Road to Boston: 1947- </b>A
period drama by a respected director who hasn’t been picked since 2004
(“Taegukgi”). Recently, Korea has sent a lot of films about Korean history and
this film about Korean marathon runners, has a U.S. hook and an opportunity to
bash Japan…both pluses for Korea.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>4. Concrete Utopia-</b> A disaster movie about the survivors of an earthquake that destroys most of Seoul. It has the best reviews of the summer blockbusters. </p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>5. Sleep- </b>A creepy thriller that played at Cannes Critics Week, about a pregnant woman and her sleepwalking husband (“Parasite”’s Lee Sun-kyun), whose sleepwalking habits begin to threaten mother and baby. Good reviews but it’s the feature debut of a young, unknown director and would be an odd genre pick.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>6 Hopeless- </b>A violent crime drama
about a young man who gets involved with organized crime. It played at Cannes
Un Certain Regard, and it fits the violent noir preferences of the Korean Academy.
Reviews are good though not the best on the list.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>7. The Hill of Secrets- </b>A small,
well-reviewed drama that played in the 14+ Section of Berlinale but looks too
small to compete here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>8. Smugglers- </b>A commercial box office hit by the director of “Escape from Mogadishu”. </p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>9. Hero- </b>A mix of political biopic
and musical opera….It’s said to be an acquired taste and may not appeal to
Western audiences….though the director has come close to being picked several
times, and they may feel he’s overdue.</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b>10. The Devil’s Deal- </b>A political corruption thriller. It’s already available on streaming platforms in the U.S.</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><br /></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSgswOrYWDm8lEuBX3KuPZ3iFhB_WKeDtACFMLSnHEzSqmWwiLuMdZexfwgfx7LlbCT0VhRiHr_oZ9lon42HtE-3snC8WiwO0c_63Mk2HR0CAz7znLQ176eZdz6Wx8OHG_fNmgh4bGTNnua35lv589ylo0EevnJfh2suRMXORxtyorE-VvEx4DdPMMmrO2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSgswOrYWDm8lEuBX3KuPZ3iFhB_WKeDtACFMLSnHEzSqmWwiLuMdZexfwgfx7LlbCT0VhRiHr_oZ9lon42HtE-3snC8WiwO0c_63Mk2HR0CAz7znLQ176eZdz6Wx8OHG_fNmgh4bGTNnua35lv589ylo0EevnJfh2suRMXORxtyorE-VvEx4DdPMMmrO2=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">14. KYRGYZSTAN- “This is What I Remember” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Kyrgyzstan’s
most important director is Aktan Arym Kubat. He’s made five feature films in
his native Kyrgyzstan (plus one more in neighboring Kazakhstan) since the
country joined the Oscar competition in 1997, and the first four were sent to Hollywood….so
it would be foolish to bet against #5- “This Is What I Remember”- that played
at the Tokyo Film Festival in 2022. It’s a film about an old man with amnesia
who returns to his family in Kyrgyzstan after years abroad working in Russia.
Last year, I predicted “The Scent of Wormwood” after it was selected for
Busan…but it didn’t premiere in Kyrgyzstan until 2023. It’s a well-reviewed
family drama set in a small village, just likely most of the Kyrgyz submissions… so it’s
a close second place.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhphzGarUeAxoT_ETwNUERBKvQJNkM10veYB0_0SWnW2gt52buUf_wDky19t0amk3jjU2Nf4qlYGaj6USVXKPRqN6HLV6D9zbb8TU92SXFhjdzZFi3PgNSmRL8qK0NS_-iRxfPZPdEIzEeeH2v9cZ8UVFF-zqi6ewAthqAYYton6ov4DXxfX2T8TM3TPL2P" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="696" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhphzGarUeAxoT_ETwNUERBKvQJNkM10veYB0_0SWnW2gt52buUf_wDky19t0amk3jjU2Nf4qlYGaj6USVXKPRqN6HLV6D9zbb8TU92SXFhjdzZFi3PgNSmRL8qK0NS_-iRxfPZPdEIzEeeH2v9cZ8UVFF-zqi6ewAthqAYYton6ov4DXxfX2T8TM3TPL2P=w200-h104" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">15. LAOS- “The Signal” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Laos submitted a
spooky horror-drama once in 2017 and I’m hoping they return this year with another of the same genre- “The
Signal” (Shanghai). This is another supernaturally tinged drama, this time
about a young woman uncovering family secrets while searching for her missing
father.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYtoYuzeD85ier09H38pynZ4CR7HaCtQ2tmAztPXfFpXdazq2tYhd6eEXbwo48_NBsfCHZQQDUra2mlwBueB2Cs2I4ZjQxTrrXeh1yMtymLbZzrTkNkrftljREbKMHkHF2JqUUekS5RYrI0cxIJ7fYvCmqskkN9YKWIRIlZKvDSw31BO_JqkArcLfl-M3I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="927" data-original-width="618" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjYtoYuzeD85ier09H38pynZ4CR7HaCtQ2tmAztPXfFpXdazq2tYhd6eEXbwo48_NBsfCHZQQDUra2mlwBueB2Cs2I4ZjQxTrrXeh1yMtymLbZzrTkNkrftljREbKMHkHF2JqUUekS5RYrI0cxIJ7fYvCmqskkN9YKWIRIlZKvDSw31BO_JqkArcLfl-M3I=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">16. MALAYSIA- “Imaginur” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Malaysia skipped
last year after sending films three years in a row (2019-2021). The two
sci-fi/fantasy films I predicted as the frontrunners last year- “The Stone
Turtle” and “Imaginur”- actually got released at home in 2023, and they’re
strong contenders to represent Malaysia this year. You can add peculiar
Islamic body horror “Tiger Stripes”, a surprise winner at Cannes Critics Week,
“Malbatt: Misi Bakara”, an action movie about Malaysian soldiers in Somalia and
reportedly the most expensive Malaysian film ever made, and interracial romance
“Maryam” (Rotterdam). I hate picking the same film two years in a row but
“Imaginur”, a thoroughly original sci-fi flick about time and memory, has the
best reviews. I have “Tiger Stripes” in second place.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTFlVvm09omPEGhHVaYzJs3DyJFa_oUuowvMLo0ZOPTlq-vuuQQNT-mKOUejLaj9ONlTrDLj7JLT_nQt_OYuxqJtKTFuxJDhryTmyP-FlhPGNISM0jpNBiyjtNOwvej_8dkn5SyF4ww-awDKIy_532Z32KAgDB4u7AddY6w-hPqvxxZDDhj9X3X7uib_Er" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTFlVvm09omPEGhHVaYzJs3DyJFa_oUuowvMLo0ZOPTlq-vuuQQNT-mKOUejLaj9ONlTrDLj7JLT_nQt_OYuxqJtKTFuxJDhryTmyP-FlhPGNISM0jpNBiyjtNOwvej_8dkn5SyF4ww-awDKIy_532Z32KAgDB4u7AddY6w-hPqvxxZDDhj9X3X7uib_Er" width="162" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">17. MONGOLIA- “If Only I Could Hibernate” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Set
during Mongolia’s bitter winter, coming-of-age drama “If Only I Could
Hibernate” is sure to be selected. It’s gotten great reviews for Mongolia’s
Cannes feature debut, about a bright 15-year old who is forced to help take
care of his family in light of his widowed mother’s worsening alcoholism. But
Mongolia also has Down’s Syndrome drama “Trio” (Warsaw, Tallinn Black Nights), “City of Wind” (Toronto), a coming-of-age movie, and upcoming big-budget action film “Wolf Warriors”, set in 800 BC and directed
by Erdenebileg Ganbold who made “The Steed”, one of the best Oscar submissions
ever to fail to make the shortlist.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNkXO22yU9ja0OSQqwaSh5wQ7xD76ArqZjtwsLqLHhNt2Wp9c6tJg5pdSgh3cymnDa40ngruSmkLmOYzrSa4bXqzd7JRJZbkQAeJk-Yq6pUj_7IMzjt6oIAsoSpaVoZVYPe7jyGOwSrK1aiyPuc37TMYbeUPGwTk_hnAE2nHA2PHLqdZ5P9P03ul4Mgd78" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiNkXO22yU9ja0OSQqwaSh5wQ7xD76ArqZjtwsLqLHhNt2Wp9c6tJg5pdSgh3cymnDa40ngruSmkLmOYzrSa4bXqzd7JRJZbkQAeJk-Yq6pUj_7IMzjt6oIAsoSpaVoZVYPe7jyGOwSrK1aiyPuc37TMYbeUPGwTk_hnAE2nHA2PHLqdZ5P9P03ul4Mgd78=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">18. NEPAL- “Jaari” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Nepal tends to select
social dramas and this year’s “Jaari” was such a critical and box-office hit
that it will be difficult to ignore. The film, about a dysfunctional marriage
set amidst the country’s minority Limbu community, is the 4</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
highest-grossing Nepali film of all time, and the #1 film that’s not a comedy
sequel. Other films with a chance: “Fulbari”, about a family whose matriarch
falls ill, “Neerphool”, about a family reunion in the country’s minority
Buddhist Tamang community, and “Bahaab”, about a young girl trying to avoid an
arranged marriage. “A Road to a Village”, about a remote village that becomes connected to “modern Nepal” when a new road is built, will have its world premiere in Toronto. It looks great and I predict it will represent Nepal next year. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr50eR_jVFYpi7efmMqzI6Q87C9_JixhXVqH2rZSURu3-l7Q0YTfVydsAp2RZ20UCYZ5PdyAQHwDVP7Vf_rx0EH6MUPlHHezaolb4ZfDf84awTfzsILwtZlEYSbSs9uGME7bhtwaO7BvZalKfIaVHZMYaas2zKy-lxkMSV4OdeX_QkkGCccByuJacRnx6S" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1280" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhr50eR_jVFYpi7efmMqzI6Q87C9_JixhXVqH2rZSURu3-l7Q0YTfVydsAp2RZ20UCYZ5PdyAQHwDVP7Vf_rx0EH6MUPlHHezaolb4ZfDf84awTfzsILwtZlEYSbSs9uGME7bhtwaO7BvZalKfIaVHZMYaas2zKy-lxkMSV4OdeX_QkkGCccByuJacRnx6S" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">19. NEW ZEALAND- “We Are Still Here” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">New
Zealand has sent seven films in the twelve years since they’ve been invited to the
International Oscar competition, sending five films in Pacific Island languages
plus two documentaries made abroad (in Afghanistan and China) by documentary filmmaker Pietra Brettkelly. This year, I predict they send “We Are Still Here”, an
anthology of eight indigenous short films from various parts of Oceania. It got
a NZ cinematic release in February 2023, although it could also potentially
represent Australia. Next year, they have a big-budget Maori historical epic-
“Ka Whawhai Tonu” that will almost certainly be selected.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4445yAp4k6Gq60REs9DoqIY1wyIF7ce3DiKQEzY5TQGZb2jQwXVJubxwSOz1ea_-DsUFrzS2861KVGwBsuFyigV984TMJaAy3uJFxU9-6X3BuH6rs2RYm7aOyB0v6UnFN_D61q81aTdvONL1pTt3fZ9R75xFqY80GnkeN8RcXyspvytvnlax2R0zjg1vs" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="207" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4445yAp4k6Gq60REs9DoqIY1wyIF7ce3DiKQEzY5TQGZb2jQwXVJubxwSOz1ea_-DsUFrzS2861KVGwBsuFyigV984TMJaAy3uJFxU9-6X3BuH6rs2RYm7aOyB0v6UnFN_D61q81aTdvONL1pTt3fZ9R75xFqY80GnkeN8RcXyspvytvnlax2R0zjg1vs=w127-h200" width="127" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">20. PAKISTAN- “In Flames” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I was so sad
that Pakistan failed to be nominated last year for “Joyland”…It was my favorite
film on the shortlist last year, and think it likely came in sixth place
(though it could also have been ‘good but not great’ thriller “Decision to
Leave”). Pakistan’s Oscar committee, chaired by two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen
Obaid-Chinoy, is one of the world’s most courageous, regularly selecting
challenging, controversial films that anger religious conservatives. They also
have a demonstrated preference for festival favorites, which is why I’m predicting
Cannes Director’s Fortnight horror film “In Flames”, a mother-daughter drama
co-produced with Canada.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">In second
place, I have “Madaari” (aka “The Monkey Dance”), a revenge crime drama. Since
they like to court controversy, they could select “Kukri”, the biopic of an
infamous child killer which has been banned in certain parts of the country.
They don’t usually choose “local” films but if they don’t like these three
entries, they could consider short-film anthology “Teri Meri Kahaniyaan” or
crime drama “John".</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjajz3_6mgFp8ZhR0Sbry2ptFx2mopoEid4diSKRgpSOoxqK2x6xFx1Tl0qtPMnFKNf8ajfiAYiwd6JxjB8K_3n9RqsG2930teFQgks8aZnJUPF0YOcnQSxuPosY8F3fyAYGbehq7ASOxHr_dz4BzpVWgrD8PsMVb8zm8KGIlzmFILIGmVZBzeVjM7sGjOh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="207" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjajz3_6mgFp8ZhR0Sbry2ptFx2mopoEid4diSKRgpSOoxqK2x6xFx1Tl0qtPMnFKNf8ajfiAYiwd6JxjB8K_3n9RqsG2930teFQgks8aZnJUPF0YOcnQSxuPosY8F3fyAYGbehq7ASOxHr_dz4BzpVWgrD8PsMVb8zm8KGIlzmFILIGmVZBzeVjM7sGjOh=w127-h200" width="127" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -24px;">21<b>21. PHILIPPINES- "Ang Duyan ng Magiting" </b>The Philippines is always a tricky one to predict because their mood changes often. Of their past ten submissions, four premiered at major festivals (Venice and Cannes) and four were low-budget "indies" selected from the local Cinemalaya Film Festival. Just one submission came from their more commercial and well-known Metro Manila Film Festival, plus one was a big-budget commercial release ("Heneral Luna"). <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;">If they want an arthouse
festival film, their main option is “When the Waves are Gone” another 3-hour
plus opus from Lav Diaz. Too long for me. “Waves” managed a Best Picture nomination at the Asian Film
Awards (losing to “Drive My Car”, another overlong movie), becoming only the second-ever
Filipino movie to do so. Lav has a second film at Venice this year but it’s
both unlikely to get a local release in time </span><b style="color: #1d2228; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">and </b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;">a prequel to
“Waves”, so sending the original would make more sense. If they want a
Cinemalaya film, they could look pick this year’s surprise winner, anime drama
“Iti-Mapukpukaw” or multi-strand anthology “Ang Duyan ng
Magiting” (Jury Prize and Best Ensemble), both co-starring Dolly DeLeon from “Triangle of Sadness”. Most of the
eight films from Metro Manila last year had poisonously bad reviews and even
the winner- horror film “Deleted”- wasn’t very well reviewer. Only “Family Matters”- about
a family taking care of their severely ill father- looks likely to be
considered for the Oscars. Finally, Jun Lana- who made “Bwakaw”, the best Filipino submission
I’ve ever seen- has two new movies- “Your Mother’s Son”, due to premiere at Toronto
in September, and “About Us But Not About Us”, a tense thriller about secrets
revealed between a professor and his student over the course of a dinner. My prediction for now
is “Ang Duyan ng Magiting”, followed closely by “</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(29, 34, 40); color: #1d2228;">Iti-Mapukpukaw ”, “</span><span style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;">When the Waves are Gone”, “Your
Mother’s Son” and “Family Matters”. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1d2228; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvEL5Prw64U7mIxDCgFKESvxuj0TQrWX3Tinj3yv3DfZIW0Xbt8VcIMshqI2fshDBYAsBiLGUsrFLm-oaT16KzPJu1k3IiLFWF5k3LsFCq2BSPGvf8TR-QkIyyBlRJZhmk62mwzHnqfkW5Kf9xBrKT2aaBQzHNcsuzNO_JirHp7WDcGNcZAJX3r1Y5LvnK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="340" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvEL5Prw64U7mIxDCgFKESvxuj0TQrWX3Tinj3yv3DfZIW0Xbt8VcIMshqI2fshDBYAsBiLGUsrFLm-oaT16KzPJu1k3IiLFWF5k3LsFCq2BSPGvf8TR-QkIyyBlRJZhmk62mwzHnqfkW5Kf9xBrKT2aaBQzHNcsuzNO_JirHp7WDcGNcZAJX3r1Y5LvnK=w143-h200" width="143" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">22. SINGAPORE- “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Tiny
Singapore had three premieres at major festivals in 2023, so they’ll surely
send one of those. While most people are expecting Anthony Chen’s “The Breaking
Ice” (Cannes), I predict it will be “Tomorrow Is A Long Time” (Berlin), which
has a lower profile but better reviews. Anthony Chen, who is only 39, has
already been selected twice and Singapore may want to spread the wealth.
“Tomorrow”, about a young man growing up and entering military service while
living with his violent, working-class father, is also a much more local effort
than “Breaking Ice”, which is set on the China-North Korea border. The third
option- “Dreaming & Dying”- just premiered in Locarno. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcbLCNdHlvJ33byPlccnXVL3JDKeAv0vlZ_FjBE491d8NmbtlGkqHd7NyWYHPCtlQ-XeFZwJ1E5AWiFyHFc2FMPj0-QNOXiPiDpz_HinPddRdYXpiL3d9xCE6pCZWxpHQYQDy9Xj58NrKH0NvLpz7LgPveilgAc-CkSQbhoWpMU_BBTgXfHOtU8WxITTBR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="324" data-original-width="207" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcbLCNdHlvJ33byPlccnXVL3JDKeAv0vlZ_FjBE491d8NmbtlGkqHd7NyWYHPCtlQ-XeFZwJ1E5AWiFyHFc2FMPj0-QNOXiPiDpz_HinPddRdYXpiL3d9xCE6pCZWxpHQYQDy9Xj58NrKH0NvLpz7LgPveilgAc-CkSQbhoWpMU_BBTgXfHOtU8WxITTBR=w127-h200" width="127" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">23. SRI LANKA- “Peacock Lament” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Sri Lanka
hasn’t sent a film since 2009. If they choose to return this year, I imagine it
will be “Peacock Lament”, which won an award in Tokyo. It’s the story of how
poverty drives good people to do terrible things, as a man who supports his
entire family becomes involved with child trafficking. Controversial director Visakesa
Chandrasekaram won a Jury Prize in Rotterdam for “Sand” but I’m pretty sure
that they won’t pick a movie in Tamil to represent them.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9-YJb_TNHAYztepYPTIvGnu0fPkh7IYEYs52KO-RYYcAPHCoHCawb0QX_cBX2gS10-LAZNsplR5rSqUrqb4EM2WwoniSvlFKd2-YV9jXb3ua8_SGKPx2ouP5oqBkfLRhzxl08jaxTnyv1gVL6yzLJOi5bKPPZz2tEt2NBGqPQaa-_Qq2TaeAK8yMf5Bp3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9-YJb_TNHAYztepYPTIvGnu0fPkh7IYEYs52KO-RYYcAPHCoHCawb0QX_cBX2gS10-LAZNsplR5rSqUrqb4EM2WwoniSvlFKd2-YV9jXb3ua8_SGKPx2ouP5oqBkfLRhzxl08jaxTnyv1gVL6yzLJOi5bKPPZz2tEt2NBGqPQaa-_Qq2TaeAK8yMf5Bp3=w143-h200" width="143" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">24. TAIWAN- “The Abandoned” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Taiwan
doesn’t have any really strong contenders so far this year and I’m expecting
they may send some late release that we haven’t heard of yet. But for now, I’m
predicting mystery-thriller “The Abandoned”, about a suicidal woman who becomes
embroiled in a mystery when she finds the corpse of a young Thai woman who may
have been murdered by a serial killer. Timing would be good; it’s getting
released in September, a year after its premiere at the Taipei Film Festival.
Other options (in order): “Day Off”, a drama about an aging hairdresser ; “Eye
of the Storm” follows a hospital forced to undergo a sudden lockdown, trapping
hundreds of doctors, patients and staff together indefinitely; “Pierce”, an
intense family drama that hasn’t been released yet; and possibly even “Marry My
Dead Body”, a supernatural gay-themed comedy that has been quite popular in
Taiwan. Two strong contenders (“Gaga” and “Coo-Coo-043”) appear to have been
released too early.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">25. TAJIKISTAN- “Fortune” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Tajikistan
hasn’t sent a film since 2005, which means they’ve been absent from the Oscars
longer than any country in the region (tied with Fiji). Their last submission was
made by an Iranian director in Tajikistan since the countries speak the same
language and there is a great deal more artistic freedom in Tajikistan. There’s a similar
film- “Melody”- this year, about a woman who teaches music at a home for
children with cancer. But most of the cast and crew are Iranian, so I’ll
predict crime drama “Fortune”, about a pair of cops who win the lottery. <b>UPDATE: </b>Tajikistan is back in the race for the Oscars! They selected “Melody”.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDpdwmYu60g0GyUiedhKivXBohYOCYTwyIr_FNxFuzFnx0iaEAAxiyGiTGkzRiVL5xW73amrpZq5TrtL6wLq1nEOcFW8x0IjnlArcTj-QpL0ZsbRyTnsf6ncMmP4HgPistIMerT49Zvg6T8O5-NP0TeQu7Ihhgd9gHqCkBzXsT_Y2q6nCpbl7ehCOBwDUm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1433" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDpdwmYu60g0GyUiedhKivXBohYOCYTwyIr_FNxFuzFnx0iaEAAxiyGiTGkzRiVL5xW73amrpZq5TrtL6wLq1nEOcFW8x0IjnlArcTj-QpL0ZsbRyTnsf6ncMmP4HgPistIMerT49Zvg6T8O5-NP0TeQu7Ihhgd9gHqCkBzXsT_Y2q6nCpbl7ehCOBwDUm=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">26. THAILAND- “Khun Pan 3” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Thailand
doesn’t have any strong contenders this year but they’ve been a regular
participant since 2000 and they use this competition to promote their national
cinema, so I’m sure they’ll find something. In the past ten years, they’ve sent
four horror movies (probably more than any other country), three arthouse
dramas, and three romantic “soap operas”…so that gives you an idea of what they
like. They haven’t held their National Film Awards since 2021 so that useful
precursor is unavailable. If they want a horror film, it will probably be “Home
for Rent”, about murderous tenants terrorizing their landlord. If they want an
arthouse film, it could be “Blue Again” (Busan), a three-hour coming-of-age
film about an interracial teen (it looks like a mess)….If they want a soap
opera, they have twin teen romance “You & Me & Me”….I was planning on
predicting “The Murderer”, a murder-mystery-comedy with a Netflix deal by
acclaimed director Wisit Sasantieng who has never been sent to the Oscars (he
directed my favorite Thai film “Citizen Dog”, as well as the better-known
“Tears of the Black Tiger”). But reviews have been middling. Thriller “Hunger”
and well-liked sports comedy “Fast & Feel Love” also have Netflix
deals….and some are saying “Hunger” is the favorite…..But I’m predicting none
of these. I think, in this relatively weak year, Thailand will go with the high
production values of big-budget sequel “Khun Pan 3”, the all-star finale of a
popular action series, which is said to be the best of the trilogy.. If “Once
Upon A Star”, an ode to cinema directed by Nonzee Nimbutr (“Nang Nak”), another
popular director who has never been selected, I would move it to the top. But I
think it will be eligible next year. In the end, I predict “Khun Pan”, followed
by “Blue Again”, “Fast & Feel Love”, “Hunger” and “Home for Rent” rounding
out the Top 5.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGK4QSNfHpF5757jMq1z7U1tUjsgYXO6vjjiifRzh5Dtt2N-iMHjrGgaX6UrbfEUkDf9Yrw4WLVSjAElWtyjcDOIBWyC0M7vjihuOwG2APwOSg6YYuGLguiVaGyYk-eXT9qfDMJ_c9bVciReWIlTZbkdFnt47n05-J608Q17-yD3zH4ufdkQwm9JBBiscz" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGK4QSNfHpF5757jMq1z7U1tUjsgYXO6vjjiifRzh5Dtt2N-iMHjrGgaX6UrbfEUkDf9Yrw4WLVSjAElWtyjcDOIBWyC0M7vjihuOwG2APwOSg6YYuGLguiVaGyYk-eXT9qfDMJ_c9bVciReWIlTZbkdFnt47n05-J608Q17-yD3zH4ufdkQwm9JBBiscz" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">27. UZBEKISTAN- “Alteration” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Uzbekistan
has only submitted two films and one was directed by Yalkin Tuychiev. Tuychiev
had a new movie at Busan 2022, where it won the new Jiseok Award for
established Asian directors. So, I’m predicting “Alteration”, about an Uzbek
man- a veteran of the Soviet Afghan War- and his life over the course of
decades through Uzbek independence, to the present-day. It also represented
Uzbekistan in the “Best Central Asian Film” category in neighboring
Kyrgyzstan’s national film awards.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_9-G_eJztDFBtkLWa5NpFYVe1u4rC8NUEESPKr1-5be_WoSq8x13IB_pTllcDGbVWbLYKbqhY2JZt6FSUhewDXhF_5LECk7GuxAO0VEkQ95JYHNzkL-IDxbElwLozJuJwcN1xXjKWFk5ZEAMJVaOkHjDBO4_uj2k2hZEjdPS9CoI0oYWv39nmHbGZ4jmp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="230" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_9-G_eJztDFBtkLWa5NpFYVe1u4rC8NUEESPKr1-5be_WoSq8x13IB_pTllcDGbVWbLYKbqhY2JZt6FSUhewDXhF_5LECk7GuxAO0VEkQ95JYHNzkL-IDxbElwLozJuJwcN1xXjKWFk5ZEAMJVaOkHjDBO4_uj2k2hZEjdPS9CoI0oYWv39nmHbGZ4jmp=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">28. VIETNAM- “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”
</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Vietnam has two arthouse films on the film festival circuit this year,
namely three-hour “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell”, which won the Camera d’Or
at Cannes Director’s Fortnight, and “Glorious Ashes” (Tokyo), about three women
living in a rural Mekong River community. I hate slow, overlong arthouse
dramas…but I’m predicting “Yellow Cocoon Shell”. However, the Vietnamese
Academy almost always surprises by choosing more commercial efforts, including
gonzo martial arts films (2019 and 2022) and local comedies (2018 and 2021).
So, feminist martial arts movie “Furies” (directed by Veronica Ngo) or family
dramedy “The House of No Man” could make it.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Others?</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>TURKMENISTAN</b>, which previously banned cinema after
independence, is the only former Soviet republic that has never ended the Oscar
competition. This year, they’ve had an interesting film on the film festival
circuit called “The Red Kurta”, about a bride who gets married without seeing
the groom and who insists on wearing her red wedding dress until he returns
from war. <o:p></o:p></p><br /></div></div></div></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-90498128373106417252023-08-11T13:28:00.003-04:002023-08-12T20:27:26.026-04:00 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR, PREDICTIONS FOR AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST (35 countries)<p>And here are my predictions for the countries from Africa and the Middle East:</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXE41RgZXLR4dIaXtUSBdRw6yuWTQE28vc1ObDRR1BNKe0RfCr8RwxTozOJZFjUH0GKXnx7g4B7-yMtb_ndohgjludkEoO3jCufEg1-mgaV-egpUeNXrsrDGArmEAN7E3MkDLw0Vd6A8C0KXvYmbL_gr8itV2uucl7Kg1qxQotG-VMUE34VJ6uusTtGCqo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="283" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhXE41RgZXLR4dIaXtUSBdRw6yuWTQE28vc1ObDRR1BNKe0RfCr8RwxTozOJZFjUH0GKXnx7g4B7-yMtb_ndohgjludkEoO3jCufEg1-mgaV-egpUeNXrsrDGArmEAN7E3MkDLw0Vd6A8C0KXvYmbL_gr8itV2uucl7Kg1qxQotG-VMUE34VJ6uusTtGCqo=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>1. Algeria-
“The Last Queen” </b>Two years ago, Algeria selected "Heliopolis" but changed their mind when the film's release date was changed.....They submitted the film the following year. I'm predicting the same thing happens this year. Although "The Last Queen" was on last year's Algerian shortlist, it finally premiered in Algeria in June 2023. It's a glossy historical drama about a 15th century princess negotiating political intrigue, and it's been billed as Algeria's first costume drama. If they don't consider that to be eligible, </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Soula”, an indie film about the
hardships of a single mother in conservative Algerian society, would be the
most appropriate Algerian submission. It played in a special sidebar section at
FESPACO (Africa’s most prestigious film festival) and got a domestic release in
France. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtpWDYZe_P7IV3hH6KKPGladPvjHWhjMCsts3CpDvbLuoIxCV-lG0qwhtslx0hOLgFYlJ3qR0Bq1Pkpc_jVulWUZMQ7qhAnf0ZdxRlTH9ktffAgNlnh-QD7ZfHf3r5k5GrcW7Lx_Fx77z17BBepp9Srqh154ePHrbqVsgc6wMDhFxKUURFW4IWdeSU3LK1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtpWDYZe_P7IV3hH6KKPGladPvjHWhjMCsts3CpDvbLuoIxCV-lG0qwhtslx0hOLgFYlJ3qR0Bq1Pkpc_jVulWUZMQ7qhAnf0ZdxRlTH9ktffAgNlnh-QD7ZfHf3r5k5GrcW7Lx_Fx77z17BBepp9Srqh154ePHrbqVsgc6wMDhFxKUURFW4IWdeSU3LK1" width="171" /></a></div><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">2. Burkina Faso-
“Sira” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Director Apolline Traore was
unsuccessful at negotiating the AMPAS bureaucracy when she tried to submit
“Desrances” a few years ago. African arthouse power Burkina Faso hadn't sent a
film since their debut in 1989 and the country did not have an approved
committee at the time. Traore’s “Sira”, about a young woman who survives an Islamic terror
attack, won the Best Film award at Berlin Panorama, so I’m really hoping they
return. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm4Rxl8yHEujS8CN-m-gijdEUYNfcJnACR37zwo250dO8H-Mo1sQIiFD9Pbf_Vlp-SIFtmT8ho7QMKfVSz_SsCdOwH4rPECCzUXeqYFzGN9d3Hqx7TPsCUZw20CxUUMAXjmBGsLwNT6_bvnb7ZBOtSe7ye4vBhql0LJKUAEVuUp8WzP6HB-NFof6q2NLS2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="687" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm4Rxl8yHEujS8CN-m-gijdEUYNfcJnACR37zwo250dO8H-Mo1sQIiFD9Pbf_Vlp-SIFtmT8ho7QMKfVSz_SsCdOwH4rPECCzUXeqYFzGN9d3Hqx7TPsCUZw20CxUUMAXjmBGsLwNT6_bvnb7ZBOtSe7ye4vBhql0LJKUAEVuUp8WzP6HB-NFof6q2NLS2=w159-h200" width="159" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>3. Cameroon- “Half
Heaven” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Cameroon has sent films three years in
a row now, making them one of only two countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to do so
(the other is Kenya). Oddly enough, all three movies were made by filmmakers
from the country’s Northwest Region, home to the country’s English-speaking
minority. For that reason, I’m predicting “Half Heaven”, a Christian-themed
drama by the director of “The Fisherman’s Diary”, which brought them back to
the Oscars in 2020 after a 30-year absence. It has gotten screened in both the USA and
regional powerhouse Nigeria. Like “Fisherman’s Diary”, it’s in a local dialect
of English. “Mambar Pierrette”, a naturalistic look at the life of a young
mother which played at Cannes Director’s Fortnight, or “Le spectre du Boko
Haram”, a topical documentary from the French side, would probably be better
choices.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPiXqSyyc9_D98W2GmkP61vKw2Ckh4lk2qSps4fBLQeM03j8nUY45sowiGCe77O6XWZ11_pDyAOIx1dWiZJkUXp-73BNJpw0AE62zbTiUFUdobAOmVHgy9QgdVGB2tGTOf-_fk8rFC1kLg-7RADuQSpq-Tw2BFDV8ee2J-2HncAd03IWyXN6pDbp5kVRDh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPiXqSyyc9_D98W2GmkP61vKw2Ckh4lk2qSps4fBLQeM03j8nUY45sowiGCe77O6XWZ11_pDyAOIx1dWiZJkUXp-73BNJpw0AE62zbTiUFUdobAOmVHgy9QgdVGB2tGTOf-_fk8rFC1kLg-7RADuQSpq-Tw2BFDV8ee2J-2HncAd03IWyXN6pDbp5kVRDh=w147-h200" width="147" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p>4. </o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chad-
“Choose Me” (Amchilini) </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Chad only
competes at the Oscars when Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has a new movie. But for the
sake of completion, I’ll predict “Choose Me”, an interesting documentary about
how attitudes towards arranged marriages and proposals are changing in
modern-day Chad.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwImpW4f0P3eMCphuqhiqA_jdrfI6PnOPmh6PZw3SJ-Ob0g8xspV9e7gQXWIxidW5_mDmwYxBCSeZEzXwoMPsMVGHDfERP2Rvichz_nFAF0b6_p6I0bkw1Nzq7d30nO2LS2ZftyQSpAtoq-3ISCcGNYC9GRlDIE9QLknkr2sWQqoJmOHO6DH-jPGstsmzk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="206" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwImpW4f0P3eMCphuqhiqA_jdrfI6PnOPmh6PZw3SJ-Ob0g8xspV9e7gQXWIxidW5_mDmwYxBCSeZEzXwoMPsMVGHDfERP2Rvichz_nFAF0b6_p6I0bkw1Nzq7d30nO2LS2ZftyQSpAtoq-3ISCcGNYC9GRlDIE9QLknkr2sWQqoJmOHO6DH-jPGstsmzk" width="162" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p>5. </o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Congo-Kinshasa-
“Omen” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Congo-Kinshasa hasn’t sent a film
since 1997 but I’m really hoping that could change after “Omen” premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2023. It’s an ensemble piece about a man who
returns to his home country from Europe and finds himself amongst a group
accused of sorcery. It's one of the films in this group that I want to see the most. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb1Z48bHTZYb_5oP9r8x2ODW3JSg1jvvkwi-OABAtSwxVbD74MJpKw11kA9zxG9d_TVs2ZFlrNGfFXXH0qzlfvwAW0Q40SS1XvPG8eF7sUQ6jVKQ-czMaDOWb4g0WBYo9Yb1RbnDzwlb4EQ6SSv_BXFvxnWcG9BaaGEErgeyiBY7F48vATUDkhwPb0t6Sh" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb1Z48bHTZYb_5oP9r8x2ODW3JSg1jvvkwi-OABAtSwxVbD74MJpKw11kA9zxG9d_TVs2ZFlrNGfFXXH0qzlfvwAW0Q40SS1XvPG8eF7sUQ6jVKQ-czMaDOWb4g0WBYo9Yb1RbnDzwlb4EQ6SSv_BXFvxnWcG9BaaGEErgeyiBY7F48vATUDkhwPb0t6Sh" width="160" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="line-height: 17.12px;"><b style="font-size: 12pt;">6. </b><b>Côte d'Ivoire</b><b style="font-size: 12pt;">- “Je reste photographe” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px; text-indent: -0.25in;">Côte d'Ivoire hasn’t sent a film since they were shortlisted for “Night of the Kings” in 2020. They were represented at FESPACO by documentary “Je reste photographe”, a documentary about an artistic inheritance. But they probably won’t enter.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5pDxASb9kl0WubSYidjsH5-skVzW5EtEEv5MNybmTOm79oO77VnhfHhMPYZIqIRXcq5JTwg0D7k36dbImx-EtiWWxHjYdn7OApM1BH54V1J2U3mcYhMtIAeH6-M9f8qGNStOs-3Vp1QmAe8P0sk18RTlkePlr2Vpxa9A2p4lp8dZnRw-lI9jocQ5pR_EJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1080" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5pDxASb9kl0WubSYidjsH5-skVzW5EtEEv5MNybmTOm79oO77VnhfHhMPYZIqIRXcq5JTwg0D7k36dbImx-EtiWWxHjYdn7OApM1BH54V1J2U3mcYhMtIAeH6-M9f8qGNStOs-3Vp1QmAe8P0sk18RTlkePlr2Vpxa9A2p4lp8dZnRw-lI9jocQ5pR_EJ=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p>7. </o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Egypt- “Hajjan”
</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Egypt announced a five-film shortlist
last year- including three movies by previously submitted directors- and then
voted that none of the films were good enough to represent the country at the
Oscars. This year, the situation is even more bleak. So far this year, Egyptian
cinema has mostly been a flurry of silly comedies and they've been virtually absent from
international festivals. Even at CIFF (Cairo International Film Festival),
there were only two Egyptian features- “19B” (one of the five films rejected last year) and music documentary “Far from the Nile”. Two promising films-
Saudi co-production “Hajjan” (by the director of “Yomeddine”) and the
controversial “The Atheist” are finished but don’t have any domestic release dates yet, although "Hajjan" will premiere in Toronto. Melodramas “I Am For Your Lover” and “Kamla” (Red Sea Film Festival) have gotten
limited releases in Egypt. I’m wondering if Egypt may skip this year again....but “Hajjan” could be selected if it’s released in Egypt in time. </span></p><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ_53jC0tPiTpi-QMHHleIDpMPbhxL-Nst9cxnJMW3KLL6g816Vv3HeL6oUee74OtLiey8HCo8YnlMH9Cw3PnJqlpty8UmluhyA-FNGoeEDjJfYFdSHh7wavwSK2PWRYnUmYbyM43B1ynPHjTMZrtYprRjCMD6_bTAv9GBFL3Egl8JJEEBexI4JlewHneN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1080" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ_53jC0tPiTpi-QMHHleIDpMPbhxL-Nst9cxnJMW3KLL6g816Vv3HeL6oUee74OtLiey8HCo8YnlMH9Cw3PnJqlpty8UmluhyA-FNGoeEDjJfYFdSHh7wavwSK2PWRYnUmYbyM43B1ynPHjTMZrtYprRjCMD6_bTAv9GBFL3Egl8JJEEBexI4JlewHneN=w200-h198" width="200" /></a></div></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span></b><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">8. Ethiopia- “Doka”
</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ethiopia has sent four films since
2010 but they’ve been busy with a civil war and absent since 2019. They make a
lot of low-budget movies for local consumption but there’s nothing they are
likely to send to the Oscars. For the sake of completion, I’ll predict “Doka”,
about a nurse and a little girl who find themselves caught up in a violent
conflict. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWIt7pjWmb5Rp2xO1QAVrZagWGALtdr3xVn68Bfl__GxoWH7Hq8dIEhdRQljpkPwkGQpOgjai4opBPF__BQpqqLiFPD0tuNaCHBH5onU3ilVp0V2ryDYeW6CoCTyB--mFNAbojtLVVSJR0VnIHA-oLAyl-_nzPAI1e4gSwEc4Ew37zd_A67gNy6urKN29-" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1093" data-original-width="874" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWIt7pjWmb5Rp2xO1QAVrZagWGALtdr3xVn68Bfl__GxoWH7Hq8dIEhdRQljpkPwkGQpOgjai4opBPF__BQpqqLiFPD0tuNaCHBH5onU3ilVp0V2ryDYeW6CoCTyB--mFNAbojtLVVSJR0VnIHA-oLAyl-_nzPAI1e4gSwEc4Ew37zd_A67gNy6urKN29-=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b> 9. </b></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>Asantewaa”
</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Ghana’s “Ghollywood” film industry
makes most of its films in English, while rival “Kumawood” makes movies in the
local Akan/Twi language….However, Kumawood has been in decline, and I don’t see
any strong contenders. But I’ll predict children’s animated film “Asantewaa-
Battle for the Golden Stool”, which is in Twi and English. Ghana launches a
call for submissions every year but has only sent a movie once, in 2019. Last
year, <a href="https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/entertainment/Making-a-case-BORGA-deserves-to-be-Ghana-s-submission-for-the-95th-Academy-Awards-1633628">GhanaWeb
campaigned for the critically acclaimed “Borga</a>”…but Ghana didn’t send it.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlopz6TY2jeLXCOlp06td0__8ude_Ymys5q3J1W6U75Q6WE3TQy3UsuBoBkmrNar9PEndxZx6PvLAQLIxYhLyixjYPMyzpe8uu_YqpRaMq0WsKU8nQBbnImbv1mSL_MuJkwYOlIRvv4tEXZa5jnX7O8V2u7cSXrm3KcQU-5n0b2H-OL2peI_KOVz_JCe_K" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="8268" data-original-width="5906" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlopz6TY2jeLXCOlp06td0__8ude_Ymys5q3J1W6U75Q6WE3TQy3UsuBoBkmrNar9PEndxZx6PvLAQLIxYhLyixjYPMyzpe8uu_YqpRaMq0WsKU8nQBbnImbv1mSL_MuJkwYOlIRvv4tEXZa5jnX7O8V2u7cSXrm3KcQU-5n0b2H-OL2peI_KOVz_JCe_K" width="107" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">10.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Iran- “Cause
of Death: Unknown” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Despite poor
relations with the U.S., Iran has missed only two years since they joined the
Oscar competition in 1994 (including a rather ridiculous public boycott over a
YouTube video in 2012). I’m seriously confused as to what Iran will send this
year, and a big part of me expects they may select a late release like last
year that we may not have heard of yet. Last year, they selected the brilliant
and underrated “World War III” which definitely would have been in my Top Five.
And although it's true that Iran usually sends a wonderful film, their selection
committee will limit their candidates to films that are politically acceptable and made by
approved directors. So, the critically acclaimed “Terrestrial Verses” (Cannes),
about people beaten down by the Islamic bureaucracy, is out of luck, as is
“Beyond the Wall” (Venice) which hasn’t passed the censors. I’m going out on a
limb and predicting “Cause of Death: Unknown”, a thriller about seven strangers
on a minibus who decide to split a passenger’s money when he mysteriously dies
on the journey. Two other strong possibilities: “Cinema Metropole” is an ode to
cinema (like “Cinema Paradiso” or “Last Film Show”) that won Best Iranian Film
at the Fajr Film Festival. But only two Fajr winners in the past 20 years have gone
to the Oscars, so it’s not a strong precursor; “Empty Nets” (Karlovy Vary),
about two young lovers forced to keep their relationship secret. Rounding out
the Top Five Iranian options are “In the Arms of the Tree” about a married couple in crisis, and
social drama “Leather Jacket Man”, about women plagued by drug addiction.
Also possible: acclaimed Afghan migrant drama “Endless Borders”
(Rotterdam), comedy “Fosil”, historical drama “Intoxicated By Love”, father-son
drama “Scent of Wind”, and family drama “A Tale of Shermoon” (San Sebastian). In my opinion, this is the hardest country to predict in the group.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZT-DgKP-pxY8J4Dqb7wAAqCwiFTl6fCVgMIil6LBFq4hMwZWTpZwP__siPWJHhuc_BirSrV1cerpiq89JBOX-mOzWhwyrQF5aDL0v9meN87_5-_wJRedURt7Gfot_D0lfB95aWmpGreq4pmhhw8lGs5rQbszs2Yi80CRv8CUiXmIkyqXDse_4xvnOC1yC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="914" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZT-DgKP-pxY8J4Dqb7wAAqCwiFTl6fCVgMIil6LBFq4hMwZWTpZwP__siPWJHhuc_BirSrV1cerpiq89JBOX-mOzWhwyrQF5aDL0v9meN87_5-_wJRedURt7Gfot_D0lfB95aWmpGreq4pmhhw8lGs5rQbszs2Yi80CRv8CUiXmIkyqXDse_4xvnOC1yC=w143-h200" width="143" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>11. Iraq-
“Hanging Gardens” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Iraq has two
distinct film industries, one in the Kurdish-speaking North and one in the
Arabic-speaking south, and the Iraqi Academy tries to alternate between the
two. This year it looks like a two-way race between Arabic “Hanging Gardens”
(Venice 2022), about a rubbish picker who unexpectedly finds a sex doll in the
trash, and Kurdish “The Rain Bride” (which swept the Kurdish Duhok Film
Awards), about a wife who becomes a dancer when her husband goes off to war. “Hanging
Gardens” has better reviews and the Venice pedigree….and they chose a Kurdish
film last year. So that’s my pick. Dark horse: 3-hour documentary “Tales of the
Purple House”.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQcajyTa2iYlKU7599ymhr6pImeAqvmonrYRG7uCiE_BajCsCNyX4TW7aEZeGIsvPrcEizXFRrj51Tj7dv85Prewz5aFfUs6E1kk7JRAPUn0mw2_4uWyVJ3kjTBnd21OyUwBHGMBgoU6Hrw_K2jhlFHl93IMze5LfsnoEsd9JdznvlKE2rBVXcqJ7dK1Tr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="238" data-original-width="212" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQcajyTa2iYlKU7599ymhr6pImeAqvmonrYRG7uCiE_BajCsCNyX4TW7aEZeGIsvPrcEizXFRrj51Tj7dv85Prewz5aFfUs6E1kk7JRAPUn0mw2_4uWyVJ3kjTBnd21OyUwBHGMBgoU6Hrw_K2jhlFHl93IMze5LfsnoEsd9JdznvlKE2rBVXcqJ7dK1Tr=w178-h200" width="178" /></a></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>12. Israel- “<strike>Delegation</strike>” "Seven Blessings" </b>Israel automatically sends the winner of the Best Picture award at the Ophir Awards. So, before the Ophir nominations were announced, I predicted the five nominees would be "The Altman Method", "Delegation", "Matchmaking", "The Monkey House" and "Vanishing Soldier", with "The Other Widow" as my alternate. I only got one right, plus my alternate. I'd like to think the main reason for that is that almost all the Israeli finalists were films that hadn't yet been screened. The five finalists including "Vanishing Soldier" (11 nominations), about a soldier who goes AWOL but who is reported in the national media as a missing POW; it premiered at Locarno, and "The Other Widow" (9 nominations), a dark comedy about a mistress who goes to her lover's funeral....plus three unscreened movies- "Home" (9 nominations), a drama set in Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, "Running on Sand" (4 nominations), about an Eritrean refugee on an Israeli football team, and "Seven Blessings" (12 nominations), a comedy-drama about family secrets amongst a large Moroccan-Jewish family. Still pretty surprised at the absence of "Delegation"! So, what film will represent Israel? "Running on Sand" was a nominee out of left field and didn't get any other major nominations, while "Other Widow" missed the all-important Best Screenplay nomination- 8 out of the past 10 Ophir winners got nominations for Picture, Director and Screenplay. Nominated in almost every category, "Seven Blessings" appears to be the frontrunner...and it's also the nominee I most want to see. I have "Vanishing Soldier", which got positive reviews this month at Locarno, in second place and the complete unknown- "Home"- in third and "Other Widow" (which also looks charming) in fourth. </span></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlfPJ0OYoL-rspHI1QQHFPkmnF8x5SxBgdL2yBONSteyriljC-fM1tpwed2RrIimu3odsuaA-A-9CXar77u3TzZ1z0QoE574itOdqTszZeeGlNQX5160fKnE8fZngo2xc8Bkw63xYJyZZmMZtRIVIeBLhU7r8nal6aQUPtpc2WuWFDd6YWj2iJzFtv2jmM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="200" data-original-width="252" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlfPJ0OYoL-rspHI1QQHFPkmnF8x5SxBgdL2yBONSteyriljC-fM1tpwed2RrIimu3odsuaA-A-9CXar77u3TzZ1z0QoE574itOdqTszZeeGlNQX5160fKnE8fZngo2xc8Bkw63xYJyZZmMZtRIVIeBLhU7r8nal6aQUPtpc2WuWFDd6YWj2iJzFtv2jmM=w200-h159" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>13. Jordan-
“Inshallah A Boy” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Jordan has started
to submit more regularly and last year they had a brutally competitive race. But this year should be an easy choice. I’m certain they’ll send “Inshallah A Boy”, about a
Jordanian widow who fakes a pregnancy to ensure she maintains control of her
house and family. It won two minor awards in Cannes and has very good reviews.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhol11vEmRh1gl7k9-u3GylyVr_mEu4Gz4pGFZAOa39SKBtu26Rv03tE-SZMhFf0-xWue9-N9Z5VbUUNf7rja9jqU-wTEMUQ2ABobqIFnoGMdPC591SgZ9NEPCFHJNRmqLR9H6TbEyVi-uuRTooKiKXqRnLqLooFrOaBMeo_iFMy3beQegH5MrHvs6gy8DM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhol11vEmRh1gl7k9-u3GylyVr_mEu4Gz4pGFZAOa39SKBtu26Rv03tE-SZMhFf0-xWue9-N9Z5VbUUNf7rja9jqU-wTEMUQ2ABobqIFnoGMdPC591SgZ9NEPCFHJNRmqLR9H6TbEyVi-uuRTooKiKXqRnLqLooFrOaBMeo_iFMy3beQegH5MrHvs6gy8DM=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>14. Kenya-
“Between the Rains” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Kenya has
a competitive two-way race between climate change documentary “Between the
Rains”, which won Best Documentary at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, and
“Shimoni”, which premiered in Toronto and represented the country at FESPACO.
Documentaries are usually at a disadvantage but Kenya has picked one once
before and “Rains” looks like it has slightly better reviews. So that’s my pick.
Dark horses: upcoming thrillers “Zahma” and “Gaza”.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1zlquKipyWxStH9VKrSE5HxCsC9vNWnwKT24EW7K8pvTmUI4cGsdHeYzA2vH-F5DIwWwrDJ1qmIGvd3ONMAsZwThCSv1576bq_I-AhNwPtIY1FKXWSpkvqKSlmhKYROnveizdAsDWWJFVqxoWkK6HUA-TtpRdVTlb21l5qigN5T6kqQuetQThIZwVhL0m" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2025" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg1zlquKipyWxStH9VKrSE5HxCsC9vNWnwKT24EW7K8pvTmUI4cGsdHeYzA2vH-F5DIwWwrDJ1qmIGvd3ONMAsZwThCSv1576bq_I-AhNwPtIY1FKXWSpkvqKSlmhKYROnveizdAsDWWJFVqxoWkK6HUA-TtpRdVTlb21l5qigN5T6kqQuetQThIZwVhL0m=w151-h200" width="151" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">15. Kuwait- “How
I Got There” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Although they
submitted two films in the 1970s, oil-rich Kuwait has been absent since 1978-
longer than any other country. This year, they have a really fun possibility,
namely “How I Got There”, a fast-paced action-crime-comedy-drama that has been
compared to Guy Ritchie. It won the Audience Award at the Red Sea Film Festival
in neighboring Saudi Arabia and co-stars Ron Perlman (!).</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAOq7pJMjHeq9yxQD2v5hxp6DcG9ew0U613M81UYcqOjbh1XB6y0ou7HUNto3PRvMv5k97Ae1clS1PKwOtamS3HclI3rebkDIF19FVyGBPrG0q0UYlFxXx4CmVpo9Z3D5t17u0UPmo0ssgYcoRq3LPZLBK2QQiCUDyWhRB3A0fl_RTPbYDUjUn1a02yfts" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAOq7pJMjHeq9yxQD2v5hxp6DcG9ew0U613M81UYcqOjbh1XB6y0ou7HUNto3PRvMv5k97Ae1clS1PKwOtamS3HclI3rebkDIF19FVyGBPrG0q0UYlFxXx4CmVpo9Z3D5t17u0UPmo0ssgYcoRq3LPZLBK2QQiCUDyWhRB3A0fl_RTPbYDUjUn1a02yfts=w149-h200" width="149" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>16. Lebanon- “Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">“Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous”, a love story between
two foreign migrants in Beirut (a Syrian man and Ethiopian woman) has been
charming audiences since it premiered at Venice 2022, and it’s the
best-reviewed Lebanese film of the year. The runner-up- and very possible- is French co-production
“Mother Valley”, about a conservative Lebanese wife and mother who discovers
feminism. If they want a film telling a more authentically Lebanese story, they
could choose gritty thriller “Hardabasht”, drama “The Anger” or comedy “All
Roads Lead to Rome”. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi34oUwrXLa18E2VtR8nVD0hnwr341QFf5qNw053FGDyGxJT9h4XlNPasayuTS983c2Me9CU5arp7abq8xAZo1AdypL8-CtJFq30S8Ned8g375veBTURzLd9eSyyaOEhVJ8tVczgG3VcOwxcfkUaUF1Vpm7vBjPgKDiaTQumKIbewWJh_Pr3FUcVK4a-uf8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi34oUwrXLa18E2VtR8nVD0hnwr341QFf5qNw053FGDyGxJT9h4XlNPasayuTS983c2Me9CU5arp7abq8xAZo1AdypL8-CtJFq30S8Ned8g375veBTURzLd9eSyyaOEhVJ8tVczgG3VcOwxcfkUaUF1Vpm7vBjPgKDiaTQumKIbewWJh_Pr3FUcVK4a-uf8=w200-h134" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">17. Lesotho-
Nothing. </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Tiny Lesotho submitted a film by
Berlin-based filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese in 2020. Lesotho doesn’t really
have a local film industry and they’ll likely wait until Mosese makes a new
film before they consider submitting again.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCRGhOwnspBuNCvtyTrNSOAZQ3VvLiiEy20gREvl4-ipb-ATwBmbUot4yNgJGuv70Pq8H7UY4lS6ziis74Gbu6TDSuIvfYe2m6VRb57fJ9iQJ3Kr23CKVlXao8U5p2v67CGX6sleGmEKWmzL4dcU8eCBUCU2rFWfTnZm7b20YNEtQav2JUwr66VtWxlAZS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="620" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCRGhOwnspBuNCvtyTrNSOAZQ3VvLiiEy20gREvl4-ipb-ATwBmbUot4yNgJGuv70Pq8H7UY4lS6ziis74Gbu6TDSuIvfYe2m6VRb57fJ9iQJ3Kr23CKVlXao8U5p2v67CGX6sleGmEKWmzL4dcU8eCBUCU2rFWfTnZm7b20YNEtQav2JUwr66VtWxlAZS=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">18. Malawi- “Is
the President Dead?” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Malawi
unexpectedly submitted two low-profile films in 2018 and again in 2021. This year, the only
film that I know about is light political thriller “Is the President
Dead?”….but it would appear to be ineligible because it’s in English.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJKrt_6Ia0ALZOB4le09QzQ2Fua22xxSaJY2sFptmdTQo4R8pVjI3RNShnvcHSHzcM1zI5tBDwkUi2yNt5mjWFyj5OMf-F2B7Vkhdtsd03rbzqWgM9fHjWlFj1-UGdZVrIpkkfoZuHUMeD3KcBfLeBNBpEbnJI-nPNPXbn4j6uZG2sHWXfG6i6aAGNDNvj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="400" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJKrt_6Ia0ALZOB4le09QzQ2Fua22xxSaJY2sFptmdTQo4R8pVjI3RNShnvcHSHzcM1zI5tBDwkUi2yNt5mjWFyj5OMf-F2B7Vkhdtsd03rbzqWgM9fHjWlFj1-UGdZVrIpkkfoZuHUMeD3KcBfLeBNBpEbnJI-nPNPXbn4j6uZG2sHWXfG6i6aAGNDNvj=w200-h130" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>19. Mauritania-
“The Perfumed Hill” </b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Mauritania
deserved an Oscar when they submitted for the first and only time with
“Timbuktu” in 2014….They made the Final Five before losing to the highly
overrated “Ida”. Director Abderrahmane
Sissako is Mauritania’s only international director and he is expected to
premiere the long-delayed “The Perfumed Hill”, set mostly in China and
currently in post-production, before the end of the year. If it premieres in
time, that will likely be Mauritania’s second-ever submission.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNH1jz9Q8bQ5DR15KtFVZW7QJdFvQ0P6clrJ5GXmxaMgQS-pOctFfAmKOw9PuFx9qkm2IZRUUUa2_phFQlBUFeP1L8Cq6vjkXSfHZ0eLfzPO0Ztk9ENLBwMI_VjQiI32dghJ-yA93p9OA0ursaXQjaCn2VUQwpeMRwqRQoriaG3t1DHYHp71lcj7Ds7Ncp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1023" data-original-width="753" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNH1jz9Q8bQ5DR15KtFVZW7QJdFvQ0P6clrJ5GXmxaMgQS-pOctFfAmKOw9PuFx9qkm2IZRUUUa2_phFQlBUFeP1L8Cq6vjkXSfHZ0eLfzPO0Ztk9ENLBwMI_VjQiI32dghJ-yA93p9OA0ursaXQjaCn2VUQwpeMRwqRQoriaG3t1DHYHp71lcj7Ds7Ncp=w148-h200" width="148" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">20. Morocco-
“Hounds” (Les meutes) </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Hot off making the shortlist for the
second time last year, Morocco has quite a few possibilities, including two
films from Venice 2022 and three from Cannes 2023. My prediction is “Hounds”, a
fast-paced thriller about a father-son duo trying to dispose of a dead body….It
won the Cannes UCR Jury Prize and that’s a major accomplishment for a genre film and for Morocco.
The Moroccan Academy likes crime dramas, and reviews have mostly been good. Two similarly
themed road movies about low-level criminals- “Queens” (Venice; two women) and
“Deserts” (Cannes; two men)- are also possible though I think “Hounds” has
better reviews. “Deserts” is directed by Faouzi Bensaidi, who represented
Morocco once before (and who has a second eligible film this year; comedy-drama
“Days of Summer”). Morocco's two shortlisted films in the past were largely French so we can’t count out French co-production “A Summer in
Boujad”, a coming-of-age drama about a 13-year old who moves from Paris to
Morocco after the death of his mother. Some may predict documentary “Mother of
All Lies” (Best Director, Cannes UCR) and “The Damned Don’t Cry” (Venice) but I
think the former is too subversive and the second too queer (conservative
Morocco isn’t going to pick Queer movies two years in a row).</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFzW0uRAPAAJtu7hfF6xdbFn9T0a7DBjp238G-pZJARbP5hN8btHyCOncE0-eeCHax8zBiPekqJH1aiMon0bzncHCnSUn5YNMgOsP1HjK7OeFN-Ag7vwlAadN4mXE0sb1P1QLqjVFap17_KOjCpwTZltAbAAq644L8uaGTne1T_Htm5mHo5HwgmWv9sohn" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFzW0uRAPAAJtu7hfF6xdbFn9T0a7DBjp238G-pZJARbP5hN8btHyCOncE0-eeCHax8zBiPekqJH1aiMon0bzncHCnSUn5YNMgOsP1HjK7OeFN-Ag7vwlAadN4mXE0sb1P1QLqjVFap17_KOjCpwTZltAbAAq644L8uaGTne1T_Htm5mHo5HwgmWv9sohn=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">21. Mozambique-
“O Ancoradouro do Tempo” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Mozambique
submitted a film once in 2017- and quite a good one too…..After being absent
five years in a row, they’d have to request AMPAS to re-approve a selection
committee and I doubt they’ll do that. If they do submit, it will probably be
the upcoming “O Ancoradouro do Tempo” (The Anchor of Time), a
romance-cum-mystery based on the novel “Under the Frangipani”, about a murder
at a Portuguese fort in which various suspects all confess to having committed the
crime.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikFaXVu1WZ1o77Mr551LHxvR9nsBTHUlkNyrqEhfbLqkbUJjFsSMrBmnDmnNw7nCHiUuteejs3r3p542OJwXmuQUHSqFr-V-BGr9z72_DIDzqsV4EjOEZj456_UloYj0vtUVljGYTxf6Xqm1Il2Igos3_NbNfbCcGFI5zk7jrehjEk42-CyMeX6KPGRkBK" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikFaXVu1WZ1o77Mr551LHxvR9nsBTHUlkNyrqEhfbLqkbUJjFsSMrBmnDmnNw7nCHiUuteejs3r3p542OJwXmuQUHSqFr-V-BGr9z72_DIDzqsV4EjOEZj456_UloYj0vtUVljGYTxf6Xqm1Il2Igos3_NbNfbCcGFI5zk7jrehjEk42-CyMeX6KPGRkBK=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">22. Niger- “La
fille noire du president” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Niger
submitted a film once in 2018 and they actually have two new films out this
year. If they enter, it will surely be “La fille noire du president”, a light
drama about an African president whose daughter is the black sheep of the
family. It’s directed by one of Niger’s senior national directors, who is now in his
80s. Niger, whose democratic government was overthrown by a coup last month, also has short film “The Envoy of God”, which won a number of prizes at FESPACO, but it’s too short (23 minutes) to compete here.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX2DBMk2KmYROu_CilVRPp2nAfS1Ou_dgefTLMAu-Bb5pFmzNTjSAXd8yGGBo8NGKMjn2TsylI_TCcSQ2pO88lb41eojyr8eYVhXytCyxBcanva6CQzJqLVzWzCHDjDeSe9C-eFmG0qSyZJ2sX1pwFdL-rPska-b-R1CKjmWUx6Bfb-rprbqZppgd_hNqV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="5472" data-original-width="3648" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiX2DBMk2KmYROu_CilVRPp2nAfS1Ou_dgefTLMAu-Bb5pFmzNTjSAXd8yGGBo8NGKMjn2TsylI_TCcSQ2pO88lb41eojyr8eYVhXytCyxBcanva6CQzJqLVzWzCHDjDeSe9C-eFmG0qSyZJ2sX1pwFdL-rPska-b-R1CKjmWUx6Bfb-rprbqZppgd_hNqV=w176-h200" width="176" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">23. Nigeria-
“Mami Wata” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Although many of
Nigeria’s films are made in English, Nigeria announced an Oscar shortlist of three very interesting films in Yoruba last year. Two of them (“Anikulapo” and “Elesin Oba”) got
Netflix distribution deals. One (“Elesin Oba”) premiered at the Toronto Film
Festival. Nigeria’s selection committee met and decided to send none of them to
the Oscars. The Nigerian film industry (quite rightfully) complained. The committee met again and
decided to say "fuck you" to their filmmaker colleagues and once again voted to send nothing to the Oscars. So, the committee clearly doesn’t
care about supporting Nigerian film; they’ve only sent two films since they were
recognized by AMPAS in 2014 (and one of those two was disqualified). If Nigeria
does enter, I suspect it will be “Mami Wata”, a B&W drama in Pidgin English
and Fon, that screened at Sundance and FESPACO, winning Best Cinematography at
both festivals. It’s a mythological drama about three women and a village that
worships a mermaid goddess. Of course it probably should be Teddy-award winning
“All the Colours of the World are Between Black & White” but homophobic
Nigeria would never select an LGBT-themed film.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUVlYXadjHKQye3h-qPvajedpUojnkqGfKwzwIIfHbMoJhLLTDwSLpfXy0nhAkPbJZ8uCe0d-KBNpi5HXFfKB5frYiJeQzTweiEaAcsasq6isLGzI1Fw2SnR0q7rp3pNnBxOLkBOp_gi66-FJlpHuQy_eg9zvu0wOWzlJeivdtGxC9wjvzSIYUqx7zmmAM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1346" data-original-width="1079" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUVlYXadjHKQye3h-qPvajedpUojnkqGfKwzwIIfHbMoJhLLTDwSLpfXy0nhAkPbJZ8uCe0d-KBNpi5HXFfKB5frYiJeQzTweiEaAcsasq6isLGzI1Fw2SnR0q7rp3pNnBxOLkBOp_gi66-FJlpHuQy_eg9zvu0wOWzlJeivdtGxC9wjvzSIYUqx7zmmAM=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">24. Palestine-
“Alam” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">I imagine most people will be
predicting “A Gaza Weekend”, the breezy Palestinian pandemic comedy that marks the feature debut of Oscar-nominated Short Film director Basil Khalil and which won
the FIPRESCI Award at Toronto. Unfortunately, the multi-lingual comedy looks
like it’s mostly in English, which will open the door wide open for “Alam”,
winner of Cairo 2022, a coming-of-age drama about the identity crises of a
Palestinian teen who holds Israeli citizenship.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEY8BD-zbFLMvzVD1mR0ApjkPMMwTVc9D0_7ubSJLOIwUZXicUQyuDfx24PqJRieUJRguVZY4XSyhEW_OLTAL0j-f8o72a0F_rGh2FyGMEu-VRnYGBIdXkfKIZOFwLVRMzmaeiy4ckrqSVxBKEVcvwTtg5psLsl_YRD3C3NV2rdQ-6ot4HVplqyAZD5_-n" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEY8BD-zbFLMvzVD1mR0ApjkPMMwTVc9D0_7ubSJLOIwUZXicUQyuDfx24PqJRieUJRguVZY4XSyhEW_OLTAL0j-f8o72a0F_rGh2FyGMEu-VRnYGBIdXkfKIZOFwLVRMzmaeiy4ckrqSVxBKEVcvwTtg5psLsl_YRD3C3NV2rdQ-6ot4HVplqyAZD5_-n=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">25. Saudi
Arabia- “Within Sand” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Winner of
the Jury Prize at the country’s Red Sea Film Festival, “Within Sand” is a
survival drama set in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century about a young man
abandoned in the desert and left to die by a gang of thieves. However, we can’t
entirely count out upcoming camel racing drama “Hajjan” (see <b>Egypt</b>) by the Egyptian
director of “Yomeddine”. Also possible: Netflix films “Alkhallat+” and "Head to Head" (their past two submissions got Netflix deals) and
“Norah”, about a village woman on an unexpected journey.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi08U20Knam__bDkkUvivWPNkzI_mFGnnwb9Y4ZZ8JMaJFCGg-aADOMWNE6ucL_5XSNayoHKwnBI45_UmhNeDI5FPqqmfv7xGfW22GS04AoV8s3SDlS2YX0NuTo-NN_s-eLD23UDcPTp4dGNKydslD9pwXbs1kJvUrLhjVUPVw50em7e5OkQNIqvPJa4B9O" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="195" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi08U20Knam__bDkkUvivWPNkzI_mFGnnwb9Y4ZZ8JMaJFCGg-aADOMWNE6ucL_5XSNayoHKwnBI45_UmhNeDI5FPqqmfv7xGfW22GS04AoV8s3SDlS2YX0NuTo-NN_s-eLD23UDcPTp4dGNKydslD9pwXbs1kJvUrLhjVUPVw50em7e5OkQNIqvPJa4B9O=w151-h200" width="151" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">26. Senegal-
“Banel & Adama” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Senegal has become the first country in West Africa to submit on a fairly regular basis; they’ve
sent films four out of six years since their 2017 debut, making the shortlist
twice. The fact that “Banel & Adama”, about two young lovers whose village
disapproves of their relationship, premiered in the Main Competition at Cannes
2023 means that it’s a shoo-in to represent Senegal, although “A Tooth for a
Tooth” (FESPACO) would have had a good shot in any other year.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmRbmhy0qISzGEt0oRT0Dr27-uTm2UCf5yeRoZpLoDCUNF4uJShD7LFqcR5wFUA54nk26BcPEeBpGK7NxRaZ9Yq0JMeSY_Xr--mvOQFCKQeZ7EFfeb0qfZpapobeyDMvsN9rKgJerZwZE9Gi6b8Op8LZS2d41cWa41WaJ0H8ibKXDxMydv0HDn7lum7orR" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="190" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgmRbmhy0qISzGEt0oRT0Dr27-uTm2UCf5yeRoZpLoDCUNF4uJShD7LFqcR5wFUA54nk26BcPEeBpGK7NxRaZ9Yq0JMeSY_Xr--mvOQFCKQeZ7EFfeb0qfZpapobeyDMvsN9rKgJerZwZE9Gi6b8Op8LZS2d41cWa41WaJ0H8ibKXDxMydv0HDn7lum7orR=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">27. Somalia-
“Ayaanle” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Somalia submitted the delightful
“Gravedigger’s Wife” in 2021. IMDB claims a sequel is in pre-production but
that certainly won’t be ready in time. I’m pretty sure Somalia will sit this
year out, but they could send “Ayaanle”, a Kenya co-production though I suspect
it was released too early to qualify.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihx4UrncUM94Hhe1bFS_gIwGwZz97P2R-J4lkbW5tfRAShsk4zLz6B8RyCHNxHexCdskpaNdkKQ-MIS4cG4Pb9G1aVA2Fz-SAuahTCROQD-lnD7649_buHgXQYsXbHiwqQzlUMl1N7imA0SjSCRxVuC1zxnoWZ6ksmGN4hkWUliycmCdYsyMruoDh1ZTue" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="699" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEihx4UrncUM94Hhe1bFS_gIwGwZz97P2R-J4lkbW5tfRAShsk4zLz6B8RyCHNxHexCdskpaNdkKQ-MIS4cG4Pb9G1aVA2Fz-SAuahTCROQD-lnD7649_buHgXQYsXbHiwqQzlUMl1N7imA0SjSCRxVuC1zxnoWZ6ksmGN4hkWUliycmCdYsyMruoDh1ZTue=w163-h200" width="163" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">28. South Africa-
“Valley of a Thousand Hills” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">South
Africa quietly skipped last year, seemingly because they didn’t have any strong
contenders that weren't in English. South African cinema is increasingly
dominated by English-language films, as the industry seeks co-productions and
Netflix deals, and as English overtakes Afrikaans more and more to become the country’s language of
inter-ethnic communication. This year, all of the South African entries at Durban (their
main domestic festival) were primarily in English. Still, I think that “Valley
of a Thousand Hills”, a queer Zulu-language drama about a woman coming out as a
lesbian despite her conservative family upbringing, will rep South Africa this year. There’s
also Afrikaans-language
melodrama “People of the Wind” and documentary "!Aitsa". Many are predicting Milisuthando (Sundance), but I think that’s mostly in
English…</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoCjg9E_SMGeOYgbm_VDD8q8U9HT7svQZNpKRvGnt9cOSfDzh7s4fQEiRSWfARI49b0tlUqiZqXsFAhh1Jlr719uGBOUHwenruLj5RGFtwMWA1R9RFrU57Hffrmgr3-zZ2zjH1rKbcvo_TU7OQHjyXcuXrR8Coo8EAsb4kkC5E68q_PK7KVxvSvV0CpAYZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoCjg9E_SMGeOYgbm_VDD8q8U9HT7svQZNpKRvGnt9cOSfDzh7s4fQEiRSWfARI49b0tlUqiZqXsFAhh1Jlr719uGBOUHwenruLj5RGFtwMWA1R9RFrU57Hffrmgr3-zZ2zjH1rKbcvo_TU7OQHjyXcuXrR8Coo8EAsb4kkC5E68q_PK7KVxvSvV0CpAYZ" width="170" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">29. Sudan-
“Goodbye Julia” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Sudan submitted a
film once in 2020 during a rare period of national openness, but that period
ended in Fall 2021 with a violent coup d’etat, and the country is now engaged in a vicious
civil war. That’s a shame because if their committee is able to meet, they could
send critically acclaimed Cannes UCR drama “Goodbye Julia” about two women from
opposing sides of the <b>previous </b>civil war (between Sudan and South Sudan)
who become employer and employee and subsequently friends following an incident
that kills the poorer woman’s husband. The writer-director, Mohammed Kordofani,
is an aircraft engineer who began making films during Sudan’s brief democratic
opening. Also possible: “The Dam” premiered at Cannes 2022 but only got a
cinematic release in Europe in 2023.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjastrXQS5Es7816ziHlkxM7dVEwzjc40t-4pRgQlr1S_Ejmgf3vjlmK3H_fIlvCw5kKpcI1_QXEA1Nx_noy0rv8p7TNPw6BTM3s4fHFYaTgIaxv6mYAN9m38HYZrU2iCOuh3hgt8aPTqMgHEApo6lJaq4_orDf5iTrMDE1tlarmeRrNrlNiutacVozvSr2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjastrXQS5Es7816ziHlkxM7dVEwzjc40t-4pRgQlr1S_Ejmgf3vjlmK3H_fIlvCw5kKpcI1_QXEA1Nx_noy0rv8p7TNPw6BTM3s4fHFYaTgIaxv6mYAN9m38HYZrU2iCOuh3hgt8aPTqMgHEApo6lJaq4_orDf5iTrMDE1tlarmeRrNrlNiutacVozvSr2=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">30. Syria-
“Nezouh” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">An opposition-backed selection
committee sent a documentary to the Oscars in 2017 but hasn’t sent anything
since. Last year, I predicted they could return with “Nezouh”, about a couple
making the difficult decision whether to stay in their war-damaged home or flee
and live as refugees. It won an Audience Award at Venice 2022 and played in
European cinemas starting in 2023. I would love to see this one on the list. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLWwRgb1DQt8gDTBvRlMmPrDZKcr7GvlQ6F7V_Fkene04hXXLYmcpGBji6REy5S2UFvo4vI40R533dMel3TZHIXoAP5dsXLHwqVWrNAqJwP9kBePZWvL3Z5PJc1iuJ1GwUwQxnvQRZzK6gDy006itIQAc-8tTicF2RfqJf-yNwab7hWmdKdOl8dxvdcHpO" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLWwRgb1DQt8gDTBvRlMmPrDZKcr7GvlQ6F7V_Fkene04hXXLYmcpGBji6REy5S2UFvo4vI40R533dMel3TZHIXoAP5dsXLHwqVWrNAqJwP9kBePZWvL3Z5PJc1iuJ1GwUwQxnvQRZzK6gDy006itIQAc-8tTicF2RfqJf-yNwab7hWmdKdOl8dxvdcHpO=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><b>31. Tanzania-
“Wandongwa”</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Tanzania
rejoined the Oscar race last year after a 20-year absence. They have four new
films premiering at their main festival, the Zanzibar International Film
Festival (ZIFF), and of these the most promising looks to be “Wandongwa”, a
Swahili-language film about a traditional village.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdCbY1dR13LJoGYlGLb-ESIwrbVuc3IFt5BTyd4WICIk28J9KromPN7QWRfyDG6TuxstiLKGv0OlXWQs-Y-UvNYJHgw42eBjsP4W-6-4TWpRTuGtZZGEcGWZV3twzHF0CMOQiAnV0g1XAei6lL8mNz0nw15ojkMjOPRxO3jfTtM8q0CIq-_3zQDWk_x2fJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1373" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdCbY1dR13LJoGYlGLb-ESIwrbVuc3IFt5BTyd4WICIk28J9KromPN7QWRfyDG6TuxstiLKGv0OlXWQs-Y-UvNYJHgw42eBjsP4W-6-4TWpRTuGtZZGEcGWZV3twzHF0CMOQiAnV0g1XAei6lL8mNz0nw15ojkMjOPRxO3jfTtM8q0CIq-_3zQDWk_x2fJ=w146-h200" width="146" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">32. Tunisia-
“Four Daughters” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Kaouther Ben
Hania got Tunisia’s surprise first Oscar nomination for “The Man Who Sold His
Skin” (it’s great, though I preferred her brilliant “Beauty and the Dogs”). Ben Hania
competed in Cannes this year with documentary “Four Daughters” about a woman
with two (idiotic) daughters who join ISIS, and who are cinematically replaced with
professional actresses. It would be foolish to bet against her, but the movie I
predicted last year- “Harka” (Cannes 2022)- finally got released in Tunisian
cinemas in January 2023, and Ridha Behi (“Satin Rouge”) has a new movie
starring grande dame Claudia Cardinale. But I still think “Daughters” will get
this.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu8oj-NM6Rzm54ahd1wvbFMWCpO9D2kBSmvPqBXilv2RTb2RflGl5u2boRJxQh9_jM_mMbriZ78YNMn47YEQivem8wEjqJsP-Sls8QGaEEJjhr2iTlvy8Hns2ySf97slkWkCAKM7nOuanlO0bPExINBN6Tua9mcaIbBVeNU-v757wkVTpA_1JzHOntvoQ6" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3850" data-original-width="2834" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiu8oj-NM6Rzm54ahd1wvbFMWCpO9D2kBSmvPqBXilv2RTb2RflGl5u2boRJxQh9_jM_mMbriZ78YNMn47YEQivem8wEjqJsP-Sls8QGaEEJjhr2iTlvy8Hns2ySf97slkWkCAKM7nOuanlO0bPExINBN6Tua9mcaIbBVeNU-v757wkVTpA_1JzHOntvoQ6" width="110" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">33. </span><span style="background: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Turkey- "About Dry Grasses" </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Nuri Bilge
Ceylan has made six films since 2002 and five of these were sent to the Oscars
(somehow Palme d'Or nominee "Climates" lost to obscure local
comedy "Ice Cream, I Scream!"). Ceylan's films are overlong and boring
but critics eat them up....and "About Dry Grasses" was nominated for
the Palme d'Or and won Best Actress at Cannes....So, I'm pretty sure Turkey
will pick it....I'm also pretty sure that I won't watch it. I'd much prefer they
picked "Burning Days" (Best Turkish Film, Ankara) but the political
(and queer) overtones will make Turkey uncomfortable. The winners of Best
Turkish Film at Turkey's other three major festivals this year are crime drama
"Black Night" (Antalya), rural mystery "Snow and the Bear",
and majority German production "In the Blind Spot" (Istanbul).
"Black Night" would be a strong competitor in a weaker year, but Ceylan's 195-minute
film about a rural teacher trying to get a transfer to the city is probably
going to be picked without anyone even paying attention to the other films.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="background: white; color: #1d2228; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBBQy8pS_eK4xWFkc0R0KXGHU5xua5ehJYqWhqK1ZPhJcaiuiJ2kAi1sy2oRxDpXTdlkbBlw3uhXRlxaCZdzlmEIAZ6ZEEqdBGCiOyaDr1EemVHJ0dJPCq7NqYLW7B_-N9YaNLDaJexB9JB8rhX10IYuRGcpWM-DDPSnL06GaP98Coua7AovQmQthLHAxZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="959" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBBQy8pS_eK4xWFkc0R0KXGHU5xua5ehJYqWhqK1ZPhJcaiuiJ2kAi1sy2oRxDpXTdlkbBlw3uhXRlxaCZdzlmEIAZ6ZEEqdBGCiOyaDr1EemVHJ0dJPCq7NqYLW7B_-N9YaNLDaJexB9JB8rhX10IYuRGcpWM-DDPSnL06GaP98Coua7AovQmQthLHAxZ=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #1d2228;"><span style="background-color: white;">34. </span></span>Uganda- “The
Passenger” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Uganda entered
the Oscar race for the first time last year and they probably have the easiest
decision in Africa. Thriller “The Passenger”, in Pidgin English, dominated the
local film awards for its story of a man with a mysterious package and the bus
passenger who suspects him of being a dangerous terrorist.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTYOfgUF8OmAD4vR9BCzVTZ8rExOU5-fDhdqzHmE3dkxVi0Qu_ZMMEed8DR6SkPhj3G2FKmR-b766v6fn5y6nlLrgx2aoDhQDEPIACJQKboddvmg_teh4jl5Lv71kUOk_x6bd8N_uI1pkwz0cP13X-FkMGfKJy08N6QXZf5IqGf6Gzegzvnf0U4wTXstCS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="258" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTYOfgUF8OmAD4vR9BCzVTZ8rExOU5-fDhdqzHmE3dkxVi0Qu_ZMMEed8DR6SkPhj3G2FKmR-b766v6fn5y6nlLrgx2aoDhQDEPIACJQKboddvmg_teh4jl5Lv71kUOk_x6bd8N_uI1pkwz0cP13X-FkMGfKJy08N6QXZf5IqGf6Gzegzvnf0U4wTXstCS=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">35. Yemen- “The
Burdened” </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">War-torn Yemen has has sent two excellent
films to the Oscars, including Amr Gamal’s “10 Days Before the Wedding”, one of the best
films I saw from the 2018 competition. Director Gamal has a critically
acclaimed new film this year- “The Burdened”- that premiered in Berlin and I’m really hoping this controversial abortion drama will be Yemen’s third-ever submission.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b><o:p></o:p></span></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Countries That
Have Formed Oscar Selection Committees: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjISCOBZnwgnTdcVMyVQZ-GkNtLBY-uQ-H0PSV2k4Hk9aIN6n3zFfNmlUOkOBbupTd9kL0Bw4FBRhfFEGekZT6pt_KKq6sdGY7jZ-SuFLhcP2MWuSHGo-2MM9r_mF8KRV_Q5YsIegQMJO4Lk3mbtTlBj2mEDz5_g0lZ5h2qiD2Q64bEekILiEDwivucLB3T" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="576" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjISCOBZnwgnTdcVMyVQZ-GkNtLBY-uQ-H0PSV2k4Hk9aIN6n3zFfNmlUOkOBbupTd9kL0Bw4FBRhfFEGekZT6pt_KKq6sdGY7jZ-SuFLhcP2MWuSHGo-2MM9r_mF8KRV_Q5YsIegQMJO4Lk3mbtTlBj2mEDz5_g0lZ5h2qiD2Q64bEekILiEDwivucLB3T=w144-h200" width="144" /></a></span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The most likely debut from the region
is <b>Namibia </b>which formed an Oscar selection committee in 2021 but hasn’t
sent a film yet. We should see them sending “Under the Hanging Tree”
(Rotterdam), a “supernatural noir” about a female detective investigating a
suspicious death in the Kalahari desert. <b>Zambia </b>promised to send a movie
for the first last year….but didn’t. This year, they have a historical epic
called “Luthando” but it’s in English so I don’t seen them participating. The <b>United
Arab Emirates </b>and <b>Rwanda </b>also once formed selection committee but
never sent films…. I think both committees have “expired” after not sending
films five years in a row, but I could potentially see “Dalma”, about a woman
who disrupts life in a small Emirati island community or “The Bride” (Berlin),
a harrowing story of a Rwandan rape victim forced to marry her attacker, coaxing them to make their debut.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Countries That
Would Need to Form Oscar Selection Committees: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It’s been a good year for
Portuguese-speaking Africa. <b>Angola </b>has gotten a lot of festival play for
“Our Lady of the China Shop” but they also have “Tommy Guns”, a much bigger movie,
although it was made by a white Angola-born filmmaker based in Portugal. Both would
be a fitting debut for the southern African country especially since “Tommy Guns” failed to make the Portugal shortlist. Tiny <b>Guinea-Bissau </b>had a strong cinematic
tradition in the 70s and 80s and now has “Nome”, a new docu-drama about the
country’s war of independence. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">From French-speaking Africa….we have
“Gazing at Stars”, which represented <b>Mauritius </b>at FESPACO, about two strangers who may start a romance. “Pantheon of Joy” from <b>Benin </b>looks
like a fascinating mix of local music and culture, alongside the baity story of a
fatherless boy. If we’re talking documentaries, <b>Guinea </b>had a film at
Berlin 2023- “Cemetery of Cinema”, about the country’s cinematic history. And the
<b>Central African Republic, </b>which unsuccessfully tried to submit a film (“Oka!”,
starring Kris Marshall) in 2011 could consider documentary “Eat
Bitter” (CPH: Dox) or “We, Students” (FESPACO) this year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-53291826901429904532023-07-26T11:47:00.002-04:002023-07-26T11:56:05.272-04:00INTERNATIONAL FEATURE OSCAR, PREDICTIONS FOR EASTERN EUROPE (24 countries)<p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So it’s that time of year again. Over the next three months, over 90 countries from around the world will be selecting their favorite films. This year’s qualification dates are December 1-October 31…and it appears that AMPAS has gotten rid of the pandemic-era rule that films can qualify with a release in another country. This is sad for countries that have very problems with censorship or countries with few cinemas. There is also a new rule requiring selection committees to contain more filmmakers and less government officials…but this isn’t going to make countries like China or Iran select dissident films. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Last year I saw 71 of the 93 submissions…..Most were good, few were outstanding or terrible. None of my six favorite films (Armenia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, Palestine) got nominated….as usual. I’m working on a post about last year’s films while also trying to find one or two more to watch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">But for now, here are my predictions for the 24 countries from Eastern Europe. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEueCh82UvKOuNVTwChiGAdtqslxwmmBhP4WB8GsypRXAnxhJeSH07McNsyhYlwfQQfyZ34LYdVwD2gFcxq8GXMVDywEmF35wSJmogibx2RLdGTl0ItfOqeC3ICbrceBAeWqvTCUrnsKaUSHyihbdpTmXfybj_ovsFLFJAC6r5mUIpi-c5Gh7MLmuBInVJ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1662" data-original-width="1104" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjEueCh82UvKOuNVTwChiGAdtqslxwmmBhP4WB8GsypRXAnxhJeSH07McNsyhYlwfQQfyZ34LYdVwD2gFcxq8GXMVDywEmF35wSJmogibx2RLdGTl0ItfOqeC3ICbrceBAeWqvTCUrnsKaUSHyihbdpTmXfybj_ovsFLFJAC6r5mUIpi-c5Gh7MLmuBInVJ" width="159" /></a></b></div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />1. ALBANIA- “Luna Park” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Florenc Papas was selected three years
ago for “Open Door”, and he’ll probably represent Albania again with “Luna
Park”, co-starring Nik Xhelilaj, one of Albania’s biggest stars, who has returned
home after spending most of the last ten years making films in Germany and
Turkey. “Luna Park” is about a mother and son caught in an outbreak of Albanian
civil unrest during the 1990s.</span><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnEeWaR6b5O_zKuY8kyTpJF_fbMYibGwIKQHqpqufqo8KdFR2n_oOmVq0xgszOclHCSyeoj7zoBHilnT5QgkbCgKsjqTbTXRvNTIouBbAbemPluV93B2HFp2w8kWnm76ECYE_Ef38olLjTOjtvbMn_zews6yrnSM_BnaxNDzVjpApmLwEmslykm04Hw8CY" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4096" data-original-width="2867" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnEeWaR6b5O_zKuY8kyTpJF_fbMYibGwIKQHqpqufqo8KdFR2n_oOmVq0xgszOclHCSyeoj7zoBHilnT5QgkbCgKsjqTbTXRvNTIouBbAbemPluV93B2HFp2w8kWnm76ECYE_Ef38olLjTOjtvbMn_zews6yrnSM_BnaxNDzVjpApmLwEmslykm04Hw8CY" width="168" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. ARMENIA- “Light Drops” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Armenia
deserved an Oscar nomination (and possible win?) last year for beautiful animated
documentary “Aurora’s Sunrise”. This year, I predict they send “Light Drops”, a
period drama about how the country suffered during the difficult days after the
collapse of the USSR. However, Armenia often sends documentaries…so they could
send “5 Dreamers and a Horse”, about the dreams and aspirations of diverse a
diverse group of Armenians, or perhaps “Tonratun”, about a family of women
discussing current events while making bread together as a family. It was the
only Armenian feature at the Golden Apricot Film Festival this year. Another
documentary- “Landshaft”- has seen more festival play but is handicapped by a German
director, while U.S. co-production “Amerikatsi” was released too early.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV3V8FW2NGGvcUzexP806KoOl3F52Nc4bW9jp5detOx5zqp3aPz0Y3ZmRxy0xJo68UvPjmx92JhluRb6-zGxB4GMvMz4TLopJIREK0BKEUvo5KWAEse1YjfNzCvRndoFeoD6dqW-ltKLrFUuS8gUckBxw547zMwDdDuqoENC_3d88sIjrhEyUBVKgPPkqo" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="791" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV3V8FW2NGGvcUzexP806KoOl3F52Nc4bW9jp5detOx5zqp3aPz0Y3ZmRxy0xJo68UvPjmx92JhluRb6-zGxB4GMvMz4TLopJIREK0BKEUvo5KWAEse1YjfNzCvRndoFeoD6dqW-ltKLrFUuS8gUckBxw547zMwDdDuqoENC_3d88sIjrhEyUBVKgPPkqo" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3. AZERBAIJAN- “Cold as Marble” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Azerbaijan
has several options this year, but release dates are confusing and local films often
have major difficulties getting into local cinemas dominated by Turkish,
Russian and Hollywood fare. I planned to predict “Maryam” because it was
directed by Elchin Musaoglu who also made “Nabat”, probably Azerbaijan’s
highest-profile Oscar submission to date. The Azerbaijani Academy can be
cliquey and Musaoglu is a respected filmmaker who has been picked before. But “Maryam”,
about a woman who returns from the U.S. to take care of her ailing father, hasn’t
premiered yet. Azerbaijan also has two festival entries- “Sermon to the Fish”
(Locarno/Busan) by prolific young arthouse director Hilal Baydarov, and tragicomic
“Cold as Marble” (Tallinn Black Nights), about a man whose father returns home
unexpectedly from prison. I personally would recommend they send the
well-reviewed “Marble” so that’s my prediction for now. There’s also custody
drama “Banu”, which could be Azerbaijan’s first submission directed by a woman. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMrTFs7cRusbm9yJW483afXn7sVslD-Rxjr_MwNJaLI1LXRu43_gAHGz4kUqPHB8gdHPIL-mB5iv0lCG0eIJssKkecCghOJkx77h0i5losvaejGkYegW4RAiTexz2qwIDGkNpA7wILmWPaKjLbhx5DeOXESG01EMH-LxKG1nO2b5pnqnE_sqw_-1iHtuTV" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMrTFs7cRusbm9yJW483afXn7sVslD-Rxjr_MwNJaLI1LXRu43_gAHGz4kUqPHB8gdHPIL-mB5iv0lCG0eIJssKkecCghOJkx77h0i5losvaejGkYegW4RAiTexz2qwIDGkNpA7wILmWPaKjLbhx5DeOXESG01EMH-LxKG1nO2b5pnqnE_sqw_-1iHtuTV" width="168" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">4. BELARUS- “Summer of ‘89” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Belarus
sent two films to the Oscars in the mid 90s, and then three more from 2018-2020
when the country was slowly opening up to Europe….But that all ended when Belarus
rigged elections in 2020 and supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2021.
Belarus will presumably join the Russian boycott, but if the local opposition
can form a selection committee, we could see Soviet-era coming-of-age drama
“Summer of ‘89”, which did get screened in Belarus in late 2022 (though it didn’t
get a regular cinematic release) or docu-drama “A Date in Minsk”, which has a young
couple playing fictionalized versions of themselves. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigWLXONBMCThfaxTnz8DZXKBiEOX4FJMgsYYc4d0i2rbfEwKcCv7E7_e9Yl1lRnJaoWhtnb1xeB8a5JDN-RzTGIjEeELMW4gv6GiRu6zODSXo5PRzkC3wPRnQRl6d6n63YjX8fqhysE7qUCvA9dM9lyhrkB5RsgGFzU7N4D0jqR4B_mg_Hox2dHgVR3QDm" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigWLXONBMCThfaxTnz8DZXKBiEOX4FJMgsYYc4d0i2rbfEwKcCv7E7_e9Yl1lRnJaoWhtnb1xeB8a5JDN-RzTGIjEeELMW4gv6GiRu6zODSXo5PRzkC3wPRnQRl6d6n63YjX8fqhysE7qUCvA9dM9lyhrkB5RsgGFzU7N4D0jqR4B_mg_Hox2dHgVR3QDm" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA- “Excursion” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Sarajevo
Film Festival competition lineup was just announced and “Excursion” (which also
got a sidebar berth in Locarno) was the only local Bosnian feature on the list…It’s
about how a student’s lie during "Truth or Dare" ends up wreaking havoc in her small community (sounds
like “The Hunt”?) As of July 25, the local “BH Film” programme hasn’t been posted.
Bosnia also has two other options by talented, previously submitted directors. From
Pjer Zalica, we have “May Labor Day”, an old-fashioned drama (Cineuropa calls it
“anachronistic”) about a man who returns home from abroad to find his father
has disappeared; rumor has it he’s been arrested for war crimes. Ahmed Imamovic
(who directed my favorite Bosnian film, “Go West”) has “Die Before Death”, a
mystery-thriller about an abortion doctor. “Excursion” should get this, with “Die
Before Death” in second place.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4OWmkA4Aw9AtRjeemH1B-zSCqTPpXcw0LrsInq5mQ6SpGIVEVWsw36ey7BSonByr1dKlpOkVBZXEjtMcD-H8FzfdnuLLIkdu9JBuNXiV51k7R7mkEfBDSzO9kQEr4uf0TSwbNWLHSPZgvvdjs6HUB_es5kJTuGIunicq_5RKlDl-d8Dk0g6P60sJRkjpS" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="2048" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4OWmkA4Aw9AtRjeemH1B-zSCqTPpXcw0LrsInq5mQ6SpGIVEVWsw36ey7BSonByr1dKlpOkVBZXEjtMcD-H8FzfdnuLLIkdu9JBuNXiV51k7R7mkEfBDSzO9kQEr4uf0TSwbNWLHSPZgvvdjs6HUB_es5kJTuGIunicq_5RKlDl-d8Dk0g6P60sJRkjpS" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6. BULGARIA- “Blaga’s Lessons” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Poor
Bulgaria…”In the Heart of the Machine” richly deserved an Oscar nod last year
but somehow missed out. This year should be an easy choice. “Blaga’s Lessons”
won the Grand Prize at Karlovy Vary and director Stepan Komandarev got
Bulgaria’s only shortlist spot (in 2009). “Blaga” is a senior citizen who gets
cheated out of her life savings, who quickly gives up on her morality to become
a heartless scammer herself. Bulgaria hasn’t picked Komandarev’s last two
movies, so it’s not a sure thing….but “Blaga” looks like one of the most
exciting films of the year so I’m confident they’ll pick it if it gets a
domestic release by October 31. If not, “The Good Driver” won Best Bulgarian
Film at the Sofia International Film Festival, “The Art of Falling” won at the
Bulgarian Academy Awards, and “Spring Equinox” won the Jury Prize at the Golden
Rose Film Festival (“Mother” won Best Film but that was released last year).
The director of last year’s brilliant prison drama “In the Heart of the
Machine” also has a new film- “Trust Game”, as does Milko Lazarov (previously selected
for “Aga”) who has xenophobia drama “The Herd”. Also, senior director Georgi
Djulgerov- who has never been selected- has period drama “Memoir of a
Betrayal”. I expect to see all seven of these films on the Bulgarian
shortlist, with “Blaga” easily winning the nod, “Art of Falling” coming second,
and migrant dramas (a popular subject with the Bulgarian Academy) “Good Driver”
and “The Herd” in third and fourth.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiufxLcsKAYUZWUAiCBDSRp26IWv1iSgFf_jg2c9teN8a9xjFdcEwUBCs1I1XRViA_rBJ32J14TM_bh5eJIez7ZlgTXD78KCjyh5-Qa1eI9VbmT_a8DZkFvvH5RW0cqCFhMklGDDL_aw7x1hI38A3kHEBj58hl5sHCopjWK79sQL4kVbsMUZ9dyiIKiYhI3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1367" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiufxLcsKAYUZWUAiCBDSRp26IWv1iSgFf_jg2c9teN8a9xjFdcEwUBCs1I1XRViA_rBJ32J14TM_bh5eJIez7ZlgTXD78KCjyh5-Qa1eI9VbmT_a8DZkFvvH5RW0cqCFhMklGDDL_aw7x1hI38A3kHEBj58hl5sHCopjWK79sQL4kVbsMUZ9dyiIKiYhI3" width="171" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">7. CROATIA- “The Uncle” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
Croatians have a wide-open race. 14 new films competed at the Pula Film
Festival this month, which announced its winners on July 23. Documentary “Bigger
Than Trauma”, about women sexually assaulted during the wars of the 1990s, won
Best Croatian Film, while four other films (“Safe Place”, which went to the
Oscars last year, plus drama “Traces” , animated film “Cricket & Antoinette”
and comedy “Carbide”) won three awards each. Croatian films often take months
(or even a year) to hit local cinemas so not all Pula award winners will be
eligible. Croatia often makes unpredictable choices for the Oscars; while I’ve
loved their last three choices, most critics seem to disagree with me (and with
the Croatian Academy). I’m predicting
quirky uncomfortable Haneke-esque thriller “The Uncle”, which won Best
Screenplay at Pula <b>last year</b>, and which feels very much like the same
vibe as Croatia’s recent picks “Tereza37” and “Extracurricular”….AMPAS probably
won’t like it. I have rape documentary (and Pula winner) “Bigger Than Trauma”
in second place and “Hotel Pula”, about a forbidden romance between an older
Bosnian man and an underaged Croatian teen, in 3<sup>rd</sup>. Both of these
came in Top 5 with Pula audiences (“Trauma” in 2<sup>nd</sup> and “Hotel” in 5<sup>th</sup>),
but it was children’s animated film “Cricket & Antoinette”, about the ant
& the grasshopper fairy tale, that came in #1. Croatia has a strong
tradition of animation but it would be an odd choice for the Oscars, so I have “Cricket”
fourth and Pula premiere “Good Times, Bad Times”, about a man at an unusual
restaurant, in 5<sup>th</sup> place. Director Nevio Marasovic has been passed
over several times and lead actor <span style="background: repeat white;">Radko
Polič died shortly after making the movie, so it would be a sentimental choice.
Dark horse: 95-year old Veliko Bulajic has the yet-to-be-screened war drama
“Escape to the Sea” but the Croatian Academy tends to like young, edgy
filmmakers and I expect “Escape” may be more competitive for Montenegro (See
MONTENEGRO).</span></span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background: repeat white;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJSZC81qTSoB9bsqbDQn1XsNti9N1JwJmsOtNJ73PF7eEqDlxjSz2oZ3SxbbSnFnCWOIIrCpq5UeaftnLdM6Uf4tqbUsFJnLbRHlybZmGVXxm7ReCkFQ2vw1bZkzgcTnhUOXXMXZ3Ew--hZRa2htttvTldLgYjWmfsjpdMcb5XG8uk7L3Vd8GbGYA5yxPk" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJSZC81qTSoB9bsqbDQn1XsNti9N1JwJmsOtNJ73PF7eEqDlxjSz2oZ3SxbbSnFnCWOIIrCpq5UeaftnLdM6Uf4tqbUsFJnLbRHlybZmGVXxm7ReCkFQ2vw1bZkzgcTnhUOXXMXZ3Ew--hZRa2htttvTldLgYjWmfsjpdMcb5XG8uk7L3Vd8GbGYA5yxPk" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: white;">8. </span>CZECH REPUBLIC- “We Have Never Been
Modern” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Czechs used to be one of the powerhouses in this category….but
this year marks twenty years since their last Oscar nomination. They’ve been mostly
quiet this year (or two) but they had three really intriguing options by fresh,
young directors at Karlovy Vary. The most likely choice is “We Have Never Been
Modern” a mystery-drama about a pregnant woman who finds a dead baby with
intersex organs abandoned in her small traditional community. It’s one of only
two Czech films in contention for the Crystal Globe, and that’s where the Czech
Republic finds its Oscar submissions roughly half the time. But the Czech
Academy has an independent streak and I could see them picking either buzzy new
sci-fi flick “Restore Point”, a murder mystery about a future in which you can
“reboot” a person who has just died, or “She Came at Night”, a bizarre but very
well reviewed horror-comedy-drama-thriller about a mother-in-law whose visit
threatens to wreck a marriage (it looks like “War of the Roses”). “Restore”
already has a U.S. distribution deal and </span><i style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Variety </i><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">says it’s primed for an
English-language remake. Czech Republic has been absent from the major
festivals this year so those are the three frontrunners but there are also a couple
of potential dark horses: “Two Words as the Key”, about a diverse group of
people hiking in the Himalayas will premiere in late July; “A Sensitive
Person”, the second Czech film competing in Karlovy Vary, though it seems less accessible;
“Great Nothing”, a documentary about the Czech response to COVID-19, and “Tony,
Shelly and the Magic Light”, an animated family film- the Czechs are rightfully
proud of their animation….Making the Czech race more confusing is the announcement
this week that Agnieszka Holland’s migrant drama “The Green Border” is finished
and premiering in Venice. Holland is Polish but her last film represented the
Czech Republic. </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I predict “Modern”,
followed by “Restore Point”, “She Came at Night”, “Green Border” (unclear if it’s
eligible) and “Two Words”</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0D1fZciJqdyKs-y7p2iiL_yQxfyfVvlHhyKlRXlmb9sf8_oLiy4v0cP4r1Yr-g03Y4LgC4TTnoHxJoWKqqOt_XUk1wXOEGwZjzwG1vPhR4oVaS9iEBjphfYasNWTRtSBVEieiItMzF3L6UFr8qLNV0RK8EgcBmc66CoguiKEai90GaXehURxCd7QF7GFZ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0D1fZciJqdyKs-y7p2iiL_yQxfyfVvlHhyKlRXlmb9sf8_oLiy4v0cP4r1Yr-g03Y4LgC4TTnoHxJoWKqqOt_XUk1wXOEGwZjzwG1vPhR4oVaS9iEBjphfYasNWTRtSBVEieiItMzF3L6UFr8qLNV0RK8EgcBmc66CoguiKEai90GaXehURxCd7QF7GFZ" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">9.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">ESTONIA-
“Smoke Sauna Sisterhood”</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
Estonia has had a fairly weak year, and I predict they’ll send their first ever
documentary submission- “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (Sundance, Best Documentary
Director) about women baring secrets in the country’s famous saunas.
Ironically, neighboring Finland sent a similar film (about men in saunas) in
2010. If Estonia wants to send a fiction feature, it will probably be time-travel
drama “Stairway to Heaven”. Mystery thriller “Melchior the Apothecary: The
Executioner’s Daughter” is the third in a big-budget trilogy by a popular
director, but they didn’t send either of the first two films….so I doubt they’ll
send this one either. Three upcoming films (“8 Views of Lake Biwa”, “Dark
Paradise” and “One-Dimensional Man”) could also seriously contend if they get
released by the deadline, especially “One-Dimensional Man”. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimJEF25TufdDS_WtvSt9T5V37UmSKCxqirgT57sJUpTYoQurVK01cFDWENDv2MtlNZVhFR7qMfF64evmnbEuVrzDNA4IhHf-iKL5PKaqzRvQRuGZhUmEA9rW8nKYPrXdq8DbsVGMvu1uh4EhcJT4p31SXh00mq1SS6EsXvWGCJp-3R_D5svFrqF4WWrrdP" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1039" data-original-width="1847" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEimJEF25TufdDS_WtvSt9T5V37UmSKCxqirgT57sJUpTYoQurVK01cFDWENDv2MtlNZVhFR7qMfF64evmnbEuVrzDNA4IhHf-iKL5PKaqzRvQRuGZhUmEA9rW8nKYPrXdq8DbsVGMvu1uh4EhcJT4p31SXh00mq1SS6EsXvWGCJp-3R_D5svFrqF4WWrrdP" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">GEORGIA- “Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Georgia has
quite a competitive race with the two winners of the National Competition at
the Tbilisi Film Festival (1<sup>st</sup> Place “A Room of My Own” and
runner-up “The Drummer”) competing against three films by previously submitted directors
(“And the Sun Rises”, “Beautiful Helen” and “Resting Samurai”) plus the
Georgian representatives at Berlin/Sarajevo (“Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry”) Karlovy
Vary (“Citizen Saint”) and Rotterdam (“Drawing Lots”). On paper, “A Room of My
Own” and “Beautiful Helen” look strongest….”A Room of My Own” is the
highest-profile of the eight films, won Best Georgian Film in Tbilisi and has
gotten very strong reviews for its story of two female roommates during
COVID….but queer themes have upset some in the conservative country and I’m not
certain it got a domestic release which is once again required. “Beautiful
Helen” is by the director of “Corn Island” (which I hated), the last Georgian
film to be shortlisted…..but reviews have not been good enough to send it. So,
I’m predicting that the Berlinale label and its recent selection for Sarajevo propels
“Blackbird”, about a 48-year virgin whose life is the subject of gossip in her
provincial village, to the top and will represent Georgia. I have “Citizen
Saint” in second, and controversial “A Room of My Own” in third place. Rounding
out the Top Five: “Drawing Lots”, a B&W mystery-drama and “Resting
Samurai”, a family soap opera. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6f7_cqao42NKKmbTzPm5-HFqYlqGZ3GC7wGHjmW8L38Mykyvq3XrD7DORdgEcpnvqyISzt4Sj5ooC7_FyGJ1DtCYoNmKRVOGbUFci4xG9M6_sD5vDgFdxUPFwEbDpxEbfToRSITofaHeiiZIrNt-QwH-1tNrxkxQW0gRhTQCpUcxIKysBl_fiBRNTuASM" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="620" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6f7_cqao42NKKmbTzPm5-HFqYlqGZ3GC7wGHjmW8L38Mykyvq3XrD7DORdgEcpnvqyISzt4Sj5ooC7_FyGJ1DtCYoNmKRVOGbUFci4xG9M6_sD5vDgFdxUPFwEbDpxEbfToRSITofaHeiiZIrNt-QwH-1tNrxkxQW0gRhTQCpUcxIKysBl_fiBRNTuASM" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">11. HUNGARY- “Semmelweis” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Hungary’s
selection committee has made odd choices the past two years, choosing a spooky horror
flick and a patriotic movie about taxi drivers over films that had much, </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">much</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
stronger reviews. So far this year, Hungary only has two strong possibilities-
dystopian anime “White Plastic Sky” (Berlinale Encounters), set in
post-apocalyptic Hungary in the year 2123, and</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">“Six Weeks” (Sarajevo, Tallinn Black Nights), about a young woman
struggling with her decision to put her baby up for adoption. But they have three
strong upcoming films, including two by the directors of important Oscar
submissions. Historical drama “Semmelweis” is a biopic/true story of a 19</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
century doctor who fought official bureaucracy to help defeat an epidemic that
was killing babies in 1847 Vienna. Director Lajos Koltai was hotly tipped for an
Oscar nomination for Holocaust drama “Fateless”…but didn’t get it. Barnabas
Toth was somehow shortlisted for glorified TV movie “Those That Remained” a few
years ago (another Holocaust drama, but far inferior to “Fateless”), and he has
a baity new thriller about a train escaping Communist-era Hungary in 1956,
called “Master Game”. Last, “Explanation for Everything”, the story of a graduation
exam that causes a national scandal told from three different perspectives, was
just announced for Venice. Hungary likes to pick last-minute releases, and
“Semmelweis” is scheduled for a fall release so that’s my pick. I have “Six
Weeks” as runner-up, and “Explanation” in third.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSgeSZXGeN7PuKCzNrrXOO0s09XqvUpjFgSP8ULdGMvgNtZ6DSl0Wt0w36_eQxsQYKQ9-bqPj23z0-VrITtc6L96tTUneZZNJukYCP1EB2xrDvdLgg92vJlRBkFJ9ROAk-DpsAg6G-D5jFQrsnoiMa1B-sVZj6pAmMHqUUinJQ3YZgUiZE4Bq5pjSRrKHf" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjSgeSZXGeN7PuKCzNrrXOO0s09XqvUpjFgSP8ULdGMvgNtZ6DSl0Wt0w36_eQxsQYKQ9-bqPj23z0-VrITtc6L96tTUneZZNJukYCP1EB2xrDvdLgg92vJlRBkFJ9ROAk-DpsAg6G-D5jFQrsnoiMa1B-sVZj6pAmMHqUUinJQ3YZgUiZE4Bq5pjSRrKHf" width="168" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">12. KOSOVO- “The Land Within” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Kosovo is
highly likely to send Swiss co-production “The Land Within”, about a Kosovar
who leaves his home to Switzerland to visit a dying relative in his home
village where most men were killed during the war. It’s a slow-burn mystery
that won Best First Feature at Tallinn Black Nights. Bota Jonë (Venice), directed
by 22-year old French-Kosovar actress Luana Bajrami, probably won’t premiere in
Kosovo in time.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjutVzLl0V0DGcspt6hZkULyWPpijy1VUKRNyxsVOp2pLTDIPCSJfS2lDGYZZxA6SMaSSuOvXCowM0F9F7zbFnW8EZqCjviBur6ci9D-5xtMMUjyylrcEoCAmXUpIluSNLhRtPPIakOodDjcuMlFyZjrZE00Nh_4x8ObGdfuUsfK5GOzyforHlHbNTdke_7" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="267" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjutVzLl0V0DGcspt6hZkULyWPpijy1VUKRNyxsVOp2pLTDIPCSJfS2lDGYZZxA6SMaSSuOvXCowM0F9F7zbFnW8EZqCjviBur6ci9D-5xtMMUjyylrcEoCAmXUpIluSNLhRtPPIakOodDjcuMlFyZjrZE00Nh_4x8ObGdfuUsfK5GOzyforHlHbNTdke_7" width="166" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">LATVIA-
“Soviet Milk” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Latvia is
confusing because their two best prospects have <b>tentative </b>release dates
in November 2023, although this year’s cut-off for the International Feature category
is October 31. I’m pretty sure Maris Martinsons’ 19<sup>th</sup> century patriotic
drama “In the Land That Sings” would win this easily….but I believe it will compete
next year. Ditto Aigars Grauba’s musical biopic “Jumprava”, though that might
be too Latvian to resonate with international audiences. So, that leaves
“Soviet Milk”, about a woman doctor who refuses to nurse her child due as a
result of depression caused by Soviet rule, and “Maria’s Silence”, a historical
drama. “Maria” looks stronger but it’s release date is still TBD so it’s
“Soviet Milk” by default. Dark horse: Ukraine documentary “Eastern Front” (Berlinale)
was listed as a Latvian production, despite its two Ukrainian co-directors.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCTVU7G4TeuMeHekBbL-7qrZYe56JejhEUfXN_eBx7y6exkVW_hPXdXh98hlEixpKCg_56m7FBX1B9K8AoI86cbvTCwhLld5cS71GRMOh8KZ8SAucaHBIb0vwwowGbsp2lrSR6Br7fSt5NHpclbyAKc7e_StfaneaC5YTprx4d-dShqdBTDnHDwpdzeNpi" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1406" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCTVU7G4TeuMeHekBbL-7qrZYe56JejhEUfXN_eBx7y6exkVW_hPXdXh98hlEixpKCg_56m7FBX1B9K8AoI86cbvTCwhLld5cS71GRMOh8KZ8SAucaHBIb0vwwowGbsp2lrSR6Br7fSt5NHpclbyAKc7e_StfaneaC5YTprx4d-dShqdBTDnHDwpdzeNpi" width="171" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">14.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">LITHUANIA-
“Mariupolis 2” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The
favorite from Lithuania is “Slow”, a romance about a dancer and a sign language
interpreter that won Best Director (Fiction) at the Sundance Film Festival. But
last year I predicted Lithuania would select “Mariupolis 2”, a documentary
whose director was killed by Russian bombings while filming in Ukraine. It
posthumously won Best Documentary at the Lithuanian Film Awards and Best
Lithuanian Film at the Vilnius International Film Festival. Lithuania sends
documentaries about one-third of the time (more than any other country) so it’s
very possible this could go forward this year. Three films that did well at the
national Silver Crane Awards are also strong possibilities, namely “Remember to
Blink” (Best Picture, Director), an interesting adoption drama, “Parade” (Best
Screenplay, Actress), a comedy-drama about a long-divorced couple thrown
together in an effort to get their divorce recognized by the Catholic church,
and “The Poet” (Best Actor, Supporting Actor), a Communist-era historical
drama. I hate picking the same film two years in a row, but I suspect it’s
“Mariupolis 2”, with “Slow” in second place and “Parade” in third.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbpSbE1zaoP52tFozEdKUSfMhdZ1qJqr-U7UDIufDlxvfCjRsZw1p_frHYFfhcgwaKPVl8fYo4dtXxRY47UmZpVZAqI8kzP94Wxx-bj-RX9YFKFGtvOwWbFrszghFA9x86Hd_Yafd9C7xrOsOsLWQOIRVkSiIxsXwgPW8rEKwN2ApJEKvAqHZtoZ0RKhir" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1696" data-original-width="1200" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbpSbE1zaoP52tFozEdKUSfMhdZ1qJqr-U7UDIufDlxvfCjRsZw1p_frHYFfhcgwaKPVl8fYo4dtXxRY47UmZpVZAqI8kzP94Wxx-bj-RX9YFKFGtvOwWbFrszghFA9x86Hd_Yafd9C7xrOsOsLWQOIRVkSiIxsXwgPW8rEKwN2ApJEKvAqHZtoZ0RKhir" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">15. MACEDONIA- “M” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">It’s a confusing
race in Macedonia as most of their contenders haven’t premiered yet. Three
Macedonian films were at the Cannes Film market: “The Business of Pleasure”, a
thriller about human trafficking, “M”, a dystopian sci-fi drama about a global pandemic
(it started production before COVID), and “Things Unsaid”, about a teenager
whose visit ends up destabilizes a happy marriage. But Macedonia got an Oscar
nod for documentary “Honeyland”, and “The Love Room”, about two women patiently
awaiting conjugal visits with their imprisoned husbands, looks very good. And just this week, “Housekeeping
for Beginners”, by Australian-Macedonian director Goran Stolevski (“You Won’t
Be Alone”), got a Venice Horizons berth. Lastly, there’s horror-drama “Piargy”
by Ivo Trajkov, who has represented Macedonia three times. It was made in
Slovakia (and shortlisted but not selected by Slovakia last year) but could be
eligible for Macedonia this year. I think this will be an extremely tight race
between “M”, and “Love Room”, with “Housekeeping for
Beginners” not far behind.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7sLVj2dMSqzlx4Te6EJLOO6oc48oMPQCuDt6yGA-f9QbNkltA-mb7_ko4ylgImI7JvDikfCmhpezWYH-jG6V8ns_AJk-RcIkETSKANDYFvIjU0TGJSVsvUC6Uti50qg63Hwn4Zf-a2Xx_lL5JzCwvGznLMYufjNJ0a-I9J5xVaCWQFszgNejKIITDF8dU" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj7sLVj2dMSqzlx4Te6EJLOO6oc48oMPQCuDt6yGA-f9QbNkltA-mb7_ko4ylgImI7JvDikfCmhpezWYH-jG6V8ns_AJk-RcIkETSKANDYFvIjU0TGJSVsvUC6Uti50qg63Hwn4Zf-a2Xx_lL5JzCwvGznLMYufjNJ0a-I9J5xVaCWQFszgNejKIITDF8dU" width="170" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">16. MOLDOVA- “Varvara” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Last year,
Moldova returned to the Oscars after an eight-year absence with black comedy
“Carbon”. The same production company has a new film- “Varvara”- out in 2023,
about an honest (and agnostic) man with a moral dilemma- he is offered generous
bribes and kickbacks to do a project that would destroy a priceless religious
icon. It’s another dark comedy and one of the films I most want to see from the
region this year.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhifkfqAg59fG44o8ZoGczv8kZBbmLExrF0yDJbrjPmPxMhniPwwEoUExz_OuVwZzDPHznraW9iwanU9LnrQQctLOJA5xZT3eFIxatZfHIoixoxT6Uo932b4iZPYYLjXcnaxvWXUHBpgaBb0M4SXT4IjcMHWgyJnthhBU213AEifOUuigeCer8p2wOJZU-3" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="580" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhifkfqAg59fG44o8ZoGczv8kZBbmLExrF0yDJbrjPmPxMhniPwwEoUExz_OuVwZzDPHznraW9iwanU9LnrQQctLOJA5xZT3eFIxatZfHIoixoxT6Uo932b4iZPYYLjXcnaxvWXUHBpgaBb0M4SXT4IjcMHWgyJnthhBU213AEifOUuigeCer8p2wOJZU-3" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">17.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">MONTENEGRO-
“Children” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Tiny Montenegro
(pop: 600,000) joined the Oscars in 2013. Despite their tiny film industry,
they’ve only missed one year since….This year, I predict they’ll send
“Children” (aka “Face of Honour”), a really intriguing moral dilemma drama
about a boy that seeks refuge with a family, who are then threatened with death
and ruin if they don’t turn him in to the mob. But don’t count out “Escape to
the Sea”, by Yugoslavian director Veljko Bulajic, about the sole German
survivor of a WWII battle, wandering the Yugoslav countryside. Why do I call
Bulajic Yugoslavian? Well, Bulajic represented Yugoslavia <b>SEVEN TIMES </b>between
1959 and 1983 (and independent Croatia once), netting an Oscar nod for “The
Battle of Neretva” <b>over 50 years ago </b>in 1970. Yes, he’s 95 years old and
has links to both Croatia and Montenegro, though the film itself is a majority
Croatian production. Neither film has been screened yet and it’s possible
Croatia may claim “Escape”.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFrMw5QhyBvSZ4nF3gSHx6VGhm2B8LH7R0RjJiPi1lYcpHfKxEl546e0f_uJoYTsS4dqVueH0zB7ApZBdvkcuh-7NoQ9GEDJxXlx6YZNfNR3I_nzozaiVR6Km9n4uDcfm2BIfWVfc2-d1lVNmhqU-rK41oLU-TDJHA7ST3zOmgsDYEJuK0FKuYXP7kdZ1u" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFrMw5QhyBvSZ4nF3gSHx6VGhm2B8LH7R0RjJiPi1lYcpHfKxEl546e0f_uJoYTsS4dqVueH0zB7ApZBdvkcuh-7NoQ9GEDJxXlx6YZNfNR3I_nzozaiVR6Km9n4uDcfm2BIfWVfc2-d1lVNmhqU-rK41oLU-TDJHA7ST3zOmgsDYEJuK0FKuYXP7kdZ1u" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">18. POLAND- “Green Border” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Recently, Poland
has the best record in Eastern Europe, with four nominations (including one
win) in the past ten years; all were decent films but I probably wouldn’t have
nominated any of them. But 2023 has been a pretty quiet year for them. First of
all, I assume Cannes Grand Prix winner “Zone of Interest” (in German with a UK
director) will contend for the United Kingdom. So, I predict Poland will choose
either “Filip”, a WWII drama about a Polish Jew who successfully hides his
origins while watching friends and family killed or sent to camps, or Agnieszka
Holland’s new migrant drama “Green Border”, which was just selected for the
Venice Film Festival….but which could easily compete for the Czech Republic
instead. I’m going with Oscar nominee Holland but I’m not confident. “Filip” won
2</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">nd</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Prize at the Polish Film Festival last year (the winner- “Silent
Twins”, starring Black Panther vaccine denier Letitia Wright, was 100% in
English) and has gotten strong reviews though it would be a fairly “small”
choice for Poland.</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Poland could
potentially pick some late-arriving film that I’ve never heard of, perhaps from
the Polish Film Festival in September. My picks for the rest of Poland’s Top 6:
innovative animated film “The Peasants” set in the early 20</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">
century, “Bread & Salt”, about a small town dealing with violence against
migrants, “Scarborn”, an 18</span><sup style="text-indent: -0.25in;">th</sup><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> century costume drama about Poles
fighting the Russians, and “The Magic Number”, a difficult intellectual drama
about a mathematician, directed by 84-year old Krzysztof Zanussi, who has
repped Poland four times (and Poland sometimes picks films by “senior” directors). A Poland film watcher assured me this will go to innovative animé “The Peasants”. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTznDXfA8UBj-hnT9Ytj_DI8hDU_DWOm9xY9_WN4nA-B_mIo-WNK8vCCGPn7CUbD_5BoZYSwXzgEH-TkP_d8BPo_CxI9cFGRvRL6zBOW5mKIYE9dsLWQ2b58tb1J0vldB0FOosDK83HUtce7GVzUHMrm7t3NCgCCEWKwuvPSnTFOCrBHsWKNt-GjFbiJDc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTznDXfA8UBj-hnT9Ytj_DI8hDU_DWOm9xY9_WN4nA-B_mIo-WNK8vCCGPn7CUbD_5BoZYSwXzgEH-TkP_d8BPo_CxI9cFGRvRL6zBOW5mKIYE9dsLWQ2b58tb1J0vldB0FOosDK83HUtce7GVzUHMrm7t3NCgCCEWKwuvPSnTFOCrBHsWKNt-GjFbiJDc" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">19.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">ROMANIA- “Do Not Expect Much From the
End of the World” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Romania
seemed to have a two-way race between two upcoming dark comedies by acclaimed
national directors- “MMXX” by Cristi Puiu, and “Do Not Expect Much From the End
of the World” by Radu Jude, which has just been announced to debut in Locarno.
Puiu has been picked twice (“Death of Mr. Lazarescu”, “Sieranevada”) and Jude
has been picked three times (“Aferim!”, “Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn”, “I Do
Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians”). But “MMXX” just announced a
November release date in Romania making it eligible next year….so Jude should
get this easily. “Do Not Expect Much” is an absurdist black comedy about a
production assistant seeking to hire an actor for a workplace safety video. She
ends up hiring a paralyzed man who was actually injured by her own company. But
let’s be careful….Last year was also considered a two-way race (“RMN” vs.
“Metronome”) and Romania chose an obscure, unheralded drama (“Immaculate”)
instead….so we could see a surprise from “Day of the Tiger” (Sarajevo), about a
female veterinarian confronting sexism, “Freedom” (Sarajevo/Venice), set during
the violent 1989 Romanian Revolution, or “Familiar”, a new drama about
uncovering family secrets, directed by Calin Peter Netzer, winner of the 2013 Berlin
Film Festival. I’ve heard people mention “To the North” (Venice) and “Men of
Deeds” (Best Picture, National Film Awards) but “North” seems to be mostly in
English and “Deeds” opened a week before the qualifying date. I’m sticking with
“Do Not Expect Much”, but “Freedom” could easily surprise if it wins awards at
Venice or Sarajevo.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR3zoMcadnLnTeehIi32U463VZLo9s_cNTXIeptRO-bZQhdBcKijEwBbZHJcDveNod9kqthKyRV9t8CmRmLu0B0Bemp-HRlTiWhqhPkrhC1gv2Mj09rkN9DwlqXbRjwaGklvHcaR0cVjnb3ueNdch5cjKWmfxuTQMh9UpuHFPjnbRDYkaJ6EM-zfaYXR28" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1929" data-original-width="1356" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR3zoMcadnLnTeehIi32U463VZLo9s_cNTXIeptRO-bZQhdBcKijEwBbZHJcDveNod9kqthKyRV9t8CmRmLu0B0Bemp-HRlTiWhqhPkrhC1gv2Mj09rkN9DwlqXbRjwaGklvHcaR0cVjnb3ueNdch5cjKWmfxuTQMh9UpuHFPjnbRDYkaJ6EM-zfaYXR28" width="169" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">20. RUSSIA- “Pravednik” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">First of all, </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">NO,
</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I don’t think Russia will submit a film. Russia boycotted last year in
protest of….um….their own government invading a peaceful neighboring country?!
There was actually quite a controversy. The President of the Russian Selection
Committee, Oscar nominee Pavel Chukhrai, confirmed that Russia would
participate in spite of the war, but then the Russian Film Academy overruled
him and said Russia would boycott the awards. Chukhrai resigned in protest. On
the off chance that Russia chooses to participate, they’re going to have to
choose a film that it would be difficult to criticize….So, for the sake of
completion, I’m putting down “Pravednik”, a WWII movie about Jewish Soviet
forces rescuing hundreds of civilians under Nazi attack. “Nina”, a
co-production with Western-oriented Georgia, represented Russia in Shanghai and
tells an apolitical story of a happily married woman who goes to visit her
ex-lover on his deathbed. Nazi trial drama “Nuremberg”, ethnic Buryat drama
“Dukh Baykala”, ethnic Yakut drama “Don’t Bury Me Without Ivan”, and Moscow
Film Festival entry “The Edge of the Broken Moon” could also contend in the
unlikely event Russia chose to enter.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheI5tZ7Nx3zXhsmNo8y6LGZ0TDfQe_4WH21xhSBftGE7L42NFVxv2td5tqRhyyFdZIOk2yknRO7YJ8iMpXDwWSANxb1PilZbIrw6NugPPMWSV4mGIitj3pegmcetUl57-83XuFhUktBP_0bEbXBxJRNhpf9b5_Yk1JaTZgUJlRNPp4tB91CxkSxWcEsw2c" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="345" data-original-width="230" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheI5tZ7Nx3zXhsmNo8y6LGZ0TDfQe_4WH21xhSBftGE7L42NFVxv2td5tqRhyyFdZIOk2yknRO7YJ8iMpXDwWSANxb1PilZbIrw6NugPPMWSV4mGIitj3pegmcetUl57-83XuFhUktBP_0bEbXBxJRNhpf9b5_Yk1JaTZgUJlRNPp4tB91CxkSxWcEsw2c" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">21.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">SERBIA- “Lost Country” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Serbia used to send a lot of
intriguing, jet-black comedies about Serbian daily life, but recently they’ve leaned
heavily on historical films about past glories, or films focusing on grievances
against Serbs (or both). These aren’t bad films, but American audiences aren’t
so interested in learning about Serbia’s role in World War I. So, while I’m
hoping they send comedy-drama “The Beheading of John the Baptist”, about family
secrets revealed at a dinner party, I worry it may be jingoistic “Oluja” (The
Storm) about the ill treatment suffered by Croatian Serbs during the ethnic wars
of the 1990s. But my prediction- “Lost Country”- combines a little of both. It
got great reviews at Cannes Critics Week for its story of a boy who slowly
realizes his beloved mother is a part of Milosevic’s murderous regime and was
recently selected for Sarajevo. Serbia has a number of other good options
including low-budget indie darling “Where the Road Leads”, Cold War thriller
“Guardians of the Formula” (Locarno/Sarajevo), and prisoner redemption drama
“Indigo Kristal”. I think that “Mouth Full of Earth” (which won Best Serbian
Film at the FEST Film Festival) and “Have You Seen This Woman?” (Venice Critics
Week) are too weird to be serious contenders. The wild card is “Heroes of
Halyard”, about Serbian forces helping a group of stranded American POWs during
World War II; this would be a perfect combination of what Serbia likes
(historical dramas showcasing Serbia) while also making it relatable to
Hollywood. But the film has not release date and may have too much English
anyway so I’m excluding it… But if eligible, it could seriously challenge “Lost
Country”. For now, I predict “Lost Country”, with “Guardians of the Formula” in
second, “John the Baptist” optimistically in third, followed by “Indigo”, and “Oluja”
(sigh).</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWnxioSl6qg6l60TS-wYjxJGD7nricuuKNYkcHYAtR-9rqgOal47coILs_utRj2ct_PD9OQsCQVbOzD0lfUfJQhgtM6iAR7WYxaBGjQR923qd-PzBdHlpGJ6nvrtejOjZdqGjy-uK5AFGId8vmOJKRLEvbVt-OVOvuwWmRlaHQGnRffH9I2Gax4nHHWOi5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="192" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWnxioSl6qg6l60TS-wYjxJGD7nricuuKNYkcHYAtR-9rqgOal47coILs_utRj2ct_PD9OQsCQVbOzD0lfUfJQhgtM6iAR7WYxaBGjQR923qd-PzBdHlpGJ6nvrtejOjZdqGjy-uK5AFGId8vmOJKRLEvbVt-OVOvuwWmRlaHQGnRffH9I2Gax4nHHWOi5" width="176" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">22.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">SLOVAKIA- “Plastic Symphony” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Slovak film production is back up
after COVID, and no less than three previously submitted directors (Martin
Sulik, who has been selected seven times, plus Juraj Lehotsky, and Mira Fornay)
have new films. Add a sumptuous lesbian costume drama and an acclaimed documentary
in Spanish, and the Slovaks have an evenly-matched five-way race.
Alphabetically, we have “The Cathedral”, a documentary about a Spanish madman
(visionary?) who spends 60 years building a cathedral from scratch, “The
Chambermaid” (Tallinn Black Nights), the lesbian costume drama, “The Horse”, a
comedy about a man who randomly finds a horse living in his second-floor
apartment, “Plastic Symphony”, about a celebrated musician who reappears after
five years secluded away from the public scene, and “She-Hero”, about a little
girl looking for her lost bird, which won the Youth competition at Berlinale
2023. All of them have a chance. The Slovak Academy loves Sulik and
documentaries, while “Chambermaid” has the best production values, “She-Hero”
the awards, and “Plastic Symphony” the tone and subject matter to be selected. I’m
predicting “Plastic Symphony”, followed by “She-Hero” and “The Cathedral”….but
it’s gonna be close.</span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiI2uVn13mixj0x7Ly8xfLpTtRf-e-JGte3yxFgoTjFnpXpsyn7SKA3tLay7NOeJcRc7ld_C4-JczIBT3WMDYtR7bPZCPdXV1svq2YgD4SRdK-ppgAOQcF6HrhNLfdVh6PfkSDdKFGIeCrfCNdlY0qIAB_vpBl6reQ_6yFk-tCh2tYEO5NW9cvVEWSxQuD" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhiI2uVn13mixj0x7Ly8xfLpTtRf-e-JGte3yxFgoTjFnpXpsyn7SKA3tLay7NOeJcRc7ld_C4-JczIBT3WMDYtR7bPZCPdXV1svq2YgD4SRdK-ppgAOQcF6HrhNLfdVh6PfkSDdKFGIeCrfCNdlY0qIAB_vpBl6reQ_6yFk-tCh2tYEO5NW9cvVEWSxQuD" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">23.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">SLOVENIA- “Riders” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Low-budget road movie “Riders”
premiered at Sarajevo last year and has flown under the radar, getting excellent
reviews (<i>Screen Daily </i>called it “quietly excellent”) at various
festivals and winning three awards at the Slovenian Film Awards late last year
(it lost Best Picture to “Orchestra”, Slovenia’s Oscar submission last year).
Its main competition comes from two co-productions that I believe are both
eligible- “Moja Vesna” (Berlin 2022), a Slovenian immigrant family drama set in
Australia, and “The Man Without Guilt”, set in the Italian-speaking
Slovenia/Italy border area. Rounding out the Top Five options for Slovenia:
“Wake Me”, the redemption tale of a far-right nationalist, and “Lunatic”,
following 40 years in the life of a sailing family. </span></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZN4_B1GTlaSST-ndrTOhvoWL2LO6TqYheATZWRhyS8tseVq9xYSZlV6OmE6ubDoJMkUAJQrq2rRHp_KLvp6bQusWefA49L4XQVTFMsF-wYUe1E521z4xUz1gNR08phzvQD8pQO_lTgzuAZZTgApx3CcdrPdy2QUkqIqHc4Q4nVfZR1vd8Wc9YIgkognyt" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZN4_B1GTlaSST-ndrTOhvoWL2LO6TqYheATZWRhyS8tseVq9xYSZlV6OmE6ubDoJMkUAJQrq2rRHp_KLvp6bQusWefA49L4XQVTFMsF-wYUe1E521z4xUz1gNR08phzvQD8pQO_lTgzuAZZTgApx3CcdrPdy2QUkqIqHc4Q4nVfZR1vd8Wc9YIgkognyt" width="162" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">24. UKRAINE- “Pamfir” </b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Слава
Україні! <i>Slava Ukraïni</i>! Ukraine’s film industry has defiantly continued
to crank out an amazing quantity of fiction features and documentaries despite
the Russian invasion. Cinemas somehow remain open. Critically acclaimed
“Pamfir”, about a family man who resorts to crime to support his family, was
considered a strong contender last year but it didn’t premiere in Ukrainian cinemas
until 2023. It’s my pick for Ukraine but it’s by no means a sure thing as it
faces stiff competition from “Luxembourg, Luxembourg” a road comedy about two
Ukrainian twins who learn the father that abandoned them is dying in
Luxembourg. Both films are nominated in the Big Three categories (Picture,
Director and Screenplay) at the upcoming Ukrainian Oscars (against “Klondike”) which
will be given out in August 2023. “Butterfly
Vision”, about a POW victim of sexual assault, got nominated in Picture and
Screenplay but not Director, showing that it is well-liked but slightly behind
the other two films. But the war has meant that some of the best films made in
Ukraine are documentaries like “20 Days in Mariupol” (Sundance Audience Award; journalists
reporting from the bombed city of Mariupol), “Iron Butterflies” (Sundance; the
shooting down of MH17) and “We Will Not Fade Away” (Berlin; small town
teenagers living through the current war). Unknown quantity: “Stepne”, the
feature debut of a Cannes Palme d’Or Short Film winner, has just been announced
for Locarno and “La Palisiada” has just been announced for Sarajevo. I predict
“Pamfir”, followed by “Luxembourg” and “20 Days”. Best of luck Ukraine!</span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-1486963677440026752023-03-11T09:07:00.000-05:002023-03-11T09:07:05.412-05:00Final Prediction <p> A few months ago, this looked like a wide-open race that a dozen films could have won….</p><p>However, since the Oscar nominations came out, “All Quiet on the Western Front” has emerged as the unstoppable front runner. Nominated for nine Oscars- including Best Picture- plus winning the BAFTA, Germany is sure to win its fourth Oscar, following “The Tin Drum”, “Nowhere in Africa” and “The Lives of Others”. And while “All Quiet” was nowhere near the best film submitted this year, it is probably the best of the five nominees (unfortunately I haven’t seen “Close”). </p><p>The Golden Globe victory for Argentina was certainly a surprise. And Poland’s odd “EO” has picked up a lot of buzz….But at the end of the day, Oscar loves a big war movie. </p><p>Incidentally, I saw 49 of the submissions this year and would probably pick Bulgaria or Armenia as the winner. </p><p>81%- “All Quiet on the Western Front</p><p>10%- “Argentina 1985”</p><p>5%- “EO”</p><p>4%- “Close”</p><p>0%- “The Quiet Girl”</p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-12117786076477886592023-01-23T16:18:00.004-05:002023-01-23T16:18:54.971-05:00FINAL FIVE: Predictions<p>So I got 9 out of 15 correct plus my two alternates (Mexico and Morocco)....Other than India, I had all 15 finalists in my Top 22. Sadly, the new voting rules clearly benefited the films that were seen by more voters and hurt the smaller films that weren't as well-known....There will be no "Lunana" this year....</p><p>I've seen <b>five </b>of the 15 finalists- "Argentina 1985", "Bardo", "Decision to Leave", "Last Film Show", and "The Quiet Girl"- and although they're all good movies, I don't think I'd nominate any of them for an Oscar (maybe "Bardo" for production design). Now that my weekend vacation has been canceled due to a dengue outbreak (!), I'll try to see "All Quiet on the Western Front" before the nominations come out on Tuesday....The other nine are impossible to watch online and aren't in cinemas here in South America.</p><p>This is a tough year to predict! Before, we start, let's look at a few of the most important precursors:</p><p><b>Golden Globes: </b>Argentina (winner), Belgium, Germany and Korea (+ RRR)</p><p><b>Critics Choice: </b>Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Korea, Mexico (+ RRR, which won)</p><p><b>BAFTA: </b>Argentina, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Korea</p><p><b>European Film Awards: </b>Austria, Belgium and Denmark (+ Spain and Triangle of Sadness, which won)</p><p><b>Satellite Awards: </b>Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Korea, and Mexico (+ Norway)</p><p><b>National Board of Review: </b>Belgium</p><p><br /></p><p>Here are my final predictions, in groups of three. </p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>ALMOST GUARANTEED:</b></p><p><b>1. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>GERMANY- "All Quiet on the Western Front"</b></p><p><b>2. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/35px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/46px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ARGENTINA- "Argentina 1985" </b></p><p><b>3. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/45px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>BELGIUM- "Close" </b></p><p>Even if World War I drama "All Quiet on the Western Front" wasn't the most widely-seen film on the list (thanks to Netflix), and even if it wasn't the "biggest" and most expensive, it's widely touted as a Best Picture contender and a threat in several other categories....so it's in. </p><p>Winning the Golden Globe was a huge boost to Argentina. In the past twelve years, eight Golden Globe winners in this category went on to win the Oscar ("Leviathan" got an Oscar nomination, only "In the Fade" and "Elle" failed to make the Final Five; U.S. production "Minari" wasn't eligible for International Film but got a Best Picture nomination). It also has the highest rating on Letterboxd (4.2), which is another good precursor, and has been widely seen via Amazon. That's surprising because, although "Argentina" is certainly a moving film, most of its power comes from the testimonies of victims of Argentina's dictatorship. It's a rather average film about extraordinary people. </p><p>Critical darling "Close", about the friendship between two adolescent boys, was an early favorite to win after winning the Cannes Grand Prix (2nd Place to "Triangle of Sadness"). Its buzz has died down, but after sweeping the precursors (missing only BAFTA) and getting some of the best reviews on the list, it should get a nomination pretty easily. </p><p><b>STRONG CONTENDERS:</b></p><p><b>4. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>IRELAND- "Quiet Girl"</b></p><p><b>5. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PAKISTAN- "Joyland"</b></p><p><b>6. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1280" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>POLAND- "EO"</b></p><p>Best of luck to Ireland and Pakistan who (along with Morocco) are fighting for their first-ever nomination in this category! </p><p>I used to live in Pakistan and although I haven't seen "Joyland", it's the one film I'm really hoping for on Tuesday morning. But it's gonna be close.... "Quiet Girl" and "Joyland" are tied for second place on Letterboxd (behind Argentina) showing that people really do like these two films. </p><p>The Irish Gaelic "Quiet Girl", about a young girl sent to stay with relatives one summer, is a quiet little film.....And while I wouldn't have been surprised if they were nominated in the 1990s- during the era of overrated nominees about kids like "Kolya", "Secrets of the Heart" and "The Thief"- I am a little surprised at how beloved the film is. Of course, I liked "Quiet Girl" better than the aforementioned films...the acting is strong and it's a nice story....but I found much of the story predictable and wasn't thinking about it the next day.....But over the years, I've learned that Oscar doesn't agree with me and I think "Quiet Girl" is in. </p><p>As for "Joyland", it's anybody's guess...I'd say 5-9th place will be a virtual tie. I do worry that "Joyland" and "Blue Caftan"- LGBT stories from the Islamic world- will cancel each other out. So perhaps predicting "Joyland" is wishful thinking but I have wonderful things about this film about a wealthy young man who begins a romance with a <i>hijra </i>(trans woman). But reviews are strong and the film is only one on the list that has 100% on RT...it's also 2nd place on Letterboxd. This would be huge for Pakistani cinema and would make religious conservatives furious- good news on both counts. </p><p>"EO", about a donkey being bought and sold and observing humanity around Europe, has gotten good reviews and made a number of critics "best of the year" lists...but I've heard mixed reviews. However, more than any other film, I've heard a recent buzz of energy and love for the film so it's timing may be perfect.....It's on the bubble....I would have liked to see it myself to decide! </p><p><b>DIVISIVE DARK HORSES:</b></p><p><b>7. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/45px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>AUSTRIA- "Corsage"</b></p><p><b>8. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/23px-Flag_of_France.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/35px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/45px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>FRANCE- "Saint Omer"</b></p><p><b>9. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/35px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/45px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SOUTH KOREA- "Decision to Leave"</b></p><p>I love Park Chan-wook and I know that "Decision to Leave" is considered a favorite....but I think that the film is too decisive to be nominated....and the same probably goes to the revisionist "Corsage" and the intellectual "Saint Omer". </p><p>Let's start with Korea, since I've actually seen that one. "Decision" has done well at the precursors and it's probably been seen more than most of the other contenders. But while it succeeds fairly well as a Hitchcockian murder mystery, I think it fails as an "arthouse" film. The jury was out until the end of the film...which is a bit messy. I think it will be the surprise snub Tuesday morning. </p><p>"Corsage" is a beautiful costume drama with a wicked sense of humor that will get votes from committee members from the tech branches. But although I thought this was going to make the Final Five, its marks on rating aggregator sites like Rotten Tomatoes (12th Place), IMDB (last place) and Letterboxd (tied for last place) are at the very bottom, so I don't think it's well-liked enough. Can't wait to see it though! I think I'll love it. Will be sad if Austria comes in sixth place twice in a row.... ("Great Freedom" richly deserved a nomination). </p><p>As for France, I've heard people say "Saint Omer" is brilliant.....Those same people say it may be "too smart for it's own good." I've also heard others say they dislike the film. So, while I think it may be too divisive to get a nomination, it may succeed in getting a number of high-ranked votes....We'll see....</p><p><b>AN UPHILL BATTLE:</b></p><p><b>10</b><b>. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/23px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/35px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/45px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MOROCCO- "Blue Caftan"</b></p><p><b>11. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CAMBODIA- "Return to Seoul"</b></p><p><b>12. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="560" data-file-width="980" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MEXICO- "Bardo"</b></p><p>Not too much to say about these three films....I've seen "Bardo" and Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu clearly wanted to make <b>his </b>film <b>his </b>way, channeling Federico Fellini and Jean-Pierre Jeunet, while telling a weird story about himself, Aztec gods and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl">axolotls </a>in which he's in a coma....maybe? There are moments of brilliance amidst sheer insanity and vanity. I actually liked the film...sometimes....but most people don't and it probably made the shortlist just because the new rules benefited big-name films (and Iñárritu is the biggest name on the list). </p><p>The two films from Cambodia and Morocco- coincidentally both France-majority productions- have very good reviews. In fact, "Blue Caftan" is a real critical darling....if the buzzier "Joyland" weren't also on the list, I might place it higher. Adoptee drama "Return to Seoul", about a Frenchwoman discovering her Korean roots, will finish in a respectable position but is highly unlikely to make the Top 5. </p><p><b>HAPPY TO BE ON THE SHORTLIST: </b></p><p><b>13. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="387" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/20px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/31px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/40px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="20" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>DENMARK- "Holy Spider"</b></p><p><b>14. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1600" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SWEDEN- "Cairo Conspiracy"</b></p><p><b>15. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1350" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/23px-Flag_of_India.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/35px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/45px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>INDIA- "Last Film Show"</b></p><p>The two "Middle Eastern films" from Scandinavia- "Holy Spider" in Persian and "Cairo Conspiracy" in Arabic- have probably gone as far as they can. While Denmark is usually a strong contender (7 nominations including two wins in the past 12 years) serial killer thriller "Holy Spider" is gratuitously violent and not what Oscar usually goes for. Sweden's religious thriller "Cairo Conspiracy" was one of the shortlist surprises.....Although the film has good reviews and won Best Screenplay at Cannes, it's missed all the precursors and I think the Islamic intrigue may be too obscure for American voters. </p><p>For me, India's Gujarati-language <strike>"Last Cinema Paradiso" </strike>"Last Film Show" was the one shock on the shortlist. I didn't even have it ranked in my top half....I watched "Last Film Show" today (it's available for purchase on YouTube in the United States) and it's better than I thought. It's a sweet little film- no more, no less- about a young boy living in rural Gujarat circa 2010 who becomes obsessed with going to the cinema. It's clearly semi-autobiographical (and thus not a ripoff of "Cinema Paradiso")....Ultimately, it's more visually interesting than dramatically interesting. And <b>yes </b>they should have selected "RRR". </p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-9224523875069613752022-12-21T09:31:00.000-05:002022-12-21T09:31:22.959-05:00FINAL PREDICTIONSWith the Final 15 due to be announced in a few hours, it's time to make my final predictions. The new voting system is very confusing with Oscar voters asked to rank their Top 15 choices instead of giving each film a score....So, I fear that if 100 voters watch their screeners of "Bardo" and only 10 see "Aurora's Sunrise" (the best of the 26 films I've seen), will "Bardo" rank higher if 100 people rank it #15 and all ten people rank "Aurora" #1?? I'm not sure. But I worry the new system may just be the 15 most watched (i.e. high-profile) films with fewer little surprises like "Lunana" getting through. We'll soon see. <div><br /></div><div><b>PREDICTED NOMINEES:</b></div><div><b>1. GERMANY- “All Quiet on the Western Front”</b></div><div><b>2. BELGIUM- “Close"</b></div><div><b>3, ARGENTINA- “Argentina, 1985”</b></div><div><b>4. NORWAY- “War Sailor”</b></div><div><b>5. KOREA- “Decision to Leave”</b></div><div><b>6. AUSTRIA- “Corsage”</b></div><div><b>7. UKRAINE- “Klondike" </b>(helped by sentiment due to the war)</div><div><b>8. FRANCE- “Saint Omer”</b></div><div><b>9. BOLIVIA- “Utama”</b></div><div><b>10. ARMENIA- “Aurora’s Sunrise”</b> (wishful thinking??)</div><div><b>11. POLAND- “EO”</b> (nobody seems to like it, but it's winning all the critics awards in the USA....)</div><div><b>12. DENMARK- “Holy Spider”</b></div><div><b>13. ALBANIA- “A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On”</b></div><div><b>14. PAKISTAN- “Joyland”</b></div><div><b>15. BULGARIA- “In the Heart of the Machine”</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>VERY STRONG ALTERNATES:</b></div><div><b>16. MEXICO- "Bardo"</b> (not well-liked, but could do well for the reasons I mention above)</div><div><b>17. MOROCCO- "Blue Caftan"</b></div><div><b>18. ICELAND- "Beautiful Beings"</b></div><div><b>19. CROATIA- "Safe Place"</b></div><div><b>20. SWEDEN- "Cairo Conspiracy" (aka "Boy From Heaven")</b></div><div><b>21. CAMBODIA- "Return to Seoul"</b></div><div><b>22. IRELAND- "The Quiet Girl"</b></div><div><b>23. MONGOLIA- "Harvest Moon"</b></div><div><b>24. JORDAN- "Farha"</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>DARK HORSES</b></div><div><b>25. BRAZIL- "Mars One"</b></div><div><b>26. PANAMA- "Birthday Boy"</b></div><div><b>27. LEBANON- "Memory Box"</b></div><div><b>28. UNITED KINGDOM- "Winners"</b></div><div><b>29. MOLDOVA- "Carbon"</b></div><div><b>30. JAPAN- "Plan 75"</b></div><div><b>31. PHILIPPINES- "On the Job: The Missing 8"</b></div><div><b>32. MACEDONIA- "Happiest Man in the World"</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>UNLIKELY BUT POSSIBLE</b></div><div><b>33. IRAQ- "The Exam"</b></div><div><b>34. SLOVAKIA- "Victim"</b></div><div><b>35. AUSTRALIA- "You Won't Be Alone"</b></div><div><b>36. COLOMBIA- "Kings of the World"</b></div><div><b>37. VENEZUELA- "The Box"</b></div><div><b>38. ALGERIA- "Nos frangins"</b></div><div><b>39. IRAN- "World War III"</b></div><div><b>40. ISRAEL- "Cinema Sabay"</b></div><div><b>41. SPAIN- "Alcarras"</b></div><div><b>42. SLOVENIA- "Orchestra"</b></div><div><br /></div><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast"><o:p></o:p></p><br /></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-68058017413642234482022-12-21T00:58:00.006-05:002022-12-27T14:15:31.462-05:00OSCARS 2023: The Submissions from Eastern Europe (22 films)<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">And here's the last (and largest batch)! I've spent most of the last month travelling and sadly have only seen a few of these films, even though it's by far the most interesting group! But the list will be announced later today so there's no time left....</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Number of Countries That
Have Participated in the Past: </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">24</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Number of Countries
Participating this year: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">22<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">FRONTRUNNERS:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHrBOQ1TdsmjgGjUyw0e0Gkn8zzqz47nU809c0s3GXEmxtrvGXc9sEQ9CTOPrV9nXNJACDLKV7UR790eVnAgxPvbhlp29UnDMPEGGca4O4B9Nzbpp03nrdwMPZlYQ17lVn8XugSSWPSFmCaH-fNvu-S3bs4jPIgJ07tTIb92SO52CFbT34nPmCdV7spQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHrBOQ1TdsmjgGjUyw0e0Gkn8zzqz47nU809c0s3GXEmxtrvGXc9sEQ9CTOPrV9nXNJACDLKV7UR790eVnAgxPvbhlp29UnDMPEGGca4O4B9Nzbpp03nrdwMPZlYQ17lVn8XugSSWPSFmCaH-fNvu-S3bs4jPIgJ07tTIb92SO52CFbT34nPmCdV7spQ" width="160" /></a> </span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh78mi7orgoK_bEjbzt_5Jo8H3Z7EmyTyuVrC5ssZgOQssHTkRZKMyBK83hkA0ShV9ZWp_-FM5SPFgQj7ubmayyYq7RKGrsocqgks3lmvV859b3ht32FYYS8cOx1xIrFqWRYRJX_1C_tHNyHxsof5gMII0Aj-een4AIoEdFCFU-G21PgusjN3_AeMeBlg" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh78mi7orgoK_bEjbzt_5Jo8H3Z7EmyTyuVrC5ssZgOQssHTkRZKMyBK83hkA0ShV9ZWp_-FM5SPFgQj7ubmayyYq7RKGrsocqgks3lmvV859b3ht32FYYS8cOx1xIrFqWRYRJX_1C_tHNyHxsof5gMII0Aj-een4AIoEdFCFU-G21PgusjN3_AeMeBlg" width="170" /></a></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCVxqjeeqcUdYVuJG_pHhPCYCD24y0It8ZtQ_qOvR3MAtMBf_Fd822u0BYmVlVHYjdr1NehKiKq77hvBoP4WToS6D3aMeUL_8qprM9jAD6eNhpMjPChp2Pjxe33w-yvr5FbSU23gTAQXevWqbKVOiclLjIZiwnG3qWTKI3sgbrTAXGRgxlIpEP8-sAWA" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhCVxqjeeqcUdYVuJG_pHhPCYCD24y0It8ZtQ_qOvR3MAtMBf_Fd822u0BYmVlVHYjdr1NehKiKq77hvBoP4WToS6D3aMeUL_8qprM9jAD6eNhpMjPChp2Pjxe33w-yvr5FbSU23gTAQXevWqbKVOiclLjIZiwnG3qWTKI3sgbrTAXGRgxlIpEP8-sAWA" width="170" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Ukraine.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ukraine.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">UKRAINE- “Klondike”
(Letterboxd: 3.5)</span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">2. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Flag_of_Armenia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Armenia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">ARMENIA- “Aurora’s Sunrise” (3.6)</span></b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="700" data-file-width="980" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/21px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/32px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Flag_of_Albania.svg/42px-Flag_of_Albania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">ALBANIA- “A Cup of
Coffee and New Shoes On” (3.5)</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Like at Eurovision, Ukraine's arthouse drama "Klondike", about the <b>2014 </b>Russian invasion of Ukraine, will benefit from the sentimental feelings and pro-Ukraine sentiment. Don't get me wrong, "Klondike" is supposed to be a very good film. I'm seeing it later this week, but I've heard it's a little too arthouse to make it under normal circumstances. But emotion will help. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Armenia's "Aurora's Sunrise" is an animated documentary about the fascinating life of genocide survivor Aurora Mardiganian, but it's also an original work of art. Far better than "Waltz with Bashir" and emotionally equal (and visually superior) to "Flee", this will be on the shortlist if enough people see it, and I think it would have qualified easily under the old rules. (Why is it not on the Documentary Feature list? It could potentially win.....)</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Albanian wild card "A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On" is just a hunch that probably won't pay off but I'm still ranking it high. This quiet indie is about a pair of deaf and mute adult twins (played by Portuguese twins who learned Albanian Sign Language for the film) who learn that they have a condition that will make them lose their sight and, therefore, their entire world. Reviews have been strong and the plot couldn't get more "Oscarier".....but it's true that nobody has heard of the film and it's going to need a lot of word of mouth on the committee... </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">DARK HORSES:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbAA3MAOqei9WN1V3v12S01n-NpWUfEWAP5I-3lfvENUR6quapDM2UBKgb5ZozjC2Rbgy0lMyNTsXmuIeayIDAlT5aGzR4NWPo6jF4lLTEFozGooRA-yq1IEITY3jo08O8CAZP6dJwuwBRUE7W16ClBvdUnPODh_bZX-5KCiynFf9x8lORBWqyqNIL5g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbAA3MAOqei9WN1V3v12S01n-NpWUfEWAP5I-3lfvENUR6quapDM2UBKgb5ZozjC2Rbgy0lMyNTsXmuIeayIDAlT5aGzR4NWPo6jF4lLTEFozGooRA-yq1IEITY3jo08O8CAZP6dJwuwBRUE7W16ClBvdUnPODh_bZX-5KCiynFf9x8lORBWqyqNIL5g" width="170" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkbSY2BLSHT0Rnl-Rjc-uVEWIH2jgd8q9PPMkxJ77tiSXu1I886lYHERs1OruiRzQB7UdUSC4XOb3KdPhE2nztN6P3IL1pypbsgIvNfK2EfZCCZnaEwPUThAHwO4XgLyt3LYiu5Sb7F3sl_OVI9JRIUMCcJXOwhLsGb-F7H1T99PWN2uEgC-lhx2K2nQ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkbSY2BLSHT0Rnl-Rjc-uVEWIH2jgd8q9PPMkxJ77tiSXu1I886lYHERs1OruiRzQB7UdUSC4XOb3KdPhE2nztN6P3IL1pypbsgIvNfK2EfZCCZnaEwPUThAHwO4XgLyt3LYiu5Sb7F3sl_OVI9JRIUMCcJXOwhLsGb-F7H1T99PWN2uEgC-lhx2K2nQ" width="160" /> </a></span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiysrP3IMoarbc7btXYa1plgHl4efIaBJX5XlIqnbz_kH7cVS0hOquI8Ou0WN_u_p9fctUXkFlbJbN7UsyK405STEP1ZzjiNA29NzGOEFg9-5NQ7mwwcQB9aGFbrdY48kkGJxcEiTHTE8qVJkjCBfoMikowtBkJQlMUcLa15N5jiKQlRuq1mBRhi9DmmQ" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1103" data-original-width="805" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiysrP3IMoarbc7btXYa1plgHl4efIaBJX5XlIqnbz_kH7cVS0hOquI8Ou0WN_u_p9fctUXkFlbJbN7UsyK405STEP1ZzjiNA29NzGOEFg9-5NQ7mwwcQB9aGFbrdY48kkGJxcEiTHTE8qVJkjCBfoMikowtBkJQlMUcLa15N5jiKQlRuq1mBRhi9DmmQ" width="175" /></a><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkbSY2BLSHT0Rnl-Rjc-uVEWIH2jgd8q9PPMkxJ77tiSXu1I886lYHERs1OruiRzQB7UdUSC4XOb3KdPhE2nztN6P3IL1pypbsgIvNfK2EfZCCZnaEwPUThAHwO4XgLyt3LYiu5Sb7F3sl_OVI9JRIUMCcJXOwhLsGb-F7H1T99PWN2uEgC-lhx2K2nQ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><br /><br /></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1280" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/12/Flag_of_Poland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Poland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">POLAND- “EO” (3.6)</span></b><br /><div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bulgaria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">BULGARIA- “In the Heart of the Machine” (3.4)</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Flag_of_Croatia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Croatia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">CROATIA- “Safe Place”
(3.8)</span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">BULGARIA</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>An all-star (for Bulgaria) prison drama set during Communist times. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Pros: </b>I've heard anecdotally that this is one of the strongest films in the group that nobody has ever heard of. The committee has shown that it has enjoyed prison dramas ("Night of the Kings", "A Prophet") in the past. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Cons: </b>No buzz. The film came in second place even in its home country. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">CROATIA</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A man's attempted suicide causes friction in a family of three. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Pros: </b>Some of the strongest critical notices in this group, and a compelling "based on true story" (the director's) narrative. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Cons: </b>This is a small drama from a small country. I'm skeptical that enough people will see it to make a dent. </span></span></div><div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">POLAND-</span></b></div><div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A Candide-style journey around modern-day Europe...if Candide were a donkey</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Pros: </b>The film has being doing great with U.S. critics- including New York Film Critics (winning both Best Foreign Film awards) and the National Board of Review. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Cons: </b>I haven't met anyone who likes it....Everyone tells me it's slow and boring. I look forward to judging for myself. </span></span></div><div><br /><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A STRONG SHOWING: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgITXVsAYfL7OYGfAf44QPspq91mon3znGpTRDqPSAUOO40A_YCUMnI3XZza6XdZn2-r6vZ_J0h_S1-jQNL5Lg9Rpdc8sX5FcHgq8EFE6GmUvO4S1TljciX_gPRGWaap5ro8WEIjChOzrtvtcxuBMy7RwcdWtztj9XLiCsdNF3uYePiAYdTRlwaX3V-A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjgITXVsAYfL7OYGfAf44QPspq91mon3znGpTRDqPSAUOO40A_YCUMnI3XZza6XdZn2-r6vZ_J0h_S1-jQNL5Lg9Rpdc8sX5FcHgq8EFE6GmUvO4S1TljciX_gPRGWaap5ro8WEIjChOzrtvtcxuBMy7RwcdWtztj9XLiCsdNF3uYePiAYdTRlwaX3V-A" width="160" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLseiI_g2ipu1nidPLw4CqhrfeDnimRshJ4SkQOEKsAVZy6VueDUBG_gRq0KArVyK5pHOUk1Xf_AIkCXxBv97L1-1Roj0I9ee52k1L5wv9vFn7uqtHiOM6f6Aq63VMkJPuuXErOwfQM6NQE5keTe9teyMklgxRwpcySCnxpSOjfi7qQ-e6_1_IuIaZZg" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1408" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgLseiI_g2ipu1nidPLw4CqhrfeDnimRshJ4SkQOEKsAVZy6VueDUBG_gRq0KArVyK5pHOUk1Xf_AIkCXxBv97L1-1Roj0I9ee52k1L5wv9vFn7uqtHiOM6f6Aq63VMkJPuuXErOwfQM6NQE5keTe9teyMklgxRwpcySCnxpSOjfi7qQ-e6_1_IuIaZZg" width="170" /></a></span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo02lXk_5JC32mFdG0cbs4ePziZIT9WCwXUy5MdkE1oEXZnIc4Tdhrtf0Y0exRVsPuEsadY5R6KBAhF6DKTKSWEMGLiAG79bhIOnudvmxag5eS7vp2JR8D0-D1EXGu8-XB-qTWfZ6qTiVphU7p0fbFioPsgjj-mbZ96Ek-k-AaqS6UHnhshykPUQmHZg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjo02lXk_5JC32mFdG0cbs4ePziZIT9WCwXUy5MdkE1oEXZnIc4Tdhrtf0Y0exRVsPuEsadY5R6KBAhF6DKTKSWEMGLiAG79bhIOnudvmxag5eS7vp2JR8D0-D1EXGu8-XB-qTWfZ6qTiVphU7p0fbFioPsgjj-mbZ96Ek-k-AaqS6UHnhshykPUQmHZg" width="170" /></a><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br /><br /></span><br /></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">7. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Flag_of_Slovakia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Slovakia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">SLOVAKIA- “Victim”
(3.1)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">8. </span></b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_North_Macedonia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">MACEDONIA- “Happiest Man in the World” (3.4)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">9. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1800" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/23px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/35px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Moldova.svg/46px-Flag_of_Moldova.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">MOLDOVA- “Carbon”
(3.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">10. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Romania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Romania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">ROMANIA- “Immaculate”
(3.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">MIDDLE OF THE PACK:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEif6nbSmVyjHBXskY4dmwNbfFEffVgw1RYCULXv2AWOB5P9JyHZQ-wqxI1fi9dIWC6CclPFFCmlOgVxBSKeFhxpfVswIZuMQIeEU_O6nwzTj1w0tdSZtJj3lVjA9p6qOY7jkdEVq04s1GPB5qVhn6zwLrUh3AFNRgxaRHZKDOyCjq3sdc-zelVLu2i_aQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2250" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEif6nbSmVyjHBXskY4dmwNbfFEffVgw1RYCULXv2AWOB5P9JyHZQ-wqxI1fi9dIWC6CclPFFCmlOgVxBSKeFhxpfVswIZuMQIeEU_O6nwzTj1w0tdSZtJj3lVjA9p6qOY7jkdEVq04s1GPB5qVhn6zwLrUh3AFNRgxaRHZKDOyCjq3sdc-zelVLu2i_aQ" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZXTCfwFlWqT9Qvik_dCJGqZJDmVQ9wwT-zrO9MqToUoREvwoUCZJiBGuaPfGGmtDg2dqmbig7Xxt8UXI_cMJULClzNuS_DGM9_mUiZ1D7xzR9wiMuy-YOS1q8w0b-S4NDr0PLyzOX4n_p3Z7m0QA1eszQQPD6myI1JBuVkdGanWTldyPLSS6n4XbrdQ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1415" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZXTCfwFlWqT9Qvik_dCJGqZJDmVQ9wwT-zrO9MqToUoREvwoUCZJiBGuaPfGGmtDg2dqmbig7Xxt8UXI_cMJULClzNuS_DGM9_mUiZ1D7xzR9wiMuy-YOS1q8w0b-S4NDr0PLyzOX4n_p3Z7m0QA1eszQQPD6myI1JBuVkdGanWTldyPLSS6n4XbrdQ" width="170" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj9Q6ybvVCAEcwoaAkVzkbPj5gqNFbbukcrY2D__XV0D_jR0DtqxYzcIZ-N6Riq-nrRyaf0VF2KmzL6OAnO7qMUMsIJer07E6AztV3kfjjXRpvwL_Ll4qZAmZRNm-zls9V31mJwnqRWyk6PJSf_hec9Y24cErull65oXktAlOr733rrDRX7-Tjms0d3w" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="420" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjj9Q6ybvVCAEcwoaAkVzkbPj5gqNFbbukcrY2D__XV0D_jR0DtqxYzcIZ-N6Riq-nrRyaf0VF2KmzL6OAnO7qMUMsIJer07E6AztV3kfjjXRpvwL_Ll4qZAmZRNm-zls9V31mJwnqRWyk6PJSf_hec9Y24cErull65oXktAlOr733rrDRX7-Tjms0d3w" width="170" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">11. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="840" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Flag_of_Kosovo.svg/21px-Flag_of_Kosovo.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Flag_of_Kosovo.svg/32px-Flag_of_Kosovo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1f/Flag_of_Kosovo.svg/42px-Flag_of_Kosovo.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">KOSOVO- “Looking for
Venera” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">12. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f0/Flag_of_Slovenia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Slovenia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">SLOVENIA- “Orchestra”
(3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">13. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Latvia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Latvia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">LATVIA- “January”
(3.5)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">14. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cb/Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Czech_Republic.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">CZECH REPUBLIC- “Il
Boemo” (3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AN UPHILL BATTLE:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gVL8Kshgt7M22OP45SPcOalCquER6eysy-YyEFkjMFiRVV-qrQpYizFyOOLnH36xq-YUJ_X2tyLOFWS_-88g5MRWHptDV7ochV72mxUimul2gfcb1mreoTPNYy7ObDe6yAuZR27-bzIMM5aqDWqa4dCVG33eJadqhQJzkmk7qjaF2q9KN1FR5K2yLA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1430" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3gVL8Kshgt7M22OP45SPcOalCquER6eysy-YyEFkjMFiRVV-qrQpYizFyOOLnH36xq-YUJ_X2tyLOFWS_-88g5MRWHptDV7ochV72mxUimul2gfcb1mreoTPNYy7ObDe6yAuZR27-bzIMM5aqDWqa4dCVG33eJadqhQJzkmk7qjaF2q9KN1FR5K2yLA=w140-h200" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEcD67pyE5XaOMTccT1uQQmwycXxRlv6_6CB9JoLcu3PwvSUe55nfoYlRWByT_ASfI0r_P76LEUhAbfxbzpX7U29sJl4deKUxC7NtkF3xS76uTqBUBDjBAEgqT_ZDhZTLLE34_OrrBijI-UCBhVQzoWThsCuBo9aR1EuKFHzkYqvziugEyNTvp_Zfc2Q" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEcD67pyE5XaOMTccT1uQQmwycXxRlv6_6CB9JoLcu3PwvSUe55nfoYlRWByT_ASfI0r_P76LEUhAbfxbzpX7U29sJl4deKUxC7NtkF3xS76uTqBUBDjBAEgqT_ZDhZTLLE34_OrrBijI-UCBhVQzoWThsCuBo9aR1EuKFHzkYqvziugEyNTvp_Zfc2Q=w140-h200" width="140" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-iznmiTAWFM5jN-RAl7DlHPuKFwwqiDZlknJM_c1pbpVi5dXtr8VpUZV4D0DUqGdoq6btiZr7JQuaU6v5iznayYVWFfj2pwmgc5sDeEOOzFtcv1Xzc703m1kalhr_mKDFVg4UiWRKZaMhCfj12TNAih3bqL3nUlU-x1WuACk4K--sffSTG-Q_4jl28Q" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-iznmiTAWFM5jN-RAl7DlHPuKFwwqiDZlknJM_c1pbpVi5dXtr8VpUZV4D0DUqGdoq6btiZr7JQuaU6v5iznayYVWFfj2pwmgc5sDeEOOzFtcv1Xzc703m1kalhr_mKDFVg4UiWRKZaMhCfj12TNAih3bqL3nUlU-x1WuACk4K--sffSTG-Q_4jl28Q=w133-h200" width="133" /></a><br /></span></b><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">15. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="630" data-file-width="945" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Flag_of_Serbia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Serbia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">SERBIA- “Darkling” (3.3)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">16. </span></b><span style="background: yellow; color: #202122; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; mso-highlight: yellow; mso-shading: #F8F9FA;"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; font-family: sans-serif;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="630" data-file-width="990" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/Flag_of_Estonia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Estonia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">ESTONIA- “Kalev” (3.7)</span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">17. LITHUANIA- “Pilgrims” (2.9)</span></b><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">18. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/23px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/35px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Flag_of_Hungary.svg/46px-Flag_of_Hungary.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">HUNGARY- “Blockade”
(3.3)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><b> </b>Lithuania's "Pilgrims" was one of the most pleasant surprises of my film year, and it's one of my favorites of this year's submissions. However, I'm clearly in the minority, so it really doesn't have a chance of advancing to the next round. "Pilgrims" follows two young people as they go on a mysterious road trip visiting the locations of a brutal crime that happened four years before. Who are they, and why are they doing this? That's revealed slowly but completely. Though it starts off slow, it's a great screenplay with a cathartic ending. </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>Serbia's "Darkling" is practically a horror movie (and the director should be hired to make one) about one of the last Serb families in rural Kosovo. The family of three is the victim of a series of spooky, nighttime incidents (dead livestock, broken fencing etc.) causing the mother and daughter to want to flee, like almost all of their neighbors. But the grandfather insists on staying behind. </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p>As for Estonia and Hungary, they've selected little-known films- both set in 1990- about prominent moments in their late Cold War history. "Kalev" (Estonia) is about the Estonian national basketball team participating in the Soviet national championships at a moment when most of the country was demanding independence and refusing to take part in Soviet life and institutions. It's not particularly memorable or exciting and it can't seem to figure out whether to be a political movie or a sports movie. "Blockade" is about a taxi strike that served as one of the first signs of protest against Hungary's Communist regime. These are definitely going to resonate more with local audiences familiar with local history rather than AMPAS. <br /></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrq-RYxKbW-bV6s8GHRU6C3InJlg2Sr8nEFU1v4fipG5oycYI6NnVew_wkQ4gFxEPZXGPgCw8klvDXEXE1OsJSKIpM0l5dOvmAcThKke1I4DGdJvehBC7S_dSyTwkf2gnXzygCYcDQPr00krP1oi901PzOsBgt-9KUcnluuf26Gf67OLogYRCH4IQ_2Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrq-RYxKbW-bV6s8GHRU6C3InJlg2Sr8nEFU1v4fipG5oycYI6NnVew_wkQ4gFxEPZXGPgCw8klvDXEXE1OsJSKIpM0l5dOvmAcThKke1I4DGdJvehBC7S_dSyTwkf2gnXzygCYcDQPr00krP1oi901PzOsBgt-9KUcnluuf26Gf67OLogYRCH4IQ_2Q=w200-h136" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzXFMk-Y13g23750HiqpddrxNBV8Mb1EjqQ0ggw0EV91-pkST-tuaIBQKS0OKLSsPEIerAmiOGjxsxafY2X5a0Y6kXjNHRIjeukjADr2ZtHhYelIC_v74Hk86V3Hq1ge_JAoyiVLV7n14GlwX4d9l9OmO07yzfWVYOGnOOq0OWsHmkHisphbgfy4gQ5g" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="165" data-original-width="306" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzXFMk-Y13g23750HiqpddrxNBV8Mb1EjqQ0ggw0EV91-pkST-tuaIBQKS0OKLSsPEIerAmiOGjxsxafY2X5a0Y6kXjNHRIjeukjADr2ZtHhYelIC_v74Hk86V3Hq1ge_JAoyiVLV7n14GlwX4d9l9OmO07yzfWVYOGnOOq0OWsHmkHisphbgfy4gQ5g=w200-h137" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifbbSaC67PeBu72cd40XBTNw-JIEfo5PGhnPzOcMMsGuPHyZbv3DAFMRz9lBjkdOjGrpo9eIlPpCNysVxBgBygvuO9R0eRIpJBLssnXFSh1Tm_kNRZBFnV-069Ay8PyGKPwNvWobmUScS7neSEcuAwxaYIFAFRmrydVpwKcgqDOEKfqEAhoZziECkFRQ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="190" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifbbSaC67PeBu72cd40XBTNw-JIEfo5PGhnPzOcMMsGuPHyZbv3DAFMRz9lBjkdOjGrpo9eIlPpCNysVxBgBygvuO9R0eRIpJBLssnXFSh1Tm_kNRZBFnV-069Ay8PyGKPwNvWobmUScS7neSEcuAwxaYIFAFRmrydVpwKcgqDOEKfqEAhoZziECkFRQ=w143-h200" width="143" /></a><br /><br /><br /></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">19. </span></b><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bf/Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA- “A Ballad” (3.1)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">20. </span></b><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0f/Flag_of_Georgia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Georgia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">GEORGIA- “A Long Break” (3.0)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">21. </span></b><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/23px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/35px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/Flag_of_Montenegro.svg/46px-Flag_of_Montenegro.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span style="background: yellow; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-highlight: yellow;">MONTENEGRO- “Elegy of Laurel” (2.8)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">22. </span></b><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dd/Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Azerbaijan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /> </span><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">AZERBAIJAN- “Creators” (2.2)</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">As always, I'm so happy that the smaller countries send films. Even when they're not nominated, they're almost always a fascinating look at the country, its people, its language and its culture. I've discovered a lot of wonderful films and directors among these underdogs. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Azerbaijan has had a great film year with a number of films at international film festivals. However, they have explicably decided to send a 60-minute documentary about Soviet architecture (it's possibly the others didn't get screened in cinemas). Needless to say, this is a non-starter. Neighboring Georgia, selected "A Long Break", a (very) talky drama about a man plotting revenge at a school reunion. Georgia is my favorite country to visit, and I love Georgian cinema but I think this will lose a lot in the translation...I liked it because I know Georgian culture but I still felt like I was at dinner party with people I didn't know. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">From the former Yugoslavia, "Elegy of Laurel" was the only film that entered to represent Montenegro....This odd little movie features an old man whose wife leaves him at a health spa, whereupon he goes on a journey into the woods and meets a woman who used to be a snake. It keeps the viewer's attention but it really doesn't make too much sense. From neighboring Bosnia, "A Ballad" is Aida Begic's first venture into (slightly) lighter storylines, after years of making films about the Yugoslav wars. Unfortunately, critics haven't warmed to her new film as much as her earlier efforts. This story of an unemployed mother seeking custody of her daughter often feels as aimless as its main character, </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who’s Missing?: RUSSIA</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> controversially announced that it would boycott
the Oscars due to their own brutal invasion of neighboring Ukraine, failing to
submit a film for the first time since 1993. The head of the Russian Selection Committee-
Oscar-nominated director Pavel Chukhrai- said he wasn’t consulted and that he
had wanted to send a film. The only other country that’s absent is Russia’s ally,
<b>BELARUS</b>, which submitted films from 2018-2020. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genres: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Slovenia and Moldova have sent comedies. Armenia
and Azerbaijan have sent documentaries (Armenia’s submission is also an animated
film). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Serbia's is almost (but not quite) a horror film. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve Already Seen: 8- Armenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">but
I have five more screeners waiting to be watched before the end of the
year….Too much travel recently! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Number I Predicted
Correctly: 9 out of 22…..</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Armenia,
Bulgaria, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Film I’m Most Excited To
See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Definitely Moldova’s absurdist
black comedy “Carbon” and Albania’s heart-rending “A Cup of Coffee and New
Shoes On” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Big Three Festivals: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Very few! <b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cannes- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Poland (Jury Prize)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Berlin- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ukraine (Audience Award, 2<sup>nd</sup> Place)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Venice- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lithuania (Best Film, Horizons Section), Macedonia, Romania,
Slovakia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq0d7xbDeOwW7LG18NE78LsXlbwDMa5sQ-QJznfxV-fyX2oSMHsr5fHK3NvDoHLO8ecPAehNYPuJrKHXDD3jZok49ZVvx2l-gmy1eXdHXd1tTj_n5gVC1FQY8m83L7aI4ctnnL5G0Rpai4xHwk9tNPx23770EQUzNuLivWlnac67g7-nSWtRmUNRBORQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq0d7xbDeOwW7LG18NE78LsXlbwDMa5sQ-QJznfxV-fyX2oSMHsr5fHK3NvDoHLO8ecPAehNYPuJrKHXDD3jZok49ZVvx2l-gmy1eXdHXd1tTj_n5gVC1FQY8m83L7aI4ctnnL5G0Rpai4xHwk9tNPx23770EQUzNuLivWlnac67g7-nSWtRmUNRBORQ=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Women Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Six out of 22: Aida Begić (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Maryna
Er-Gorbach (Ukraine), Teona Strugar Mitevska (Macedonia), Inna Sahakyan
(Armenia), Norika Sefa (Kosovo) and Monica Stan (Romania). Co-director Monica Stan
is only the second woman to represent Romania, and the first since 1973 (!). <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oldest and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">84-year old Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland) is by far
the oldest director in the entire competition (69-year old Rachid Bouchareb is
#2). The youngest is probably 30-year old Monica Stan (Romania) <br /></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s a very confusing question. So many of the
plots of this year’s Eastern European films feature a variety of languages:
Slovenians visiting German-speaking Austria, Ukrainian migrants in the Czech
Republic, Russians invading a bilingual region of Ukraine, an Armenian refugee
escaping to the United States via Europe, a Czech </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">artist
living in Italy etc. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">All I can say is that five of the films are in the Serbo-Croatian
languages, two are in Albanian, and the rest are in a mishmash of Bulgarian, Czech,
German, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Slovenian, Ukrainian,
the three Baltic languages (Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian) and the three
Caucasian languages (Armenian, Azerbaijani and Georgian). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How Many Have a Chance
at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe
eight or nine?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Most Likely to Get Shorlisted/Nominated
for the First Time- </b>Probably Ukraine, for partly sentimental reasons</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Probably “EO”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letterboxd Ratings (as
of 19 December 2022): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Croatia (3.8), <b>Worst: </b>Azerbaijan (2.2, but
with only 5 votes) and Montenegro (2.8)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Controversies and
Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Of course, the biggest
controversy was the Russian Academy’s flip-flop and their decision to boycott
the Oscars. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bulgaria originally
selected “Mother”, which is set in Kenya, but was informed that it had too much
English. The director said that the producers had determined it was more than
50% in Bulgarian and Swahili and were surprised by the decision, noting that it
was unclear to her whether they were supposed to count time, or words, or what…..<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVW0afVK4SphON9MyEgUqnvIHu27nnT7dWuyLc6hDiQUdhKGXPwWp4Zc8X_6g8KvzyDw63-NnX3Uu78NsUVDrFF-ZMnotxw7cW5UdTtaFf__4iybjw5c7oKjN53IeWog4d_9IZJRQr1XoIJ9U72q8fcSSMyNET93BlEcE7w62nWDA0FzutxvFdLMYfKA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2037" data-original-width="3627" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVW0afVK4SphON9MyEgUqnvIHu27nnT7dWuyLc6hDiQUdhKGXPwWp4Zc8X_6g8KvzyDw63-NnX3Uu78NsUVDrFF-ZMnotxw7cW5UdTtaFf__4iybjw5c7oKjN53IeWog4d_9IZJRQr1XoIJ9U72q8fcSSMyNET93BlEcE7w62nWDA0FzutxvFdLMYfKA=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oscar
History: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bosnia’s Aida Begić is
representing her country for the fourth time following “Snow” (2008), “Children
of Sarajevo” (2012) and “Never Leave Me” (2018). <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Five other directors are
here for a second time: Shamil Aliyev (Azerbaijan, “Steppe Man”), Viestur
Kairish (Latvia, “The Chronicles of Melanie”), Gentian Koçi (Albania, “Daybreak”),
Teona Strugar Mitevska (Macedonia, “I’m From Titov Veles), and Jerzy Skolimowski
(Poland, “11 Minutes”)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of the 22 competing
countries, only four have won (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland),
four others have been nominated (Estonia, Georgia, Macedonia, Romania), and
three others shortlisted (Bulgaria, Kosovo, Serbia). The other eleven are
waiting for their first trip to the second round. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most Notable
Omissions: <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9q6KLvzDrLLcl-ZiZtMua_CPNTcsdEMqJme_tYTzuQFYjG4_n5nK5zjxnnerQxjihggFmuLa2FlVAzlleV-I9dShiVQNQMqmhY7jj0sNkAvFc1vDHZcXNV5WYUyYx_q1L9ZoAXzeKlXBSXGhiUFIaCg7ZcXYzV8WrsOMtGROW6nbL8CKRXY2Tg1NCwA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9q6KLvzDrLLcl-ZiZtMua_CPNTcsdEMqJme_tYTzuQFYjG4_n5nK5zjxnnerQxjihggFmuLa2FlVAzlleV-I9dShiVQNQMqmhY7jj0sNkAvFc1vDHZcXNV5WYUyYx_q1L9ZoAXzeKlXBSXGhiUFIaCg7ZcXYzV8WrsOMtGROW6nbL8CKRXY2Tg1NCwA" width="168" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiU-PN5HUiyPr8A3J_hevQjIXVoKe1jHl7FTb94hm4K7vrOVQog-LATgVzQH-TWRRK9T110zdc-HNHUlMCwEHEUOkNv9F4o1v_Fq8eOsWadWf-OWPW6b88-Yp-tVPBZmCtdZEjS0eodcVJePt8Etw9Mo12zgakQpuOZXHokNIDPki4iSdIvtbPmtUKKVQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiU-PN5HUiyPr8A3J_hevQjIXVoKe1jHl7FTb94hm4K7vrOVQog-LATgVzQH-TWRRK9T110zdc-HNHUlMCwEHEUOkNv9F4o1v_Fq8eOsWadWf-OWPW6b88-Yp-tVPBZmCtdZEjS0eodcVJePt8Etw9Mo12zgakQpuOZXHokNIDPki4iSdIvtbPmtUKKVQ" width="167" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8mW25NEYQRvHW78m91Ny4Zchewqp6nMtDDZXBZ1uIOiTKHfHWdVz_nPE1sun4oRZO7THoLDlGipETqwJGBOEQHtQWOc7ihy2Dml7b9iF31VvfJ6rdZQ-vRIEOCVPqMU6A_Zt8XEr6ulqXk-OhhiBlj9PF9i7EGGMrc-rihZrAk_Ba7GCS6455PNPL9w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2845" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8mW25NEYQRvHW78m91Ny4Zchewqp6nMtDDZXBZ1uIOiTKHfHWdVz_nPE1sun4oRZO7THoLDlGipETqwJGBOEQHtQWOc7ihy2Dml7b9iF31VvfJ6rdZQ-vRIEOCVPqMU6A_Zt8XEr6ulqXk-OhhiBlj9PF9i7EGGMrc-rihZrAk_Ba7GCS6455PNPL9w" width="169" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The most surprising
omissions were Oscar winner Danis Tanovic’ “Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair”
(Bosnia), a topical comedy about life under COVID-19 and “RMN”, the latest from
Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu. Oscar winner Jan Sverak’s “Bethlehem Night” (Czech
Republic) was also shortlisted and snubbed, but it was never expected to be
selected. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Also missing: “The
Staffroom” (Croatia), “The Last Race” (Czech Republic), “Sleeping Beast” (Estonia),
which reportedly lost by one vote after a reportedly “tense” debate, “Otar’s
Death” (Georgia), “The Game” (Hungary), “The Balcony Movie” (Poland) and co-production
“The Nightsiren”, which was shortlisted by both the Czechs and Slovaks. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was also surprised by
the omission of Bujar Alimani’s “The Albanian Virgin” but that may have been “too
German” to compete for Albania. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdC6gu_zIBFIWJ2uNJ0ZSHkSRAawkM8_l7RluzIBbs3z72cqTgv9J3_-c0wptK8ApzFzhoYvRAjYoT0ynGq-_HzRNeKC1Cbal7Oz5tM-NjfAUdKarmkMxZI2SEXvIwUkxsFcsxRImC4mPfU_zHB1un6kRmvhr20ud0fdy5h7Yvvsj63gHPkz6GPEzCRw" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdC6gu_zIBFIWJ2uNJ0ZSHkSRAawkM8_l7RluzIBbs3z72cqTgv9J3_-c0wptK8ApzFzhoYvRAjYoT0ynGq-_HzRNeKC1Cbal7Oz5tM-NjfAUdKarmkMxZI2SEXvIwUkxsFcsxRImC4mPfU_zHB1un6kRmvhr20ud0fdy5h7Yvvsj63gHPkz6GPEzCRw=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most Famous Faces: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Just Isabelle Huppert, who has a small role in Poland’s
“EO”. <br /> <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last Year’s Race:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I really liked a lot of the Eastern
Euro films from last year especially “Tereza37” from Croatia, “Brighton 4<sup>th</sup>”
from Georgia, “The Pit” from Latvia, “Bad Luck Banging” from Romania and “Bad
Roads” from Ukraine (all A-), all of which would have made worthy nominees (but
none of them even made the shortlist </span><span face=""Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">☹</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">). followed by Armenia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo and Macedonia (B+),
Azerbaijan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Slovenia (B-), Lithuania, Poland,
Russia and Serbia (C+), Estonia and Slovakia (C-). I failed to see the films
from Albania and the Czech Republic. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p></div></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-86879724961256503682022-12-20T09:14:00.006-05:002022-12-20T09:14:49.462-05:00OSCARS 2023: The Submissions from The Americas (16 films)<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Number of Countries That Have
Participated in the Past: </b>22</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Number of Countries
Participating this year: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">16<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">(more statistics below)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>FRONTRUNNERS: </b><b style="text-align: center;"> </b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6nc75xUKWcPZMwLbV5CDF89M_XiokclQEJ64gZli2G-y1geBfnyDSfk6hRx8FQ5w39RTIo2wmjO5tmfv8LGfFshMoRolGrvXSPC2SDRcIJxcDRjcirVZ3SSGM4fvMaNYSW9ThmJDfQjXybzmibEn5PXO7yjYx8Jz4yVymRSkn0XUNMVKntm80PSmvGA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj6nc75xUKWcPZMwLbV5CDF89M_XiokclQEJ64gZli2G-y1geBfnyDSfk6hRx8FQ5w39RTIo2wmjO5tmfv8LGfFshMoRolGrvXSPC2SDRcIJxcDRjcirVZ3SSGM4fvMaNYSW9ThmJDfQjXybzmibEn5PXO7yjYx8Jz4yVymRSkn0XUNMVKntm80PSmvGA" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipiyHgjf0BW-pkMz-2d0AqxKTHEpDUf5qizwalNdrjSXAr4GF4kyA5cEbWXR-z3q1qfu6m410X3rYbZPcLg8hdfj24IaAMh-iuNRPvOihYxP9vc7j9ruV-_2gOQaTfciSy5Cty7TViW4mHyEMZtQqdcxj8M38Kou0TKQYWoLB5xQdhF8hnnWT8wAXRHQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="156" data-original-width="104" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipiyHgjf0BW-pkMz-2d0AqxKTHEpDUf5qizwalNdrjSXAr4GF4kyA5cEbWXR-z3q1qfu6m410X3rYbZPcLg8hdfj24IaAMh-iuNRPvOihYxP9vc7j9ruV-_2gOQaTfciSy5Cty7TViW4mHyEMZtQqdcxj8M38Kou0TKQYWoLB5xQdhF8hnnWT8wAXRHQ=w133-h227" width="133" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>1. ARGENTINA- "Argentina, 1985" (Letterboxd: 4.2)</b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>2. MEXICO- "Bardo" (3.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">According to some, "Argentina, 1985" is going to win the Oscar. And although critics are split on whether "Bardo" is a good movie and nobody really thinks "Bardo" will win, Iñárritu's name mean it still has a good shot at making the second round. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">"Argentina 1985" is a legal drama focused on prosecuting the crimes of the Argentina military dictatorship that ruled the country for seven brutal years in the 70s and 80s. This subject was at the forefront ("The Official Story") and the background ("Secret in Their Eyes") of Argentina's two previous Oscar wins. It's said to be a very well-made film and while it may struggle to get first-place votes, its definitely acclaimed enough and well-liked enough to easily make it to the shortlist. It was the only Latin American film to get a Golden Globe nod. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">"Bardo" is divisive and messy and it was way overlong until Iñárritu cut 22 minutes (though it's still over 2 1/2 hours, and the third-longest of the 92 submissions). It's a semi-autobiographical film about a journalist returning home to Mexico after twenty years away. The edited version is getting better reviews and although the film isn't "safe", Oscar loves Iñárritu and it's difficult to see him missing the first cut....But the Golden Globe snub is a bad sign....</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>CONTENDERS:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>3. BOLIVIA- "Utama" (3.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>4. BRAZIL- "Mars One" (4.3)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>5. PANAMA- "Birthday Boy" (<i>Cumpleañero</i>) (2.6)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm9pYS8JmDngGVK1tbr_vhzc9YO3x86dEJSpqz7h6RHkXWKrkm-O5rXmWMSf_azGDewTi9d1NWmOwRdrPyTMt72mlBVLAT_zIDKjeX4vi2jQecmRZL9p_PlqdQxqnzq6hDP0RrrRX9WztMsuNV3ST_nltQGIhxBWB3yd-x8XJOMPZwLwdwTAsAEakQIA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjm9pYS8JmDngGVK1tbr_vhzc9YO3x86dEJSpqz7h6RHkXWKrkm-O5rXmWMSf_azGDewTi9d1NWmOwRdrPyTMt72mlBVLAT_zIDKjeX4vi2jQecmRZL9p_PlqdQxqnzq6hDP0RrrRX9WztMsuNV3ST_nltQGIhxBWB3yd-x8XJOMPZwLwdwTAsAEakQIA" width="180" /></a></b></div><b>BOLIVIA</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A young man visits his grandparents in a remote drought-stricken region of Potosi. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Pros: </b>It's a critical darling, it won the International Feature award at Sundance, visually beautiful and it seems to be the perfect mix of foreign exoticism alongside a strong narrative. Since I live in Bolivia right now, it's the film that I'm really rooting for tomorrow. Screened in New York (and other) mainstream cinemas. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Cons: </b>It's a slow-moving film from a country that's never been recognized before. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKp0uxbDU_r1FGy6ip2CMbhMT95C3FegJrRB5xQMBjjTaS0dIP2lXB5gvCL-Tp18E_4b8Gmc2b3c6Kfa5ztxiy8wCyC9fPixeQDUsKRn4KvbKUZxT9WEJ3NYOZ0d4oKOrLjuoV0hzOifbYxtnWBfnMlz-pKenDgLFSOs9ba_4Kd4a8KtLTuIcNMsvv-Q" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKp0uxbDU_r1FGy6ip2CMbhMT95C3FegJrRB5xQMBjjTaS0dIP2lXB5gvCL-Tp18E_4b8Gmc2b3c6Kfa5ztxiy8wCyC9fPixeQDUsKRn4KvbKUZxT9WEJ3NYOZ0d4oKOrLjuoV0hzOifbYxtnWBfnMlz-pKenDgLFSOs9ba_4Kd4a8KtLTuIcNMsvv-Q=w142-h200" width="142" /></a><b></b></div><b>BRAZIL</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>An close-knit Afro-Brazilian family lives their lives with a little more stress and caution after the election of far-right President Bolsonaro. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Pros: </b>Like "Utama", this was warmly received at Sundance. The film scores extremely well with audiences and sometimes these "popular" tastes match Oscar more than arthouse critics faves. 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and the highest Letterboxd score in the group. Just got a U.S. distributor. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Cons: </b>Oscar hasn't always warmed to stories about Black (though this category has been a bit more willing....) Some of the Brazilian politics may go over Oscar voters' heads (though Americans certainly understand racism and the rise of the far right)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXGZwhdQ7hOU5Nki_9rEK1MqAW3ugfsxEz41MrwWmXZMIsfvzku5ggCF5J_B2yfbt3sB4sav7JqbTjlkbRZgMonZ1uor8n_Ls2SvPdfB912B-W5bnBAmCpInE0x4P4A_zfn0AU6nS6tfNDMfZ4ke8GjSIytpH9JouPOndk6QsRiD8fUICbS1SRSwvpsQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXGZwhdQ7hOU5Nki_9rEK1MqAW3ugfsxEz41MrwWmXZMIsfvzku5ggCF5J_B2yfbt3sB4sav7JqbTjlkbRZgMonZ1uor8n_Ls2SvPdfB912B-W5bnBAmCpInE0x4P4A_zfn0AU6nS6tfNDMfZ4ke8GjSIytpH9JouPOndk6QsRiD8fUICbS1SRSwvpsQ" width="160" /></a></b></div><b>PANAMA</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A 40-something man invites his friends and family to a party at a beach house where he announces he is going to take his own life. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Pros: </b>It's just a hunch....but I think this one will play very well with the Academy. A baity plot from a country that just missed out last year. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>Cons: </b>The director's last film ("Everybody Changes') veered heavily into telenovela territory. No buzz, no festival play....(but you could say the same for "Plaza Catedral")</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>MIDDLE OF THE PACK:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>6. COLOMBIA- "Kings of the World" (<i>Los reyes del mundo</i>) (4.1)</b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; line-height: 107%;">7. VENEZUELA- "The Box" (<i>La caja) (3.1)</i></span></b><span lang="ES-BO"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>8. CANADA- "Eternal Spring" (<i>Printemps Éternel</i>) (3.2)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEim-iYc4BgYzkh09R3FQsSWRlNx0IxdW_wApM7pZoWeB51BdGQjFio9rC0TGJ1LrWOptrv1xLDPJk5zw5FZFQHDFU4xykK1jVnVdyDKoAPFQol4PLORchcdVp_9tEz4mzIn1LimHZmMBXDd3xg_wuyEQuxIL6vQWHVgCv-A_K1Bm5pyMOr80Yw5AKtqJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEim-iYc4BgYzkh09R3FQsSWRlNx0IxdW_wApM7pZoWeB51BdGQjFio9rC0TGJ1LrWOptrv1xLDPJk5zw5FZFQHDFU4xykK1jVnVdyDKoAPFQol4PLORchcdVp_9tEz4mzIn1LimHZmMBXDd3xg_wuyEQuxIL6vQWHVgCv-A_K1Bm5pyMOr80Yw5AKtqJA" width="168" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtugu4qKHjW_JUVmk_9aWnk71Ta8DCgBRf9IrLunHVRyZf1XN0tGAiqvWGpN75WuQHutsSIBNZx-kGNLb22Dtq4WTJe_H1WjXG8e1365iSOL0Q6YTvBv82wdsEyHNMn3QBkIB8Ci09sRfyr4_lLjiIgvNp10KHjMxIUAoXEFHv0kaEDT372Ck2D2Kcvw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtugu4qKHjW_JUVmk_9aWnk71Ta8DCgBRf9IrLunHVRyZf1XN0tGAiqvWGpN75WuQHutsSIBNZx-kGNLb22Dtq4WTJe_H1WjXG8e1365iSOL0Q6YTvBv82wdsEyHNMn3QBkIB8Ci09sRfyr4_lLjiIgvNp10KHjMxIUAoXEFHv0kaEDT372Ck2D2Kcvw" width="160" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ8Odl53CC5wOyrACSo19xLbDTjtV-hqiw7ShUnbxxU2QVfJkpdlnJVsvMGxYLuY-CUauh5EWgpGIvwc9IMRvltCBsf0IzxTUGtJmwXyqhQIYzak-79dHXox2cWc4qEIdsBwO7cK1h8qCqsiNKe2-1_ndmpcAJMYpa_jN3RXFpvJNXb0ww-YeQSeN26g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiJ8Odl53CC5wOyrACSo19xLbDTjtV-hqiw7ShUnbxxU2QVfJkpdlnJVsvMGxYLuY-CUauh5EWgpGIvwc9IMRvltCBsf0IzxTUGtJmwXyqhQIYzak-79dHXox2cWc4qEIdsBwO7cK1h8qCqsiNKe2-1_ndmpcAJMYpa_jN3RXFpvJNXb0ww-YeQSeN26g" width="168" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Although it should be representing Mexico instead of Venezuela, "La caja" (The Box) is quite a good film, following a 12-year old from Mexico City who begins following a man he believes to be the father who abandoned the family ten years before. The film doubles as an expose about the exploitation of workers and migrants seeking a better life in Mexico and/or the USA. Lorenzo Vigas directed one of my favorite Venezuelan submissions- "From Afar"- a few years ago and while that film was better, "The Box" would be a deserving shortlister. However, "From Afar" didn't get shortlisted and "Box" isn't doing nearly as well with critics. It starts slow...maybe that's why? While I easily guessed one of the film's two "twists", the other one came as quite a surprise. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">Seeking to follow in the footsteps of "Flee" and "Waltz with Bashir", Canada has selected an animated documentary, this time about the brutal repression of the Falun Gong spiritual cult in China (yes, they deserve the freedom to practice, but it's still very much a cult). This is a confusing one, and I'm honestly not sure how AMPAS will feel about it. Curzon Home Cinema has blocked my VPN so I haven't been able to see it myself. AMPAS hasn't often gone for gang tales but "Kings of the World", from Colombia won the Grand Prize at the San Sebastian Festival so it does have a chance. I think "Kings" is likely to just miss out like "Monos" and "Monga"....but we'll see. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>HIGHLY UNLIKELY:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>9. URUGUAY- "The Employer & the Employee" (<i>El empleado y el patrón</i>) (3.2)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>10. CHILE- "Blanquita" (3.2)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; line-height: 107%;">11. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC-
"Bantú Mama" (3.2)</span></b><s><span lang="ES-BO"><o:p></o:p></span></s></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>12. GUATEMALA- "Silence of the Mole" (<i>El silencio del topo</i>) (3.5)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj51ZVmiF9wMg2q0os3mbRs_PlreZXnU54l4b6sFYd5ZhpoquhR64PCrypXmASrsM8B_39_5rfVIG9nU6gBgb1oJpOBJbons4gQM9B1PMnMtf4kOSJ3oQjKhACr7AIoJyQiWzMSMGtAlm5G8htgnKF2dHxu0Fr2PCMOiJ7bxYk2dkT47ckfNvcHa2IdEQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="185" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj51ZVmiF9wMg2q0os3mbRs_PlreZXnU54l4b6sFYd5ZhpoquhR64PCrypXmASrsM8B_39_5rfVIG9nU6gBgb1oJpOBJbons4gQM9B1PMnMtf4kOSJ3oQjKhACr7AIoJyQiWzMSMGtAlm5G8htgnKF2dHxu0Fr2PCMOiJ7bxYk2dkT47ckfNvcHa2IdEQ=w136-h200" width="136" /></a></div>"Bantu Mama" has the support of Oscar nominee Ava DuVernay and Netflix but it's honestly probably the most forgettable of the 24 submissions I've seen this year. Like Brazil and France, this is a drama set in the country's community of African descent. A French woman (also of African descent) smuggles drugs into the Dominican Republic, escapes the police and finds shelter with a family of three parentless young people in one of the country's most dangerous neighborhoods. It's well-acted and competently made, but won't contend for the shortlist. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBbOk26a-wtR9BXncknh3t9vjgHsNigmh6-R6y9Y9dkfy6W_0hMiBFi2Xx3fGkdt7qF8YUKsjp8xCCS328ZbfjsedOUuYl7n_OYPcqCm0OysvVRK2HObiWDq4e0V5pJYi6Gl6yoowf2BQRYgSXNgBrfgXaxl1_q4UrNwYS8Z_zZaBGlMh_15LMMMnsPg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBbOk26a-wtR9BXncknh3t9vjgHsNigmh6-R6y9Y9dkfy6W_0hMiBFi2Xx3fGkdt7qF8YUKsjp8xCCS328ZbfjsedOUuYl7n_OYPcqCm0OysvVRK2HObiWDq4e0V5pJYi6Gl6yoowf2BQRYgSXNgBrfgXaxl1_q4UrNwYS8Z_zZaBGlMh_15LMMMnsPg=w158-h200" width="158" /></a></div>From South America's two most developed countries, we have yet another film about sexual abuse in the Catholic church (Chile) and another about the tensions between upper-class and working-class (Uruguay). I think the Uruguayan film looks great (the Chilean one less so....) but neither film has good-enough reviews to compete for the top tier. <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGQd1ZNFoW_wgcMYtO8f38_GandkSYYqgog3cj56SEW1cHtR5QNeEyB9ZpXD-Jeot5TmTXAM3YCAJdnxnJ0Cg_J02ZAw_zTpwzh6mN1x3xCZqy9B4LPYNd5au26MkgX0Dlq3gVp4qPTtMon-jcU-Nf2ygU_yLPhc45ELWMDo4nuoxz8_Ab1DFblAmtkg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjGQd1ZNFoW_wgcMYtO8f38_GandkSYYqgog3cj56SEW1cHtR5QNeEyB9ZpXD-Jeot5TmTXAM3YCAJdnxnJ0Cg_J02ZAw_zTpwzh6mN1x3xCZqy9B4LPYNd5au26MkgX0Dlq3gVp4qPTtMon-jcU-Nf2ygU_yLPhc45ELWMDo4nuoxz8_Ab1DFblAmtkg" width="168" /></a></div>Guatemala's powerful but low-key documentary "Silence of the Mole" has the best reviews in this group....but despite the recent success of "Honeyland", "Collective" etc. documentaries still have an uphill battle in this category. I think "Mole", an acclaimed film about exposing the atrocities of Guatemala's military dictatorship in the 1980s, will get lost amidst its 90+ competitors. <div><br /></div><div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>NO CHANCE:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>13. COSTA RICA- "Domingo and the Mist" (<i>Domingo y la niebla</i>) (Letterboxd: 3.2)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b>14. PERU- "Moon Heart" (<i>El corazón de la luna</i>) (3.3)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">15. PARAGUAY-
"Eami" (3.2)</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">16. ECUADOR-
"Lo invisible" (3.2)</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><br /></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5mvUiPotBLX2-v5XpXGdidYHcPnRx-N9AmWWYqrcII8SK8LxF3eyB3TAF9oLWmno4CIhMtH1o1r8OvhW1DbVdNyKQC5NONBRZvqoWEGtERC9cyVZ_7mOYyEbbn7AG4ncgequEL1McsAUurOG8lGDkSsnwe5ysUireNAjQNdbEeO6-lSRyj4cch4oHg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjz5mvUiPotBLX2-v5XpXGdidYHcPnRx-N9AmWWYqrcII8SK8LxF3eyB3TAF9oLWmno4CIhMtH1o1r8OvhW1DbVdNyKQC5NONBRZvqoWEGtERC9cyVZ_7mOYyEbbn7AG4ncgequEL1McsAUurOG8lGDkSsnwe5ysUireNAjQNdbEeO6-lSRyj4cch4oHg=w200-h200" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwfJMxN4ZVdBdBmx1tGAq82ATwMlSmf4zDEGldir0OCkqoPl6HjiuXGfVg23zkRkWV_m3XiTBLcRW9BYq83uy4fLk5sNnlb5YQP-GAiszDDu48E4Fc_wn4FbPXVdgAH-UPRb8ke72SwD3v6zQT7wo4CF62g_jJ8rLUiKRXirR6bOFIE_qCSJb-jLFszQ" style="font-size: 13.5pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="500" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwfJMxN4ZVdBdBmx1tGAq82ATwMlSmf4zDEGldir0OCkqoPl6HjiuXGfVg23zkRkWV_m3XiTBLcRW9BYq83uy4fLk5sNnlb5YQP-GAiszDDu48E4Fc_wn4FbPXVdgAH-UPRb8ke72SwD3v6zQT7wo4CF62g_jJ8rLUiKRXirR6bOFIE_qCSJb-jLFszQ=w320-h133" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />These four odd films may have their fans but they won't have any chance at making the nomination stage. I've seen two of them.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">"Eami", from Paraguay, is clearly a labor of love, focusing on the culture and the sad plight of the Ayoreo, an indigenous group numbering only 5000-6000 people. The film discusses their mythology and their persecution at the hands of Paraguayan settlers and ranchers. The problem is that the film makes no linear sense. It's 80 minutes of mythological poetry, strange imagery, long-shots of nature and odd camera angles. It may have won Rotterdam, but it's a non-starter here. "Lo Invisible", a drama about a woman with severe post-partum depression, is Javier Andrade's second shot at Oscar. I preferred the first- "Porcelain Horse"- which was a fairly engaging soap opera with queer sensibilities. "Lo invisible" takes its time revealing the history of Luisa, a wealthy. It's so slow that the audience (or maybe just me) loses interest....and even by the confusing end of the film, you don't know that much more than when you started. A great lead performance, but a disappointing film.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0cc6F6T8l418CBJy-4aHAZnItOHjJZXZ3sgTd24owIcDuEXvNKOfnAq1mKZ1BPVCbJ72ep0GBxTAejZVMnu9nsXrtS2mQ7jCjZ--dNVK2IPTQkjF4_KZ-bBIN0NDz2-1FefOMSHLUyVJqwy5sow3j6HEEtIJqgopZmBg-twLem2u7Y61QZJmsdaXXoA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="166" data-original-width="303" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj0cc6F6T8l418CBJy-4aHAZnItOHjJZXZ3sgTd24owIcDuEXvNKOfnAq1mKZ1BPVCbJ72ep0GBxTAejZVMnu9nsXrtS2mQ7jCjZ--dNVK2IPTQkjF4_KZ-bBIN0NDz2-1FefOMSHLUyVJqwy5sow3j6HEEtIJqgopZmBg-twLem2u7Y61QZJmsdaXXoA" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br />I don’t know too much about Costa Rica's environmental ghost story "Domingo and the Mist" but reviews have generally been positive but unenthusiastic and Escalante’s previous film required patience that Oscar voters may not have. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzYk_V1B1rFgDqky1NaaRnqb1NCUl0yFl12j4nfiF57WZ4aaSVUpTJWT2-Nm7IqjtJ59203z7hAA7Ex65yWUAY3ab1I0asj_1v49wufNs4ctEpHPzx7ljRZP6Eo2APSAJYGh0FLq2x4FUbI2am-5uE-gZ1cl86WLu8-pBY4uFuqSiXh27OJXZX4BMLPA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="580" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzYk_V1B1rFgDqky1NaaRnqb1NCUl0yFl12j4nfiF57WZ4aaSVUpTJWT2-Nm7IqjtJ59203z7hAA7Ex65yWUAY3ab1I0asj_1v49wufNs4ctEpHPzx7ljRZP6Eo2APSAJYGh0FLq2x4FUbI2am-5uE-gZ1cl86WLu8-pBY4uFuqSiXh27OJXZX4BMLPA" width="320" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br />Possibly the oddest film in this year's competition, "Moon Heart" from Peru is about a sci-fi/fantasy film about an elderly homeless woman and a "mechanical robot angel". There's very little information about it online, but what there is sounds daringly original, very weird and not entirely successful. I'm excited to see it, but it's definitely not going to be competitive here. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Who’s Missing?: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With <b>Puerto Rico</b> no longer invited, the only
major country missing this year is <b>Cuba</b>. Also out: <b>Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua
</b>and <b>Suriname</b>, though none of them appeared to have any eligible contenders. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Genres: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canada, Guatemala and (sort of) Paraguay sent
documentaries; Canada’s is also an animated film. In all honesty, I don’t think
Paraguay’s film should count as a Documentary, but it’s on the Oscar longlist
so I guess the filmmakers think it is one. Peru’s film is a weird sci-fi/fantasy;
the other twelve are straight dramas. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’ve Already Seen: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, and Venezuela. I
plan to see the front runners from Argentina (Amazon) and Mexico (Netflix) before
the end of the year. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Number I Predicted Correctly: 8 out of 16; </span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama and Paraguay. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was pretty shocked by the choices made by Peru
and Venezuela. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Film I’m Most Excited To
See: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Definitely Panama’s “Birthday
Boy” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Big Three Festivals:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cannes- </span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Costa
Rica, Uruguay<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Berlin-
</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">None<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">·</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 7pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Venice- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Argentina (FIPRESCI Award), Chile (Best Screenplay), Mexico, Venezuela
(UNICEF Award)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> But it’s important to note that many other films won awards at other
prominent festivals, such as Sundance (Bolivia), Rotterdam (Paraguay) and San
Sebastian (Colombia).</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Women
Directors- <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0LGxqcmreIBBKRxCX6mCEB6MfYOGIwMhrSiOuFJLZkmzNLnlLh1zGepPGwvCcrZikZu4wE0wCw-7uRyQ6qbUwBTWO4fvKNswBqZsr174dTMnL0QFktxOsyvZKuWiaH75CLsvDwsyNcWPMm7KGDDu-FJ3nP6A2hhWMXdtt1oRkRCvPe0PqTxNaArc0fg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="206" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi0LGxqcmreIBBKRxCX6mCEB6MfYOGIwMhrSiOuFJLZkmzNLnlLh1zGepPGwvCcrZikZu4wE0wCw-7uRyQ6qbUwBTWO4fvKNswBqZsr174dTMnL0QFktxOsyvZKuWiaH75CLsvDwsyNcWPMm7KGDDu-FJ3nP6A2hhWMXdtt1oRkRCvPe0PqTxNaArc0fg=w168-h200" width="168" /></a></div></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtNYmYjv4LC2TW_P4imIH28tQiTCBU_9w0lCNyThBcMkF1gsyqfpabHr0WWfQNgotq7wJo4au6B3iO4AWxn93oiM5EUpsnLXp8q7Z6lWaKUr30vpX5Mo1yMTiCa7rEUlaF5vQJxAGszRafgPEqOoCprTL5iMtozD2Fq1Q5grGT8FCUvznFMVy0oSvGUA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtNYmYjv4LC2TW_P4imIH28tQiTCBU_9w0lCNyThBcMkF1gsyqfpabHr0WWfQNgotq7wJo4au6B3iO4AWxn93oiM5EUpsnLXp8q7Z6lWaKUr30vpX5Mo1yMTiCa7rEUlaF5vQJxAGszRafgPEqOoCprTL5iMtozD2Fq1Q5grGT8FCUvznFMVy0oSvGUA=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span>Three out of 16- Paz Encina (Paraguay), Laura
Mora (Colombia) and Anaïs Taracena (Guatemala), the first woman to represent
her country.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oldest and Youngest Directors- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Alejandro González Iñárritu (Mexico) is 59 while
Gabriel Martins (Brazil) is 34. <br /><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Languages Represented- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unsurprisingly, 13 out of 16 films are wholly or mostly
in Spanish (including Bolivia, which is roughly 50% in Spanish and 50% in Quechua).
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The others are in
Portuguese (Brazil), Mandarin Chinese (Canada) and Ayoreo (Paraguay), an endangered
indigenous language <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How Many Have a Chance
at the Shortlist?- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe
six?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most Likely to Get
Nominated/Shortlisted for the First Time- </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bolivia 🇧🇴<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Buzziest Films: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Argentina 1985” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Letterboxd Ratings (as
of 19 December 2022): Best: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brazil (4.3), <b>Worst: </b>Panama (2.6)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Controversies and
Changes: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The producers of “The
Employer and the Employee” sort of defied the rules. They entered their film for
consideration last year but it was not selected; so they changed the film’s
release date and entered it again this year. But that doesn’t violate any rules. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oscar
History: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obviously
the big name is Alejandro González Iñárritu (Mexico), who has won five Oscars,
including Best Director twice for the English-language “Birdman” and “The
Revenant”. He also has five additional nominations, including two in the
Foreign Film category for “Amores Perros” and “Biutiful”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Four other directors
have been here before: Ecuador’s Javier Andrade (2013; “Mejor no hablar de
ciertas cosas”), Costa Rica’s Ariel Escalante (2017; “The Sound of Things”), Panama’s
Arturo Montenegro (2019, “Everybody Changes”), and Venezuela’s Lorenzo Vigas (2016;
“From Afar”)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of the sixteen
countries, four have won in this category (Argentina, Canada, Chile and Mexico),
three more have been nominated (Brazil, Colombia, Peru) and three have been shortlisted
(Guatemala, Panama and Venezuela). Six are waiting for their first mention
(Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Paraguay, and- sort of- Uruguay)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIh652xAQUvB6iqw0-DRncYQWcXhqMXFs8ihiYsIjfg07sQ-7BvxF85tiqTZY_yn5rHuhGjUcm7x6My-UhI1x1TSxODhEukMJGoLetrgV0u0UxYPlboGZDdkq3k13Yb5eM4ByuHSujou8cR-kyNmJYaMqkrhXXzz2NGkSDKEBWz34mLVGvt5duoeA8LQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiIh652xAQUvB6iqw0-DRncYQWcXhqMXFs8ihiYsIjfg07sQ-7BvxF85tiqTZY_yn5rHuhGjUcm7x6My-UhI1x1TSxODhEukMJGoLetrgV0u0UxYPlboGZDdkq3k13Yb5eM4ByuHSujou8cR-kyNmJYaMqkrhXXzz2NGkSDKEBWz34mLVGvt5duoeA8LQ=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />Most Notable
Omissions: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not a whole lot….I
expected “Official Competition” to be hot competition for “Argentina 1985” but
it was not considered by the Argentinian committee, probably because it was “too
Spanish”. The saddest omission for me was Venezuelan thriller “Jezabel” which was
defeated by “The Box”, which was really a Mexican film. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not selected: “Falcon
Lake” (Canada), “1976” and “My Imaginary Country” (Chile), “Amparo” (Colombia),
“Parsley” (Dominican Republic), “Nudo Mixteco” (Mexico), “Husera” (Peru), and “Me
and the Beasts” (Venezuela)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most Famous Faces: </span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ricardo Darín (Argentina, 1985) and Nahuel Pérez
Biscayart (Employer and the Employee)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last Year’s Race:</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The best film from the region last
year was definitely Canada’s “Drunken Birds” (A-). I was sad that it didn’t
make the shortlist. Also good: Brazil and Panama (B+). I also saw the films
from Ecuador (B), Dominican Republic, Haiti, Paraguay and Venezuela (B-), Argentina
and Chile (C+), Mexico (C) and Bolivia (C-). I didn’t see “Memoria” (Colombia),
“Clara Sola” (Costa Rica), “Manco Capac” (Peru) or “Broken Glass Theory” (Uruguay).
<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-74562390045101338582022-12-18T17:24:00.445-05:002022-12-19T13:09:45.966-05:00OSCARS 2023: The Submissions from Western Europe (18 1/2 films)<p>And here are the heavy-hitters from Western Europe....</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Number of Countries That Have Entered the Race: </b>20</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number of Countries Participating this year: </b>19....but tiny Malta was disqualified for having too much English dialogue</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>(more statistics below)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>EXPECTED ON THE SHORTLIST: </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-wSmTj1whs6zbji0Y5tbti2wFJ3kcwurJe0lJqAlzgWXKxk3GwtLk0SGGNTlGueP5NaWjJcl4zd75K-2BEZbxPBVwjEu5VYHQ_-p0wxCN1cBxOgXjrv9fZsuJJBZWxOayiQwRasx0ZiDwD8gQzbcWSXrTuCYLOw9b37f698uDWOIPry3RZUZBbF2J1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-wSmTj1whs6zbji0Y5tbti2wFJ3kcwurJe0lJqAlzgWXKxk3GwtLk0SGGNTlGueP5NaWjJcl4zd75K-2BEZbxPBVwjEu5VYHQ_-p0wxCN1cBxOgXjrv9fZsuJJBZWxOayiQwRasx0ZiDwD8gQzbcWSXrTuCYLOw9b37f698uDWOIPry3RZUZBbF2J1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPMhgypLPgeNNria70puIHi5lrD3Be_CyzKP00c60jpOw8Ybrj2rTB7z7ENEEE3fb_YGxXKBP7UZ2XVXGMRMrBUEqZCyrTqyVzPO7WB2qgfTb2rS_ZdceO_NthuPdh5CoqiLC3qyFLSB2yRye7Zlq3NDeyDhRR2cmwbsFQ-x8Z01QvqYvvR-cL1A7y4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="490" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhPMhgypLPgeNNria70puIHi5lrD3Be_CyzKP00c60jpOw8Ybrj2rTB7z7ENEEE3fb_YGxXKBP7UZ2XVXGMRMrBUEqZCyrTqyVzPO7WB2qgfTb2rS_ZdceO_NthuPdh5CoqiLC3qyFLSB2yRye7Zlq3NDeyDhRR2cmwbsFQ-x8Z01QvqYvvR-cL1A7y4A=w143-h200" width="143" /></a> <b><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-wSmTj1whs6zbji0Y5tbti2wFJ3kcwurJe0lJqAlzgWXKxk3GwtLk0SGGNTlGueP5NaWjJcl4zd75K-2BEZbxPBVwjEu5VYHQ_-p0wxCN1cBxOgXjrv9fZsuJJBZWxOayiQwRasx0ZiDwD8gQzbcWSXrTuCYLOw9b37f698uDWOIPry3RZUZBbF2J1g=w200-h133" width="200" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkvwvwFAW88TEpw6bEXA5NxtQuNEUj4S2fyBdHif-fHB6ln1cH_-WdNWERPPYHhrR63-eyqL-AXCPtODgy7WoSknPDelH2pZeZ0adiWdyLwNKjw62CwT6hPbYamWILcHR2zroJMQYuodJW4JOLJA7rP9sZQ4fQ1Ld_hUfm6XSpFDfO7_ePfnb3U6X39Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkvwvwFAW88TEpw6bEXA5NxtQuNEUj4S2fyBdHif-fHB6ln1cH_-WdNWERPPYHhrR63-eyqL-AXCPtODgy7WoSknPDelH2pZeZ0adiWdyLwNKjw62CwT6hPbYamWILcHR2zroJMQYuodJW4JOLJA7rP9sZQ4fQ1Ld_hUfm6XSpFDfO7_ePfnb3U6X39Q=w200-h113" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTioErhGS2sGMfF2ikLG12MAhnq04wymFA-uENUB1yYwA2_Ec7e_cz9OUO4Mle8WfgthWp0YjTTZDsILjuJF3dJA2lBBO1yR2yq_1v1T2-_DGFkfYBLuRcKHBfUEOeJoxpzKrAPYAc3yvXLf3FZ43kYj6m3wFawUnlOus1cffa1Zju-GcySQMT1Qacxw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTioErhGS2sGMfF2ikLG12MAhnq04wymFA-uENUB1yYwA2_Ec7e_cz9OUO4Mle8WfgthWp0YjTTZDsILjuJF3dJA2lBBO1yR2yq_1v1T2-_DGFkfYBLuRcKHBfUEOeJoxpzKrAPYAc3yvXLf3FZ43kYj6m3wFawUnlOus1cffa1Zju-GcySQMT1Qacxw=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></b></div><br /></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>1. GERMANY- “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Letterboxd: 4.0)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>2. BELGIUM- “Close” (4.0)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>3. NORWAY- “War Sailor” (3.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>4. AUSTRIA- “Corsage” (3.5)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">I expect to see all four of these films on the shortlist. </p><p class="MsoNormal">People are already talking about Germany's "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Close" as two of the front-runners to win the Oscar. With Belgium's festival awards (Cannes Grand Prix), Germany's Netflix backing and dark horse Best Picture Oscar buzz, plus Oscar-friendly subjects and general critical acclaim, these two films should make the 15-film shortlist easily. Both got Golden Globe nominations-- the only two European films to do so. Most importantly under the new rules, a lot of voters are likely to see these two films and put them somewhere on their "Top 15" list. </p><p class="MsoNormal">While Oscar's love for war films has waned in recent years, "All Quiet's" anti-war message and "reboot" of the Academy Award-winning American original set during World War I make it the frontrunner from this group. However, it's the other wartime film that I think will be the surprise on the shortlist on Wednesday. Norway- which has been shortlisted 4 of the past 10 years- has sent "War Sailor", the most expensive Norwegian film ever made. Reviews for this WWII epic have been very good, but more importantly, they seem to be exactly what this committee likes- a combination of war movie, serious and heartfelt family drama and high-quality production values to appeal to members from the tech branches. I think "War Sailor" is in, unless the new rules mean not enough people will see it. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Speaking of high production values, gaudy costume drama "Corsage", about the 19th century Austrian Empress Sissi, is also a very likely contender, especially since lead actress Vicky Krieps is (just barely) in the conversation for Best Actress. Krieps won't be nominated but perhaps that will help the film get seen? I hate biopics but from the previews, this is one that I'm really excited to see. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>VERY POSSIBLE: </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>5. FRANCE- “Saint Omer” (3.6)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>6. DENMARK- “Holy Spider” (3.5)</b></p><p class="MsoListParagraph"><b><span style="background: yellow; line-height: 107%;">7. IRELAND- “The Quiet
Girl” (4.1)</span></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>8. ICELAND- “Beautiful Beings” (3.9)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Let's take a close look at these four serious contenders:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVFpn13c-PU3rHw2F_EqP2m5R7NYizuDqpcEyIB2l9jDuukw72keGeZ1feTL86MePmkyFiaXJNvBuwjg-xGwlBbuOHSA6bENPyQ7A9VLjbokyN1hJSNjGyuNUKv6BO08omOrRJOo4lFn3ikmyFzZYF9Pav_WBRrOf4193HKls_h-CTJuIhfoCnL3OxYA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiVFpn13c-PU3rHw2F_EqP2m5R7NYizuDqpcEyIB2l9jDuukw72keGeZ1feTL86MePmkyFiaXJNvBuwjg-xGwlBbuOHSA6bENPyQ7A9VLjbokyN1hJSNjGyuNUKv6BO08omOrRJOo4lFn3ikmyFzZYF9Pav_WBRrOf4193HKls_h-CTJuIhfoCnL3OxYA=w200-h200" width="200" /></a></b></div><b>DENMARK: "Holy Spider"</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>Filmed entirely in Persian, this is the true story of an Iranian serial killer who murdered prostitutes and supposedly "immoral women" in a fit of religious zeal. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>Denmark knows how to play the game. With an outstanding <b>nine </b>shortlist mentions in the past twelve years (7 were nominated; 2 of them won), Denmark understands what the Academy likes and this film was selected over the popular local hit "Forever". Women's rights in Iran is a topical subject this year; the film has gotten strong critical notices. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>This is a violent, explicit thriller...not the sort of film Oscar usually goes for. It's ratings on critics' sites are weaker than most of its competition, showing that the film is divisive. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWZunyib204nbiBX72__mawDvtY4z5fiI7QL_dOgkOdlRzUtdFPsXtAG34jT6UZDuSaV5LDsMbT1uMI0S5W59gzgcWdwvMtqwxP-BCnhTLCX-1_QEypm65ShiDfZniQp0lyILQgcOxCExyYlLYMSoywL4lLzkVyLef8jGVaJTawhV4XaDkwsB-CJuDyA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWZunyib204nbiBX72__mawDvtY4z5fiI7QL_dOgkOdlRzUtdFPsXtAG34jT6UZDuSaV5LDsMbT1uMI0S5W59gzgcWdwvMtqwxP-BCnhTLCX-1_QEypm65ShiDfZniQp0lyILQgcOxCExyYlLYMSoywL4lLzkVyLef8jGVaJTawhV4XaDkwsB-CJuDyA=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></b></div><b>FRANCE: "Saint Omer"</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A courtroom drama about a mother on trial for killing her baby, set amidst France's community of African descent, loosely based on the Greek myth of Medea. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>This is said to be the "intellectual" choice of the year. Critical reviews are excellent and courtroom dramas like "12" and "Lucia de B." have found their way to the shortlist in the past. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>The "intellectual" choice doesn't necessarily translate into votes....</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoACsj3Wlz0ZOHb65gAG_CKtr9cZM2sawMi7USN7gBvVeaS0Xc2r3i9W3UICce_x9AmgQwSRAAnrgY1R9LAeOYF9X9xZkSMFinjJSceWGmPsXPv2Dsm8K6IlopQy8vmiRG7Z-FUGSBvmlngr9pf0F6JTzTxbz6aC_tWmeC8lu8I1oLUAHbp58fwbf2lA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="299" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjoACsj3Wlz0ZOHb65gAG_CKtr9cZM2sawMi7USN7gBvVeaS0Xc2r3i9W3UICce_x9AmgQwSRAAnrgY1R9LAeOYF9X9xZkSMFinjJSceWGmPsXPv2Dsm8K6IlopQy8vmiRG7Z-FUGSBvmlngr9pf0F6JTzTxbz6aC_tWmeC8lu8I1oLUAHbp58fwbf2lA=w200-h113" width="200" /></a></b></div><b>ICELAND: "Beautiful Beings"</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A downbeat coming-of-age tale circa 2000, involving Icelandic gangs, bullying and a possibly psychic family. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>I really feel this film could surprise in the same way that "Better Days" (Hong Kong) did a few years ago. Nordic cinema is hot right now (Iceland was shortlisted last year), the film's reviews are excellent, and Oscar has sometimes favored youth dramas if they're dark and gritty. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>Nobody is talking about it. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-gJmorUX_OZc4pFRSEyCv-oXtH4Ej-1ot5gOdXmvDbv82wzkqRZ2VEHfxZUckhbO2WeFqP26ALVmoO-ds_4a7cVfnza6h09Ni_XXvvotJ6r9x5vOzZHM1y4geDGTNjV0kJM9u6w4UkAooWcqNBuiStVpeOqNnjknZQxqWfEw-zRu_sdEc7KmdiWpqtg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="152" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg-gJmorUX_OZc4pFRSEyCv-oXtH4Ej-1ot5gOdXmvDbv82wzkqRZ2VEHfxZUckhbO2WeFqP26ALVmoO-ds_4a7cVfnza6h09Ni_XXvvotJ6r9x5vOzZHM1y4geDGTNjV0kJM9u6w4UkAooWcqNBuiStVpeOqNnjknZQxqWfEw-zRu_sdEc7KmdiWpqtg=w171-h152" width="171" /></a></b></div><b>IRELAND: "The Quiet Girl"</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A girl from a large, dysfunctional family in rural Ireland is sent to live with relatives for the summer who care for her in a way her natural family does not. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>The film has positive buzz and is frequently mentioned as a strong contender. It's a very sweet film with strong acting performances and would have been a shoo-in for a nomination in the 1980s.....</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>But tastes have changed and I think this sweet, old-fashioned but ultimately small and predictable story will miss the cut this year. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>DARK HORSES: </b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdBY4JGd-fNat2QxXOjePsMGEqpcnUN8yVGfd284TZ9UY2FsZqEjLaPUdZLNDx0dfGfdTQMHjlmib-RkFm4Vm5AEjKUtWkIj15UYOtPhlyRHRI6xa-NOWyF0DK5vGGV7g74KZ3K-NTFGkqMlWpqilqeJC6CDflxYJxgko8Ur7FzVg3xbvvYFRE0XjpXg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="112" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhdBY4JGd-fNat2QxXOjePsMGEqpcnUN8yVGfd284TZ9UY2FsZqEjLaPUdZLNDx0dfGfdTQMHjlmib-RkFm4Vm5AEjKUtWkIj15UYOtPhlyRHRI6xa-NOWyF0DK5vGGV7g74KZ3K-NTFGkqMlWpqilqeJC6CDflxYJxgko8Ur7FzVg3xbvvYFRE0XjpXg=w200-h112" width="200" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJnxUgxUtmQGWfogdCe77phjGNq4-GO_J45gOcA159CZx2rxCJRGLxchC9UOMa3FIc1i8LIyZViqIEB5jOwWcF97WWfzIBZ1OugVZlQBoovRoFS1juQmNPxIupZLry1yv9T__D08hSzU6KypzjxeYvD6HDuTFM0K-Hg0EYAwzRKn00NA8hV6jlIaLcuQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="146" data-original-width="345" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJnxUgxUtmQGWfogdCe77phjGNq4-GO_J45gOcA159CZx2rxCJRGLxchC9UOMa3FIc1i8LIyZViqIEB5jOwWcF97WWfzIBZ1OugVZlQBoovRoFS1juQmNPxIupZLry1yv9T__D08hSzU6KypzjxeYvD6HDuTFM0K-Hg0EYAwzRKn00NA8hV6jlIaLcuQ" width="320" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><b>9. SWEDEN- “Cairo Conspiracy” (aka "Boy From Heaven") (3.6)</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>10. UK- “Winners” (3.4)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>11. NETHERLANDS- “Narcosis” (3.6)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>12. SPAIN- “Alcarras” (3.8)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">From the Islamic world, we have "Boy From Heaven" (set in Egypt but representing Sweden) and "Winners" (made in Iran but representing the United Kingdom), two strong contenders that I think will fall just short of the Top 15....but one could surprise. "Boy From Heaven" is a political thriller about the politicking going on behind the scenes to appoint a powerful Islamic official (roughly equivalent to selecting a new Pope). I haven't seen it and I'm not sure if the Islamic politics will be understood by U.S. audiences, but I do think the film will do well. "Winners" has been compared to the works of Iranian Oscar nominees Majid Majidi and Asghar Farhadi and also "Cinema Paradiso", which are great connections to have! This small but sweet story about Iranian children seeking to find the owner of a lost statue will also do well, but is likely to get lost in the shuffle. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfsPSJcItLXw4JOo6a285_JuwjeFbVlzLG8A8DA_X7o_xK_OvBRcUcrBq_TEwKtO8nGI1upBHbOPjyHbOfRuMuyK_Q6u3YebbUJJyS1z0hh_cgA3hzisnF_GDso2L-7XYkUpdi1Pjl8WF7wUuc-qa4zCUErDRkTSUHqIpf4lKTHo75MHU4GyTU8CCz2Q" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfsPSJcItLXw4JOo6a285_JuwjeFbVlzLG8A8DA_X7o_xK_OvBRcUcrBq_TEwKtO8nGI1upBHbOPjyHbOfRuMuyK_Q6u3YebbUJJyS1z0hh_cgA3hzisnF_GDso2L-7XYkUpdi1Pjl8WF7wUuc-qa4zCUErDRkTSUHqIpf4lKTHo75MHU4GyTU8CCz2Q" width="320" /></a></div>Also probably too "small" is "Narcosis", a film about a family's grief over the loss of their son, hailing from the Netherlands. The Hollywood Reporter says directly that the film is "too quiet to rise to the fore" in the Oscar race. In common with Iceland and Portugal, the film has an interesting psychic/supernatural angle that could make the film stand out. However, it was also one of the only films on FestivalScope that didn't give permission for screeners, which I take as a bad sign. <br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht22Zi9FeC8L2aZvOVX5LeXDmnAfNih1nx5fsNbCy6uqLXf-K4TT9CATur5N0V1tb81iS-Kn8pthD7nQbdK6I2S1N1bi4Q-w9IVeNya5fazSrwe5i68uJLzOjvKoHWYF5AOOgI8tgf72CdMJaRwag29lAzM78zQeXpWjhh_ykooh8Y9kCjilVfGp3vlQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEht22Zi9FeC8L2aZvOVX5LeXDmnAfNih1nx5fsNbCy6uqLXf-K4TT9CATur5N0V1tb81iS-Kn8pthD7nQbdK6I2S1N1bi4Q-w9IVeNya5fazSrwe5i68uJLzOjvKoHWYF5AOOgI8tgf72CdMJaRwag29lAzM78zQeXpWjhh_ykooh8Y9kCjilVfGp3vlQ" width="320" /></a></div>Yes, I know that many people are predicting "Alcarras", the Spanish submission about a large family of peach farmers facing eviction. I haven't seen "Alcarras" but having seen Carla Simon's previous Oscar submission, "Summer 1993", I just don't think her style will play well with Oscar and the films 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes seems to back that up. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see "Alcarras" as a strong contender, especially since the similarly themed Tunisian candidate looks better. <br /><b>UNLIKELY:</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">13. ITALY- “Nostalgia”
(Letterboxd: 3.3)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">14. FINLAND- “Girl Picture” (3.7)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">15. PORTUGAL- “Alma Viva” (3.4)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">16. SWITZERLAND- “Piece
of Sky” (3.3)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOvvFemZdjrHXHUs3948EA27o1yTGTVnwyASzv5SF2lHQ14viuyK0jPQ8Co6B4XEhhuIKh9E5Pfg5OUeYsqinF5S3UnQ-Tj39GwOF7QqajAXPY5tvkgfnTUCccQ1h1HjRqhMBUalskbj-5Ao0uE-VbfJjbN0b3brpRLZNkTxRLZXGSCxsLD1YCWJTzyQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="343" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOvvFemZdjrHXHUs3948EA27o1yTGTVnwyASzv5SF2lHQ14viuyK0jPQ8Co6B4XEhhuIKh9E5Pfg5OUeYsqinF5S3UnQ-Tj39GwOF7QqajAXPY5tvkgfnTUCccQ1h1HjRqhMBUalskbj-5Ao0uE-VbfJjbN0b3brpRLZNkTxRLZXGSCxsLD1YCWJTzyQ" width="320" /></a></div><br />Finally! Portugal picked a good film! "Alma Viva" is probably the best submission I've ever seen from the country, which (in)famously holds the record for sending the most films without ever been nominated (or even shortlisted). "Alma Viva" is a lovely little film about a young girl sent to live with relatives for the summer (just like Ireland). Her grandmother is known as the village "witch", helping departed souls and conducting rituals for the community, which makes her worshiped, feared and hated by certain villagers. After her grandmother dies, the little girl may or may not be possessed by the grandmother's spirit....It's a really special film of "magical realism", but way too small to compete with the big contenders here. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrJNE4k_nJFX2SO6wGJSBjiBLwE_OA9Dt1p6xpYVXyNLwCrICk1Wj-F-LsPNTzPkzXldOrRNKkTjOQ_6ldnLFHl96pzeOKQOHCFihFTqZ0w839GWVKaPhgC9i_72pssyBsTOyHsXqZ56ylXtiAyL-zFYJotf-AQBK8vKL5G8tTeUCLp8ErZV4M9iBa5w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjrJNE4k_nJFX2SO6wGJSBjiBLwE_OA9Dt1p6xpYVXyNLwCrICk1Wj-F-LsPNTzPkzXldOrRNKkTjOQ_6ldnLFHl96pzeOKQOHCFihFTqZ0w839GWVKaPhgC9i_72pssyBsTOyHsXqZ56ylXtiAyL-zFYJotf-AQBK8vKL5G8tTeUCLp8ErZV4M9iBa5w" width="167" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPXTkeJaVj05D4_VLdIt7MZcheaXui74zovubQBXwz1iqwbnPBB3zBL42ZkWmthnP9gY50HEeD-ildzT3fHx03YxPFUH8PfEVD-zZxqE6MIFECouSp1rwoYSi8vwcJuupO1qAWXnaxlt_aq2JEER5DWVDE-CGeWptCg5LAjvtaWt5kXTqaRlhVl6wFqA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjPXTkeJaVj05D4_VLdIt7MZcheaXui74zovubQBXwz1iqwbnPBB3zBL42ZkWmthnP9gY50HEeD-ildzT3fHx03YxPFUH8PfEVD-zZxqE6MIFECouSp1rwoYSi8vwcJuupO1qAWXnaxlt_aq2JEER5DWVDE-CGeWptCg5LAjvtaWt5kXTqaRlhVl6wFqA" width="170" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjApya_GQUCh9LGvqixghSAKYj4cxfecYwpxiNMit8XZZnWQm1mQqoXi9Ey14ZhIq-qEP8_CLgHtVXFydNMGpgKIPveNlTw5vIXEgxsrBRSCHZ_oY85-LQhris8V8jSjUEGCSiGkA_gZtahIOw49vGhRj8mBD4tDbJcWaRwppZJWIT6gSHZhDCAf2MY2g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="325" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjApya_GQUCh9LGvqixghSAKYj4cxfecYwpxiNMit8XZZnWQm1mQqoXi9Ey14ZhIq-qEP8_CLgHtVXFydNMGpgKIPveNlTw5vIXEgxsrBRSCHZ_oY85-LQhris8V8jSjUEGCSiGkA_gZtahIOw49vGhRj8mBD4tDbJcWaRwppZJWIT6gSHZhDCAf2MY2g" width="162" /></a><br /><br /></div><br />Based on their reviews, Italy and Switzerland aren't quite good enough to compete for the shortlist this year. "Nostalgia" is about an Italian man (and Muslim convert) who returns to his impoverished Neapolitan neighborhood after decades away from home. Narrated by an odd chorus of singers, Switzerland's "Piece of Sky" is about a young couple whose relationship comes under strain when the man is diagnosed with a brain tumor. <div><br /></div><div>Finland's "Girl Picture" has gotten stronger notices for its story about three teenaged Finnish girls dealing with first love, sex and relationships during a bitterly cold winter in Helsinki. It won the Audience Award at Sundance so American audiences can clearly relate to the stories of Mimmi, a confident young lesbian with family issues, Rönkkö, who is depressed that she doesn't enjoy sex and intimacy as much as her friends say she should, and Emma, a talented ice skater exploring her sexuality. It's very well-done but it's clearly a youth-oriented film and I don't think it will resonate with Oscar voters the way "Beautiful Beings" will. </div><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>NO CHANCE:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><s><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">17. MALTA-
“Carmen” (3.2)</span></s></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">18. LUXEMBOURG-
“Icare” (3.4)</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="background: yellow; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">19. GREECE- “Magnetic Fields” (3.7)</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img alt="" data-original-height="318" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhF7Wt9UoPVlUvwc28dRxEUlGtWkiJCpeJGxYUuRZYQqPIZ17B7aclq39Lrb4HnuhBKL5ONk0d2Q_YJ0h8A5l8h3PDoe9E-gOpu14ivNL1qE-W1E6j8gvkWc8sowrM9G3B8O0ecaWaPAhov3t6SCp66OaycL8ErN031NfLAB6x0BFhw1SDa9r6-E70sfw" width="166" /> <img alt="" data-original-height="140" data-original-width="100" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgamoWoAT2G-SUJEjq19d4DRlPKPwtaO8mJdBNWrphDzvGpJFg2WVXo01zE1X6P2LpWHgxWwGj_p1xkcp8gw0sHs_A1Ys8qrNo8NW3WMeDlU3fplvVBZ9clI-O51DvOhg2QtLAfrOCM1bp8QswX4KcXHP4UDXTIOMpGoSSGsVN3PZX2sZHSZ_L5Q07XHA" width="171" /></p><br />While it’s true that harmless comedy “Magnetic Fields” has been a critical darling in Greece and has a nice message about friendship, it’s way out of its league here. I’m not sure if the Greek humor doesn’t translate into English or if they just have low standards, but this is a very forgettable indie about a man and woman who inexplicably end up on a road trip with an urn of the man’s late aunt’s ashes. It’s not a bad movie but it wastes its potential early on and the woman- an aging dancer- gets on your nerves. <p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Malta sent quirky comedy “Carmen”, supposedly based on a true story, about a shy woman in her 40s who suddenly must start a new life when she loses her job and her home when her controlling older brother- the parish priest- dies suddenly. The first half is mostly in Maltese and seems to be channeling "Amelie"....the second half switches mostly to English and goes in a more melodramatic direction. It's a cute indie film but wouldn't have scored here. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTFlqlCgIVFTSNg_pezlEzwNweMXl7-dEp2ROo4ED-2z-Xk0iuuVfBPs-pohUV0WSh_ZlmHnJp7RrtlsRe0WdLb8tDd5tMNb-8uOn_87uBGIRuWFjeUKKInj4vFvsNhwz4NA-ebpD0DpEHa0nykwRGsaHf2luip9QOsAtxhomMFDLTepIylDBlbztvUA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhTFlqlCgIVFTSNg_pezlEzwNweMXl7-dEp2ROo4ED-2z-Xk0iuuVfBPs-pohUV0WSh_ZlmHnJp7RrtlsRe0WdLb8tDd5tMNb-8uOn_87uBGIRuWFjeUKKInj4vFvsNhwz4NA-ebpD0DpEHa0nykwRGsaHf2luip9QOsAtxhomMFDLTepIylDBlbztvUA" width="320" /></a></div>As for Luxembourg, they've send the beautifully animated "Icare" (Icarus), a spare 76-minute reworking of the Minotaur myth from Greek mythology. I assumed they sent it to get the film into the Animated Feature race, but it's not on that list.....In any case, it's well-made but this is not the sort of film that gets honored here. Luxembourg is here to get their film seen by an international audience. <p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Who’s Missing?: </b>Only Greenland (pop: 57,000) failed
to send a film, although they probably didn’t have anything eligible and they
haven’t sent a film since 2012. I heard in 2019 that the territory no longer
had an active Oscar selection committee. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Genres: </b>As usual, Western Europe is heavy on the
“drama”, although Denmark has sent a thriller, Greece a comedy (sort of) and
Luxembourg an animated film. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>I’ve Already Seen: </b>Greece, Luxembourg, Malta and Portugal. I
also have access to the films from Finland (Amazon), Germany (Netflix) and Ireland (Amazon UK). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number I Predicted Correctly: Eight. </b>Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, and the UK. I also predicted “Holy Spider” (incorrectly) would represent Sweden, since director Ali Abbasi’s previous film “Border” did. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Film I’m Most Excited To See: </b>Probably Belgium’s
“Close”? </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Big Three Festivals: <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Cannes- </b>Austria (Best Actress, UCR),
Belgium (Grand Prix; 2<sup>nd</sup> Place), Denmark (Best Actress), Italy,
Portugal, Sweden (Best Screenplay)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Berlin- </b>Finland, Iceland, Ireland (two prizes,
Youth Section), Spain (Golden Bear Grand Prize), Switzerland (Special Mention,
Main Competition) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Venice- </b>France (Grand Jury Prize; 2<sup>nd</sup>
Place) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Women Directors- <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b>Six
out of 19. <span lang="ES-BO" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-BO;">Cristèle Alves
Meira (Portugal), Valerie Buhagiar (Malta), Alice Diop (France), Alli Haapasalo
(Finland), Marie Kreutzer (Austria) and Carla Simón (Spain). </span>Malta was
disqualified.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwfeutDiRLn-VrSGmA5lbbx8n2n7Brv8QCG2WLn6ELaoKutmQRgb6MhaY6uyez8_iEB32LiDqKvPYFJqwtUP50tYbG6qoo3r4P2ttB3-KIKv6GE8tlehySuLZuv0zUHDkKN68xwnxIEt1TQR5MasOl_-YaIGANrQfsX0kjeKU2jf2sqhWVRFPRlY-8xA" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwfeutDiRLn-VrSGmA5lbbx8n2n7Brv8QCG2WLn6ELaoKutmQRgb6MhaY6uyez8_iEB32LiDqKvPYFJqwtUP50tYbG6qoo3r4P2ttB3-KIKv6GE8tlehySuLZuv0zUHDkKN68xwnxIEt1TQR5MasOl_-YaIGANrQfsX0kjeKU2jf2sqhWVRFPRlY-8xA" width="180" /></a></div><b>Oldest and Youngest Directors- </b>Mario Martone (Italy)
is 63. Lukas Dhont (Belgium) is 31. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Languages Represented- 15 </b>We have three films
dominantly in French (Belgium, France, Luxembourg), three in German (Austria,
Germany and the Swiss German “Piece of Sky”) and two (!) in Persian (Denmark
and the UK). The others are in Arabic (Sweden), Catalan, Dutch, Finnish, Greek,
Icelandic, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Maltese, Norwegian and Portuguese. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </b>It’s a very
strong group! Probably 12 out of 19. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Likely to Get Nominated for the First Time- </b>Ireland<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Buzziest Films: </b>Hard to say….Perhaps “Corsage” or
“Close”? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Letterboxd Ratings (as of 19 December 2022): <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Best: </b>Ireland (4.1), <b>Worst</b>:<b> </b>It
was Malta (3.2) but since they were disqualified, it’s a tie between Italy and
Switzerland (3.3)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Controversies and Changes: </b><o:p></o:p>None to speak of. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Oscar History: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b>Four
directors are back for a second time- Ali Abbasi (“Border”, Sweden), Lukas
Dhont (“Girl”, Belgium), Hassan Nazer (“Utopia”, Afghanistan) and Carla Simón
(“Summer 1993”, Spain). Abbasi is now representing Denmark, while Nazer is representing the UK. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Of the eighteen eligible countries, nine have won the Oscar,
six more have been nominated, one shortlisted (Ireland), and only two (Luxembourg and
Portugal) completely unlucky. That’s unlikely to change this year. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnc1OuVLobgubrYoXDqRgWTapv2YWxEQhRydnRKdvDli4rcCIva6veVaE696qZLIlrkYQ5bptBnz1_8Nic8Ogm8mkNwP9E3_N_ZpbzBOz--97CVmOxkd1gUEYI9sxo_qHKo7r3qICvyjBfT5D-w6q-kw2Z1LHzUdleVxaz9gNHBq7IjRlMTxKuH6uuxQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnc1OuVLobgubrYoXDqRgWTapv2YWxEQhRydnRKdvDli4rcCIva6veVaE696qZLIlrkYQ5bptBnz1_8Nic8Ogm8mkNwP9E3_N_ZpbzBOz--97CVmOxkd1gUEYI9sxo_qHKo7r3qICvyjBfT5D-w6q-kw2Z1LHzUdleVxaz9gNHBq7IjRlMTxKuH6uuxQ" width="170" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6h3RMBdtC1Fhu7gcGoUSqGXJ5c-3WQPCzqIYGTC6c-zKKV5laQSACO_M5sJiK-0YxqF2SVzNPf4s6PoQmEgHb4OV9u7ce_nXf1E4zt3Mkr1mUSExKlTZkiG6pSSpmrZdXkNqE8nBPSxEZshv7i3r36rKQaani3y9rgOUd0fqJekbaqGtyVRhE7td20w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6h3RMBdtC1Fhu7gcGoUSqGXJ5c-3WQPCzqIYGTC6c-zKKV5laQSACO_M5sJiK-0YxqF2SVzNPf4s6PoQmEgHb4OV9u7ce_nXf1E4zt3Mkr1mUSExKlTZkiG6pSSpmrZdXkNqE8nBPSxEZshv7i3r36rKQaani3y9rgOUd0fqJekbaqGtyVRhE7td20w" width="168" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9wpz8o6UTxOzLc5KCI8C_bGeUXZfYTPZdcmpOyXbzAKHCfqHYkiY6-KzHW7IUR7x35cx0tyUVG9ZD2dYPXye-h45CVFrNuEBWHNoy-qFHBYQUH5cStTiVDB5_YdlKnm3_q6f5Cd4UO8y4ZTaiHcBSXbNl0YDSylI1n-GXCF-soVUGZAHln0UN1SpxiA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="220" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9wpz8o6UTxOzLc5KCI8C_bGeUXZfYTPZdcmpOyXbzAKHCfqHYkiY6-KzHW7IUR7x35cx0tyUVG9ZD2dYPXye-h45CVFrNuEBWHNoy-qFHBYQUH5cStTiVDB5_YdlKnm3_q6f5Cd4UO8y4ZTaiHcBSXbNl0YDSylI1n-GXCF-soVUGZAHln0UN1SpxiA" width="177" /></a></b></div><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6h3RMBdtC1Fhu7gcGoUSqGXJ5c-3WQPCzqIYGTC6c-zKKV5laQSACO_M5sJiK-0YxqF2SVzNPf4s6PoQmEgHb4OV9u7ce_nXf1E4zt3Mkr1mUSExKlTZkiG6pSSpmrZdXkNqE8nBPSxEZshv7i3r36rKQaani3y9rgOUd0fqJekbaqGtyVRhE7td20w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><br /></a></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Notable Omissions: </b>With only one film allowed per country, the Western European countries are forced to sacrifice some of their best films. This year, the three main omissions are probably Cannes Jury Prize winner “Eight Mountains” (which was shortlisted by Italy and probably could have also represented Belgium), “Cinco lobitos” (“Lullaby”, Spain) and “One Fine Morning” (France), all of which earned some early Oscar buzz. “Lullaby” especially would have been a better choice than what Spain ultimately chose. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Films like “Forever” (Denmark), “À plein temps” (France), Berlin Best Actress winner “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George Bush” (Germany), “Lord of the Ants” (Italy), “Sea of Time” (Netherlands), Sick Of Myself” (Norway) and “The Beasts” (Spain) show that these films did have some support but were overshadowed by higher-profile films. </p><p class="MsoNormal">Also absent: “L’immensita” (Penelope Cruz; Italy), “The Feast” (UK), “Tori and Lokita” (Dardenne brothers; Belgium) and “Dodo” (Greece). </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Famous Faces: </b>Vicky Krieps (“Corsage”) and Daniel Brühl (“All Quiet on the Western Front”)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Last Year’s Race:</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>My personal favorite was “Worst Person in the World” from Norway (A),
though Austria (A), Malta (A-), Spain (A-), Denmark (A-), Finland (A-) and Germany
(B+) were also wonderful, wonderful films. The rest of the group: Italy (B+),
Luxembourg (B+), Belgium (B+), Netherlands (B), Iceland (B), France (B), Ireland
(B-), Greece (B-) and Portugal (D). I didn’t see the films from Sweden,
Switzerland or the UK. <br /><o:p></o:p></p></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-1058542370414442712022-12-14T16:39:00.001-05:002022-12-18T17:20:40.846-05:00OSCARS 2023: The Submissions from the Middle East and Africa (16 films)<p>And here are the 16 films from the Middle East and Africa.</p><p>I've been travelling a lot the last few weeks and haven't been able to see as many of the screeners as I had hoped. I've seen the four films marked in yellow (Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Uganda) and plan to see Jordan’s “Farha” on Netflix later this week. </p><p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number of Eligible Countries: </b>15
from the Middle East/Arab World and 20 from sub-Saharan Africa, including
debutante <b>UGANDA. <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number of Countries Participating this year: </b>16<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(More statistics below)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>FRONTRUNNERS:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: lime; background: lime; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: lime;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqimrSXi_e-_2OiW1x4QqiDK-6Bn5IBNXkIRtUkHbKz1oTrxwuphhylfXNSRfCXomyvn02AlguBBAKDytI3QMLDjYyp0VQGPEvOwW7x-4wmGa-mOLdBwszkzFinR0SyksYJ8retTZpGk-T_dQCN0ioS_2efi9tvPkf2pgOB6EulrrO1j12pRW_W5e3dQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="518" data-original-width="920" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqimrSXi_e-_2OiW1x4QqiDK-6Bn5IBNXkIRtUkHbKz1oTrxwuphhylfXNSRfCXomyvn02AlguBBAKDytI3QMLDjYyp0VQGPEvOwW7x-4wmGa-mOLdBwszkzFinR0SyksYJ8retTZpGk-T_dQCN0ioS_2efi9tvPkf2pgOB6EulrrO1j12pRW_W5e3dQ=w320-h181" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5jg9WLFYonIynwVU5xwOkqyQ2GK6zyqKbRX0Kr0JcBNHmG006qwkqSZq55Pkl267YOg5Xa1H8bTT88L_VAQVSU6BvAWPjTxZbAKXtal-Nm8J5MUzzmuKPWlg6HGE9MnW_OIZXlgJeNWI6nQ7Ml5_Y_KU64VzEcjLZx9QxoqkYBZyzHMq8rcVZII8uoQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi5jg9WLFYonIynwVU5xwOkqyQ2GK6zyqKbRX0Kr0JcBNHmG006qwkqSZq55Pkl267YOg5Xa1H8bTT88L_VAQVSU6BvAWPjTxZbAKXtal-Nm8J5MUzzmuKPWlg6HGE9MnW_OIZXlgJeNWI6nQ7Ml5_Y_KU64VzEcjLZx9QxoqkYBZyzHMq8rcVZII8uoQ=w320-h179" width="320" /></a><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></b></div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /><br /></b><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></b></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">1.
JORDAN</span></b><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">- “Farha” (Letterboxd: 3.4)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. IRAN</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “World War III” (Letterboxd: 3.5)</span></p></div><div><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #f6f6f5; background: rgb(246, 246, 245); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Iran has been shortlisted three times
in the past six years, and they’ll be looking to make it four with the
acclaimed Venice drama “World War III”, about a poor laborer who ends up as an
extra in an Iranian film about Hitler and the Second World War. One user
comment says “the film is so absurd, complex and simple at the same time. It's
very hard to describe</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.” Sounds awesome. Reviews say the film is rather brilliant in the first half before losing its
way a bit in the second. It’s one of the films I most want to see….but will it be
too odd to make the finals?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: 0.25in; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background-color: #f6f6f5; background: rgb(246, 246, 245); font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Farha” has a simpler story, following
a young girl who witnesses the atrocities of the 1948 Nakba from a hiding place
in her house. With the film on Netflix and the committee previously showing
interest in films about the Palestinian cause (“Paradise Now”,
“Omar”), “Farha” could definitely compete for a spot on the list. I’ve been
trying to sit down to see it the past few days but need to get this blog
published before Sunday!</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>DARK HORSES:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">3. MOROCCO</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “The Blue Caftan” (Letterboxd:
3.8)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow;"><b>4. ISRAEL</b></span></span><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Cinema Sabaya” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.7)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow;"><b>5. IRAQ</b></span></span><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; text-indent: -0.25in;">- “The Exam” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.4)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let’s take a look at these three dark horses:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaP70mgDcnFnBqrS8jt_60wFjHBa1o4ofRpQcsE-cqdgqKmJXTTToCz7fkJUABqkD5c62KESjvABWgb4BZ2Y1LAebnhnM-zXiJRoNWRG-zuABfdDnZb1FALr1YIzhDBAiGCVx9UCkPm0_MACzXhseWUn_jf_6NkQXsDE_rP-ErJbcku8mCpVSu_4iy3g" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhaP70mgDcnFnBqrS8jt_60wFjHBa1o4ofRpQcsE-cqdgqKmJXTTToCz7fkJUABqkD5c62KESjvABWgb4BZ2Y1LAebnhnM-zXiJRoNWRG-zuABfdDnZb1FALr1YIzhDBAiGCVx9UCkPm0_MACzXhseWUn_jf_6NkQXsDE_rP-ErJbcku8mCpVSu_4iy3g" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>IRAQ- “The Exam”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In A Nutshell: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A Kurdish
woman in an unhappy marriage tries to help her younger sister avoid the same
fate by cheating on an exam. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pros:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s a
compelling- and occasionally thrilling- little story. These moral dilemma
dramas- where good people do very bad things- are among my favorites. Acting
and directing are top-notch, and you really aren’t sure which way the ending
will go. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cons:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s such a
quiet, little film…I think it would have done better under the old system where
you give the film a numerical rating rather than the new system where you have
the pick the film as one of your Top 15. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMQb5epIGY6c6tyTkfDbVJ_51HeSLl03OoFI3sAUozKrERr8CO5XlwulWl7Ar3s4N9Oj0-gP5M2lo57ZQBgzpKXMDUH-SulBF1ecnVO45GzCrRwA8A5wNW_cXYaSFA5koG6Jnz9sEES2p-D1IVtsLSri_Ic0VSyy5VjbermiyJDAxbTJ3M89AREHTUmg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="588" data-original-width="1045" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMQb5epIGY6c6tyTkfDbVJ_51HeSLl03OoFI3sAUozKrERr8CO5XlwulWl7Ar3s4N9Oj0-gP5M2lo57ZQBgzpKXMDUH-SulBF1ecnVO45GzCrRwA8A5wNW_cXYaSFA5koG6Jnz9sEES2p-D1IVtsLSri_Ic0VSyy5VjbermiyJDAxbTJ3M89AREHTUmg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>ISRAEL- “Cinema Sabaya”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In A Nutshell: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Four
Arab Israeli and four Jewish Israeli women ranging in age from 25 to 75 get to
know each other during a municipal workshop on filmmaking. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pros: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s a
charming film with a documentary feel, and it has quite a lot of interesting things to say about Jewish-Arab
relations in 2022 Israel. The nine main characters feel distinct (only the
youngest, Nahed, could have used a little more work). The standout- Joanna
Said- won a well-deserved Ophir for her film debut. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cons:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The committee
rarely (if ever) chooses such wholly female-dominated films. Possibly too
“small” to compete? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP7LNFLE1Gon2KkUoVzMw2nkb9h6p-IiHq6RxxpQ5RV6kfzSYDupbbNZWk7KJhKK9utltq4RKwJxM4eDyGRYS_UfPu9zVLWaG5xKwx-aDMypsfXRFcH51bUY0ftyyOb9jyT4LgIqEdw50nu5gQFbJYLDx4orV7AidvMf1CuuPqzEZVyzEX1kZC4rR4nA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="298" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjP7LNFLE1Gon2KkUoVzMw2nkb9h6p-IiHq6RxxpQ5RV6kfzSYDupbbNZWk7KJhKK9utltq4RKwJxM4eDyGRYS_UfPu9zVLWaG5xKwx-aDMypsfXRFcH51bUY0ftyyOb9jyT4LgIqEdw50nu5gQFbJYLDx4orV7AidvMf1CuuPqzEZVyzEX1kZC4rR4nA" width="320" /></a></b></div><b>MOROCCO- “The Blue Caftan”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In A Nutshell: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
closeted married man falls for his new apprentice in conservative Morocco.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pros:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Critics
reviews have been very strong.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Cons:<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Some
complain the film is too slow-paced, though that’s not necessarily a problem for
Oscar. Its main problem is competition from “Joyland”, another popular LGBT
story from the Islamic world. Due to the new voting procedures asking voters to
name their “Top 15”, I fear voters may decide either “Joyland” or “Caftan” but not both. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-BO;">MIDDLE
OF THE PACK:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="ES-BO" style="mso-ansi-language: ES-BO;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnjx92ZUMl2y_Lze20ylPvthgDNLVWLV3KcqR76eJBeeWs4oaMUKtVkabVP3PKmaQ1atro3KmaoN_hyb5f2YUUc6fY-n4HHagrzQBcYmghF9rSJAbwpW0DL207BGjrYpCqyOKIBRo3J0GFtfuKopD7gVn_LK13hA9DyxcFyaaUPDO5pEEnkqlI-REdGg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="174" data-original-width="290" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnjx92ZUMl2y_Lze20ylPvthgDNLVWLV3KcqR76eJBeeWs4oaMUKtVkabVP3PKmaQ1atro3KmaoN_hyb5f2YUUc6fY-n4HHagrzQBcYmghF9rSJAbwpW0DL207BGjrYpCqyOKIBRo3J0GFtfuKopD7gVn_LK13hA9DyxcFyaaUPDO5pEEnkqlI-REdGg" width="320" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUqYkKV-2QBU89pGgjnq4pp9pLj4lK7bhHOuBEJVtMDEZMkSlLM7D814P5O0jTcpeQHkV4rbi9aY-njlXiry3205jwnVqDzqVntQAA9ml5pgfM0zdBin0Bq-TNatzXORJ51Ww3clo_-5vQV7Ob7JRqieax2A9lxnFcsrgCFlnyXQ5YoCNB_DwIL2xLBg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="839" data-original-width="1433" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUqYkKV-2QBU89pGgjnq4pp9pLj4lK7bhHOuBEJVtMDEZMkSlLM7D814P5O0jTcpeQHkV4rbi9aY-njlXiry3205jwnVqDzqVntQAA9ml5pgfM0zdBin0Bq-TNatzXORJ51Ww3clo_-5vQV7Ob7JRqieax2A9lxnFcsrgCFlnyXQ5YoCNB_DwIL2xLBg" width="320" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUqYkKV-2QBU89pGgjnq4pp9pLj4lK7bhHOuBEJVtMDEZMkSlLM7D814P5O0jTcpeQHkV4rbi9aY-njlXiry3205jwnVqDzqVntQAA9ml5pgfM0zdBin0Bq-TNatzXORJ51Ww3clo_-5vQV7Ob7JRqieax2A9lxnFcsrgCFlnyXQ5YoCNB_DwIL2xLBg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgUqYkKV-2QBU89pGgjnq4pp9pLj4lK7bhHOuBEJVtMDEZMkSlLM7D814P5O0jTcpeQHkV4rbi9aY-njlXiry3205jwnVqDzqVntQAA9ml5pgfM0zdBin0Bq-TNatzXORJ51Ww3clo_-5vQV7Ob7JRqieax2A9lxnFcsrgCFlnyXQ5YoCNB_DwIL2xLBg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb6hxb4kNkqqsMZpPOuxLDAE9TfMxJQRUTpyfui2xKjMJdsZidRXqH3HNw1iR2YSFq6F61LlxyGIjA52yZdVKLsIGDgrYXFwQvbTxzz6Nsmt-GZ4XIjdEiIGf-64hfkB5Kaj7hYpr8UKpREywbE4aurWNHycmuSzSHNFjgqDt_7GJasYz2IaKspoYJFA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="681" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb6hxb4kNkqqsMZpPOuxLDAE9TfMxJQRUTpyfui2xKjMJdsZidRXqH3HNw1iR2YSFq6F61LlxyGIjA52yZdVKLsIGDgrYXFwQvbTxzz6Nsmt-GZ4XIjdEiIGf-64hfkB5Kaj7hYpr8UKpREywbE4aurWNHycmuSzSHNFjgqDt_7GJasYz2IaKspoYJFA" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOU2HjWvPQnB3MjGRorxN7CYMCJJUkGQH1GX8VdAZSdGgbe1lh2SmKzKuDoDTVdcZamOaOLXBIOon-XTOrSguEYR8oHm5N3ZmASy-6KFz3SOu7qO1v9L7hA4Bfq8ze4yjfW8UtyNAiPEqVVy3ujCj2Fsd4AnBGxRB08IpTZ7zoi2tQztDnxA2SOe8PNQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="601" data-original-width="900" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOU2HjWvPQnB3MjGRorxN7CYMCJJUkGQH1GX8VdAZSdGgbe1lh2SmKzKuDoDTVdcZamOaOLXBIOon-XTOrSguEYR8oHm5N3ZmASy-6KFz3SOu7qO1v9L7hA4Bfq8ze4yjfW8UtyNAiPEqVVy3ujCj2Fsd4AnBGxRB08IpTZ7zoi2tQztDnxA2SOe8PNQ" width="320" /></a></div><br /></b></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO">6. ALGERIA</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">-
“Nos frangins” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.3) It would be foolish to count out Rachid Bouchareb, who has been nominated in this category three times...The Academy loves him (he's a good director, but I wouldn't have nominated any of these films)....However, "Nos frangins" (Our Brothers"), a drama based on the story of a young French-Algerian man killed by police during student protests in France hasn't gotten much attention since its Cannes debut. Having said that, police brutality/violence is a hot topic in the USA, and we may be underestimating it. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO"><b>7. PALESTINE</b></span></span><span lang="ES-BO" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">-
“Mediterranean Fever” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.4) Winner of Best Screenplay in Cannes, this dark buddy comedy about friendship and depression is another film that will likely do well, but doesn’t have the buzz or passionate support to vault it to the top of the list. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-ansi-language: ES-BO; mso-highlight: yellow;">8. LEBANON</span></b><span lang="ES-BO" style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; text-indent: -0.25in;">- Memory Box” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.4) Like "Beanpole" a few years ago, this is one of the best films that I just couldn't get into...and I think that Oscar voters may have the same problem. This is a deeply personal story about a Lebanese woman in Canada who receives a box of diaries, letters and photos on Christmas day. The woman sent them to her best friend in France as a teenager in the 1980s, to document her life during the Lebanese civil war… They bring back a series of happy, sad and deeply personal memories. Her mother wants to hide the box; her daughter wants to read them to learn about her mysterious mother's youth. The most interesting thing about the film is that the letters and tapes are based on real ones sent by director Joanna Hadjthomas in her own youth. This is not always an easy film to watch and it will resonate most with those who know something about the Lebanese civil war (probably not Oscar voters), where Lebanon’s young middle and upper-class partied while the city was being bombed. However, the Oscar-worthy editing could resonate if by chance there are a lot of film editors on the selection committee. This film will do well, though probably not good enough to make the Final 15.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span lang="ES-BO"><b>9. SENEGAL</b></span></span><span lang="ES-BO" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">-
“Xalé” </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.4) Variety says "Xalé" blends "melodrama and storytelling" and the film is sub-Saharan Africa's best shot at the shortlist this year. A teenage girl watches on as a doomed</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> marriage tears her family apart. There is precedent for this kind of poetic African film surprising (“Night of the Kings”) but I think the film was miss out. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>OUT OF LUCK</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOp-zfeClpWh8uy3WrDdHrvQ28u9Bpo5PwEXjORp5Dmh46A2x0DYg9kFYBAMClFywv9wI-pH0tzlZKGpba9EtcBIpRgYTpLTA-pgo6r26Sem2QobgGeAE1m0S02NDYLaBZJSzXpkH9ZU2JHVfBcNGKohqtnxjfasWesh8QTEo8iykc80F54OKlozBk3w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="344" data-original-width="536" height="128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgOp-zfeClpWh8uy3WrDdHrvQ28u9Bpo5PwEXjORp5Dmh46A2x0DYg9kFYBAMClFywv9wI-pH0tzlZKGpba9EtcBIpRgYTpLTA-pgo6r26Sem2QobgGeAE1m0S02NDYLaBZJSzXpkH9ZU2JHVfBcNGKohqtnxjfasWesh8QTEo8iykc80F54OKlozBk3w=w200-h128" width="200" /></a> <img alt="" border="0" class="placeholder" height="150" id="1521133e9c96c" src="https://www.blogger.com/img/transparent.gif" style="background-color: #d8d8d8; background-image: url("https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/i/materialiconsextended/insert_photo/v6/grey600-24dp/1x/baseline_insert_photo_grey600_24dp.png"); background-position: 50% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; opacity: 0.6;" width="200" /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA5QMXpbQy6UDPz2eKt-txxnodXdCtpwlHFw7bmcec5U3wKt776GVNUeaACLXDOUGDiaUW5JVRXtS038a1HP91w56D2zHNulgNKWYe4vhkyNWOif-OiLBQpCevEKtOhYjvZ4-ZhslBLABGw9jgjKEg0_-rHJntbVfaqdH9xScT0JZrhUKDkkORQJHPAg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1413" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA5QMXpbQy6UDPz2eKt-txxnodXdCtpwlHFw7bmcec5U3wKt776GVNUeaACLXDOUGDiaUW5JVRXtS038a1HP91w56D2zHNulgNKWYe4vhkyNWOif-OiLBQpCevEKtOhYjvZ4-ZhslBLABGw9jgjKEg0_-rHJntbVfaqdH9xScT0JZrhUKDkkORQJHPAg=w142-h200" width="142" /></a><br /><br /></div><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxQG9X6-K30e--Kcj2fvkFPyEaOhbDSsz3TajV5kt5X8lEyv6YsSIa7MGc2apsE212SUNff1poWAz45uZ2J5x06GCnupHn0sULAGrUtBPF6yIFq35f1qpV-8LDV6gbMWZkJ2a929HALpUVPFwzewcuFtAmo4iJyIFZNyCTNcbq-Ho7I4WUEbe2czUKSA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="282" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxQG9X6-K30e--Kcj2fvkFPyEaOhbDSsz3TajV5kt5X8lEyv6YsSIa7MGc2apsE212SUNff1poWAz45uZ2J5x06GCnupHn0sULAGrUtBPF6yIFq35f1qpV-8LDV6gbMWZkJ2a929HALpUVPFwzewcuFtAmo4iJyIFZNyCTNcbq-Ho7I4WUEbe2czUKSA=w200-h126" width="200" /></a></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV3pKKJtr8DEspFU7rQxF0eziNpHxvYKooET4WVZgOlJLBXhzddNLC3Z58vZefDftEdUD8fK00vn_wYgw5He0vo91j17n3QjPcmxeqTYbvrgXl_n4-n2dYmFfyepwgcYGGDuSEn7Qm4zd4jOIBzsqKIqcdMdmBjlavhSALNQ6rSdQOQsjj-o3rgCxRTw" style="font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjV3pKKJtr8DEspFU7rQxF0eziNpHxvYKooET4WVZgOlJLBXhzddNLC3Z58vZefDftEdUD8fK00vn_wYgw5He0vo91j17n3QjPcmxeqTYbvrgXl_n4-n2dYmFfyepwgcYGGDuSEn7Qm4zd4jOIBzsqKIqcdMdmBjlavhSALNQ6rSdQOQsjj-o3rgCxRTw=w200-h113" width="200" /></a> <br /><b><br /></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10. TUNISIA</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Under the Fig Trees” (Letterboxd:
3.4)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">11. TANZANIA</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Tug of War” (Letterboxd: 3.5)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">12. UGANDA- </span></b><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;">"Tembele"</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13. TURKEY</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Kerr” (Letterboxd: 3.0)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">14. SAUDI ARABIA</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Raven Song” (Letterboxd:
3.5)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">East Africa is well-represented by Uganda (for the first time) and Tanzania (for the second). Low-budget thriller "Tembele" is a worthy first choice for Uganda and one of the more pleasant surprises of my film year. Visually, the film is impressive- it shows Uganda in its all its beauty and urban ugliness- despite its minuscule budget. You can almost smell the trash as the lead character searches for goods to sell. Acting is better than expected (especially the wife) and the plot of a lost child is heartbreaking. Ultimately though, this $20,000 film won’t be able to compete with the big boys though it will put Uganda on the map. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Tanzania’s “Tug of War” has played at a number of prominent festivals and has a slightly better chance for its socialist-tinged romance between a Zanzibari revolutionary and an Indian-Tanzanian girl fleeing an arranged marriage. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">From the Arab world, come two low-key films. "Under the Fig Trees" is a drama about a day in the life of a group of (mostly female) agricultural workers in Tunisia's fig orchards. "Raven Song" is a a low-key romantic comedy from Saudi Arabia about a man on a quixotic quest to woo a young woman through song. “Fig Trees” is probably too small (and will suffer comparisons with the similar Spanish submission) while “Raven Song” is one of the most obscure films on the list. Due to premiere in 2023, it was one of the final films announced. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Last is Turkey’s “Kerr”, a psychological thriller about a witness to a murder who becomes trapped in a small town. It looks really good but reviews haven’t been as strong as the other films on the list. </span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>NO CHANCE</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA5QMXpbQy6UDPz2eKt-txxnodXdCtpwlHFw7bmcec5U3wKt776GVNUeaACLXDOUGDiaUW5JVRXtS038a1HP91w56D2zHNulgNKWYe4vhkyNWOif-OiLBQpCevEKtOhYjvZ4-ZhslBLABGw9jgjKEg0_-rHJntbVfaqdH9xScT0JZrhUKDkkORQJHPAg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg59vlydNAac_jrUtnkHkXxxduFjMHOH3zae3SZ-YWIQ6iH3h_DmAh5YpOIO5xmYyT-RvUOSqGCzk1GbMjF8HDYM9vuzYG-JVYbEXQDV-G544atjkY3PAponfjRmg0b2y-I17PFekb80bAyzxDpvjT3zkW4US0fYU4uwFhFeDO8CJKqAHq13BygneUK4w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg59vlydNAac_jrUtnkHkXxxduFjMHOH3zae3SZ-YWIQ6iH3h_DmAh5YpOIO5xmYyT-RvUOSqGCzk1GbMjF8HDYM9vuzYG-JVYbEXQDV-G544atjkY3PAponfjRmg0b2y-I17PFekb80bAyzxDpvjT3zkW4US0fYU4uwFhFeDO8CJKqAHq13BygneUK4w" width="180" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheyclybDwdmWa7t7l0hToIfmdyIvg8NyZmc6TMFm8E_ASNKO-7YFs5sy7oLEroydSPNtiHBJpmoZ6FmyneX8R0cCV6pWTi6UAjVuX8AT0y1vUTxddv3KqRLaO4upXfU91L9eVLDSmSTp_xpMMTb2cVZuCikwbEdmk13gI7GnUM4yG0uA3jwTmZSvJ_yw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEheyclybDwdmWa7t7l0hToIfmdyIvg8NyZmc6TMFm8E_ASNKO-7YFs5sy7oLEroydSPNtiHBJpmoZ6FmyneX8R0cCV6pWTi6UAjVuX8AT0y1vUTxddv3KqRLaO4upXfU91L9eVLDSmSTp_xpMMTb2cVZuCikwbEdmk13gI7GnUM4yG0uA3jwTmZSvJ_yw" width="168" /></a></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">15. CAMEROON</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">- “Planter’s Plantation”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b>16. KENYA</b>- “TeraStorm”</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It’s wonderful to have films from sub-Saharan Africa here
and I look forward to seeing these unusual entries (well….Cameroon anyway). However, they won’t be
competitive. Cameroon has
selected a strange little musical drama called “Planter’s Plantation”, about a
woman trying to safeguard the land she inherited from her father. Kenya has
made a more unusual choice, selecting a computer-generated animation about
African superheroes. The animation looks quite cool, but this is not the sort
of film that is honored here. I imagine the Kenyan Academy wanted to highlight
the young director as a source of talent. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Now the Statistics: <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Who’s Missing?: </b>Most of the African countries have
only sent films once or twice….But there are two major absences from Africa,
namely <b>NIGERIA </b>and <b>SOUTH AFRICA. </b>Nigeria’s committee received
three submissions (including one, “Elesin Oba” that got a Toronto Film Festival
premiere), but their committee stubbornly refused to send a film. After
Nigerian filmmakers complained to AMPAS, the Academy made a rare exception,
asking them to reconsider and giving them a one-week extension. But the
selection committee head- Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi- took umbrage and stubbornly told
the committee to vote on “whether to uphold the original decision” instead of asking
them to revote for one of the three submitted films. South Africa, which has
submitted films every year since 2008 and usually sends serious contender, mysteriously
launched a call for submissions and then failed to send anything. Zambia also
promised to send a film for the first time this year, but they didn’t. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From the Middle East, the only major absence is <b>EGYPT, </b>which
shortlisted five films and then stupidly voted (like Nigeria) to send none of
them. While none of the five Egyptian films likely would have been nominated,
they all could have used the publicity generated by the Oscar submission. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Genres: </b>A few countries have sent genre films- we have an anime from Kenya, some sort of a musical from Cameroon, and comedy-dramas from Palestine and Saudi Arabia. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>I’ve Already Seen: </b>Only Iraq, Israel, Lebanon and Uganda. But
I still have to watch Jordan on Netflix. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number I Predicted Correctly: </b>Technically only 5- Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine and Tanzania- but I think I get credit for 7, as my predictions for Egypt and Nigeria did in fact get the largest numbers of votes from their grouchy selection committees, which ended up sending no films. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Film I’m Most Excited To See: </b>“The Blue Caftan” from
Morocco</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Big Three Festivals: <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Cannes- </b>Algeria, Morocco (FIPRESCI Award,
UCR), Palestine (Best Screenplay, UCR), Tunisia<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Berlin- </b>Lebanon<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Venice- </b>Iran (Best Film, Venice Horizons)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Women Directors- <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b>Six!
(including 5 of the 8 Arab directors!) Joana Hadjithomas (Lebanon), Maha Haj
(Palestine), Orit Fouks Rotem (Israel), Darin J. Sallam (Jordan), Erige Sehiri
(Tunisia) and Maryam Touzani (Morocco)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Oldest and Youngest Directors- </b>Rachid Bouchareb (Algeria)
is 69 while Dingha Young Eystein (Cameroon) is 30. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Languages Represented- </b>Almost half (6) of the 16
films are in Arabic, while two are in Swahili. The other eight are in Farsi,
French (Algeria), Hebrew, Kurdish, Luganda, Turkish, Wolof and, thanks to the
2020 rule change, Pidgin English (Cameroon). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </b>A lot of
dark horses in this group….Maybe 6 or 7?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Likely to Get Shortlisted for the First Time- </b>Iraq<b>
</b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Buzziest Films: </b>It’s a quiet group but probably
Morocco’s “Blue Caftan”. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Letterboxd Ratings (as of 6 December 2022): <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Best: </b>Morocco (3.8), <b>Worst</b>: Turkey
(3.0) (but Cameroon, Kenya and Uganda aren’t included)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Controversies and Changes: </b>The biggest controversy
(addressed earlier) was Chineze Anyaene-Abonyi’s hot-headed refusal to send a Nigerian
film to the Oscars. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Also, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/12/farha-filmmakers-israel-jordan-oscar-netflix-1235189292/">Jordanian
filmmakers</a> have claimed that Israel has launched a government-led campaign to
get the film pulled from Netflix, and the Israeli Finance Minister has
threatened Israeli cinemas that show the film. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Oscar History: <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b>This
is the seventh or eighth time that Rachid Bouchareb has represented Algeria
(there is some confusion as to whether “London River” was submitted or not) and
he’s gunning for his fourth Oscar nomination (following “Days of Glory”,
“Outside the Law” and the dismal “Dust of Life” which somehow got nominated in
a very weak year). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Three other directors are here a second time- Shawkat Amin
Korki (Iraq; “Memories on Stone”; 2015), Maryam Touzani (Morocco; “Adam”; 2019)
and Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (Lebanon, “Around the Pink House”;
1999). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Notable Omissions: </b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHymyKfsRJJOIryjpGkcdn9J900qk7UPjEGyusRZU42dYSYuVEUjwEu15HFUabVVOg_hMVblDB-Kl3tg9QPT9sZ-NDujhJRYXB9PTf1ukAZnTMl5OgZF-EIt6aGeSZSsMInVw0REHl4IvEuXtR-rtTL_KVITxoljWAEcaKgGEqB__HAxTC_t2WczNZrw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="192" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHymyKfsRJJOIryjpGkcdn9J900qk7UPjEGyusRZU42dYSYuVEUjwEu15HFUabVVOg_hMVblDB-Kl3tg9QPT9sZ-NDujhJRYXB9PTf1ukAZnTMl5OgZF-EIt6aGeSZSsMInVw0REHl4IvEuXtR-rtTL_KVITxoljWAEcaKgGEqB__HAxTC_t2WczNZrw" width="175" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMl912fQsidlpFCylCcuRVLKjJl5cPEbC93UUM3gIRQ63kBPvkjtQlKRCzqkJzdj6S2IMHAErYdGarRB6dm5fnRaH7eyayrEfyBzIF-Ca_ePbxtWu75u_dGh8V94Rtp9gYgwGy2cXnAHRfvD_YVIae6N-_dqcks0643VL8Ly6nVb0v5YTT6Oh5qJErnA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="213" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMl912fQsidlpFCylCcuRVLKjJl5cPEbC93UUM3gIRQ63kBPvkjtQlKRCzqkJzdj6S2IMHAErYdGarRB6dm5fnRaH7eyayrEfyBzIF-Ca_ePbxtWu75u_dGh8V94Rtp9gYgwGy2cXnAHRfvD_YVIae6N-_dqcks0643VL8Ly6nVb0v5YTT6Oh5qJErnA" width="216" /></a><br /><br /></div><br />The most notable omission is “Leila’s Brothers” (Iran) which was
banned in Iran after winning the 2022 FIPRESCI award at Cannes. Apparently, the
filmmakers didn’t ask for Iranian government permission to enter the festival
(which only dictatorships require). <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was even more surprised by the absence of “The Alleys” (Jordan)
an acclaimed film by the screenwriter of the Oscar-nominated “Theeb”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sometimes an underdog country has the bad luck to have two great
films come out in one year and that certainly happened to Pakistan where
“Kamli”, supposedly one of the best films ever to come out of Pakistan, had to
compete against “Joyland”, a critical darling and the first Pakistani film ever
at Cannes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also sad to see New
Zealand comedy “Nude Tuesday”- spoken completely in a made-up gibberish
language without subtitles- lose out to “Muru”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: text1;">Also absent: “The Last Queen”
(Algeria), <span style="background-color: white; background: white;">“Kankan” (Cameroon), </span>“Our
River, Our Sky” (Iraq), “Karaoke” (Israel), “Death of a Virgin and the Sin of
Not Living” (Lebanon), “Brother’s Keeper” (Turkey), <span style="background-color: white; background: white;">and horror film “Saloum” (Senegal), which I was really hoping to see
here. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Famous Faces: </b>No huge international stars here,
but hopefully many cineastes will recognize Lubna Azabal in “Blue Caftan”. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Last Year’s Race:</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I saw 13 of the 18 films submitted last year.
Two of these were outstanding films- “A Hero” (Iran) and “Let It Be Morning”
(Israel) that should have been nominated. At least two more- “Europa” (Iraq)
and “Gravedigger’s Wife” (A-) should have contended for the shortlist. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rounding out the Top 5: “Heliopolis” (Algeria),
“Amira” (Jordan), “Casablanca Beats” (Morocco) (B+). I also saw “Barakat”
(South Africa; B+), “Lingui” (Chad; B+), “Souad” (Egypt; B), “Costa Brava”
(Lebanon, B-), “Tambour of Retribution” (Saudi Arabia; B-) and “The Stranger”
(Palestine; C+). I couldn’t find the films from Cameroon, Kenya, Malawi and
Tunisia anywhere…..and although the Turkish film is available online, I
couldn’t find the 2 ½ hours to watch it. <o:p></o:p></p></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-3575714753739445392022-11-17T00:37:00.007-05:002022-12-18T17:17:43.653-05:00OSCARS 2023: The Submissions from the Asia-Pacific (20 films)<p class="MsoNormal">The list hasn’t officially come out yet but The Wrap has
seen the viewing assignments and it looks like we have 92 films competing. This
is one short of the record of 93, which would have been broken if we
didn’t have five major countries that decided not to compete- <b>RUSSIA </b>is boycotting (though they were invited), <b>EGYPT </b>and <b>NIGERIA</b> controversially
decided to send no films despite a list of shortlisted candidates, and two
countries (<b>MALAYSIA </b>and <b>SOUTH AFRICA</b>) formed committees and then failed to make
any sort of announcement at all. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are the 20 candidates from the Asia-Pacific region. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve seen eight of these films (highlighted in yellow) and was pleasantly surprised
that most of them are quite good, though each has their strengths and weaknesses. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number of Countries that have participated in the past: </b>28<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Number of Countries that have participated this year: </b>20
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">(More statistics below)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>FRONTRUNNERS:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvCB4fJqIzcfpgoOfCu2LAPzxX7WQego5LASilSfJUQGUwy8V4iW2J1oDcIpV_8_OZa-Wml1N1lUz4ycBgJUlPPIAQtOF-htVUmqu1j479IOCR_vNobcqzAGlijaRE4TDM7SmtUHxNOpBfW5RNIVPRvNO3EGNZqW82pDaxAwsOIosPGOo8WbDASCf3CA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="313" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvCB4fJqIzcfpgoOfCu2LAPzxX7WQego5LASilSfJUQGUwy8V4iW2J1oDcIpV_8_OZa-Wml1N1lUz4ycBgJUlPPIAQtOF-htVUmqu1j479IOCR_vNobcqzAGlijaRE4TDM7SmtUHxNOpBfW5RNIVPRvNO3EGNZqW82pDaxAwsOIosPGOo8WbDASCf3CA=w272-h220" width="272" /></a><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYenRrNwtRB6mqt7Fa3MDxuW_0bw18_d1hxGNlmbM-ACm1EXw0IoxkqC3KwuHrmKEuAcVxHQYO93un-3x1h-9qwOFnY-8RC42a7r9NjTJ1RCc6A1CyYV4-V62gU4n0qtzNKHMjb_Z_tNDpK-plYaXtyZSG3y-9f9UKdzSbV6agid54eNVwC9GWVbja-g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1200" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYenRrNwtRB6mqt7Fa3MDxuW_0bw18_d1hxGNlmbM-ACm1EXw0IoxkqC3KwuHrmKEuAcVxHQYO93un-3x1h-9qwOFnY-8RC42a7r9NjTJ1RCc6A1CyYV4-V62gU4n0qtzNKHMjb_Z_tNDpK-plYaXtyZSG3y-9f9UKdzSbV6agid54eNVwC9GWVbja-g=w296-h219" width="296" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">1. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/35px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/45px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">SOUTH KOREA- “Decision to Leave” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.9)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">2. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">PAKISTAN- “Joyland” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 4.0)</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Most people agree that frontrunner “Decision to Leave” and
underdog dark horse “Joyland” are the two leading candidates from Asia- and not
just because they both won big awards at Cannes….Korea’s noir thriller ”Decision
to Leave” is the buzziest film on the Oscar list. I’ve loved the three (yes,
only three…) Park Chan-wook films I’ve seen but I’ve heard so many divisive
things about the slow burn mystery of “Decision to Leave”. Some say it’s
brilliant…others say it requires a second viewing to fully comprehend and
appreciate (sorry, but who has time for that?)….others say it’s plods along. Korea
is hot right now and I expect it make the shortlist but I’m not confident it
can make the Final Five. Contrast that with “Joyland”. Though it has no
distributor and fewer people have heard of it, reviews are stronger than
“Decision to Leave”, including a 4.0 on Letterboxd (#2 in Asia) and 100% on
Rotten Tomatoes (#1 in Asia). And the fact that a transgender love story was selected
to represent conservative Pakistan shows you just how good the film is (though-
in their defense- the Pakistani Academy, led by two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen
Obaid-Chinoy, has always been be far more modern and progressive than the country
itself). Although the film was later banned in Pakistan, <b>I can confirm it is
eligible. </b>“Joyland” is probably the film I’m most worried about. Two years
ago, Pakistani sent another controversial film- “Circus of Life” which was one
of the two best films I saw that year…and it didn’t even get shortlisted. I’m
seriously hoping “Joyland” avoids the same fate and follows in the footsteps of
Oscar winner “A Fantastic Woman”. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>DARK HORSES:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5giJ9yHWxXAz-l0MUJwsJevQ-zURGJzpx5uSGR5EbMYkFuRDC_0u6CgGxoaDt0ZcDvMgC_TNSzk4MkD77rgQGt5HZMQOt0ReCyOnQb_A9ctTyr2cwb6boxGGma0rxDAsDtDqGs9Kezm3SnmIJ291brfUp7-vmYT2r8LCVU2znttLzW8RE2A45D89b5A" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5giJ9yHWxXAz-l0MUJwsJevQ-zURGJzpx5uSGR5EbMYkFuRDC_0u6CgGxoaDt0ZcDvMgC_TNSzk4MkD77rgQGt5HZMQOt0ReCyOnQb_A9ctTyr2cwb6boxGGma0rxDAsDtDqGs9Kezm3SnmIJ291brfUp7-vmYT2r8LCVU2znttLzW8RE2A45D89b5A" width="320" /></a><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEFfHq-4ewCIWiIlINch_MYxo9vo_LC5fYlyDNIc3lWCXs9Prhs5CMrwTtvUeHSuSoEB0OEbfc5jGksTZyiL8wjhK-BzWIjEPEjmsMJeXonTHnqwqa82Fx6aD-GK8XWIqoULMtxtgBeks3uKYfDed-TJPkxl8o1L69rJgLO7Cy8lmA_KkcOKA7v_Us6g" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEFfHq-4ewCIWiIlINch_MYxo9vo_LC5fYlyDNIc3lWCXs9Prhs5CMrwTtvUeHSuSoEB0OEbfc5jGksTZyiL8wjhK-BzWIjEPEjmsMJeXonTHnqwqa82Fx6aD-GK8XWIqoULMtxtgBeks3uKYfDed-TJPkxl8o1L69rJgLO7Cy8lmA_KkcOKA7v_Us6g=w150-h200" width="150" /> </a></div></div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />3. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">CAMBODIA- “Return to Seoul” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.5)</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKkcyNYgC_ODTZSjAEfBvbnegYBczkWB5nvEG-jt7QLMTcQ5q7wyTOO8KB2LvNRtab-VjXnErcttPuoWFQGJY9hHIr11mvP6xS65eKxXMQM2CzCediqcIGPAmUjnS2NAwT03dnXUZpTLGDKGFofxwu68VsTCaYflK4J1RGgX-AWQidEhu3Kdia74cTNA" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKkcyNYgC_ODTZSjAEfBvbnegYBczkWB5nvEG-jt7QLMTcQ5q7wyTOO8KB2LvNRtab-VjXnErcttPuoWFQGJY9hHIr11mvP6xS65eKxXMQM2CzCediqcIGPAmUjnS2NAwT03dnXUZpTLGDKGFofxwu68VsTCaYflK4J1RGgX-AWQidEhu3Kdia74cTNA" width="320" /></a><b style="text-align: center; text-indent: 0px;"></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">4. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">JAPAN- “Plan 75” </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.5)</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">5. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">MONGOLIA- “Harvest Moon”</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Cambodia's "Return to Seoul" is essentially a French film. It represented France at Cannes, it's half in French, and director Davy Chou was born and raised in France to Cambodian parents. The film, about a Korean adoptee raised in France who seeks out her birth parents in Seoul, played at Un Certain Regard and has gotten warm notices. It's Southeast Asia's best chance for a third nomination (1993/2013) from the region. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I have so much to say about "Plan 75", this year's incredibly original, heartbreaking, and deeply flawed film from Japan. Let's start with the positives. It's a great idea- not so far in the future, the Japanese government launches "Plan 75" to help curb the country's aging population, offering monetary rewards to the elderly who volunteer to commit suicide. Chieko Baisho gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a lonely old woman who feels compels to volunteer for the scheme after losing her job and her apartment. If only the film focused only on Baisho and her elderly friends (though that may be asking a lot of the octogenarian actresses), the film would be an "A". Unfortunately, we also have to meet a bureaucrat at Plan 75, an underdeveloped Filipina nurse, and others whose stories are less compelling and far less developed. Worst of all, the film fails to end its stories well. However, Baisho (who has the main story) is so compelling that this film may compete for 15th place. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">In Mongolia's delightful "Harvest Moon", a young fatherless boy living with his grandparents in rural Mongolia bonds with a man visiting from the capital. It’s a great, little film. The relationship between Tulga (the man) and Tuntuulei (the boy) is compelling and realistic…heartwarming without being saccharine…while also subtly conveying its message about the importance of fatherhood. The cinematography is Oscar-worthy and the Mongolian vistas are incredible. Unlike Japan, the film “sticks the landing” with a powerful ending. Unfortunately, the film has almost no buzz….and I worry about the film “standing out” in such a large field. The Foreign Film Committee has ignored even better films from Mongolia (“The Steed”, “Cave of the Yellow Dog”)</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>MIDDLE OF THE PACK:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">6. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">PHILIPPINES- “On the Job 2” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.8)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">7. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="1280" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/88/Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Australia_%28converted%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">AUSTRALIA- “You Won’t Be Alone”</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.6)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">8. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/23px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/35px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/45px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">THAILAND- “One for the Road" </span></b></span></b></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">(Letterboxd: 3.5)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">9. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">TAIWAN- “Goddamned Asura”</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.2)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">10. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1350" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/23px-Flag_of_India.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/35px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/45px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">INDIA- “Last Film Show” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.7)</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’ve seen three of these films (Australia, Taiwan and Thailand). They’re all good movies and one could potentially surprise, I think they’ll
miss the Top 15. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglwp7k1U1ZBxUKqy7zspL6TTXhepQc4eBtKuB7lQiXKiGfAw2JI063Pw1VtnD0_5xgXbOCdLvHjWpysBJTcKVfTVb1CYRrKM6yuyCwQMJGE04FVQ4sg24rFJOflPOOJS8AqkiQG_DVjnsxUzEgHNNKanQWLJ1UnRyuBub_zK824PhP8liT0ipKFArOcg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglwp7k1U1ZBxUKqy7zspL6TTXhepQc4eBtKuB7lQiXKiGfAw2JI063Pw1VtnD0_5xgXbOCdLvHjWpysBJTcKVfTVb1CYRrKM6yuyCwQMJGE04FVQ4sg24rFJOflPOOJS8AqkiQG_DVjnsxUzEgHNNKanQWLJ1UnRyuBub_zK824PhP8liT0ipKFArOcg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />AUSTRALIA- “You Won’t Be Alone”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>In a Nutshell: </b>A Gothic fairy tale set in 19<sup>th</sup>
century Macedonia about a newborn baby cursed by an evil witch. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>It’s one
of the most original films of the year…the young director is adept at creating
a spooky atmosphere while also drawing out the tragic, emotional arc of the
shape-shifting lead character. The film reminded me a lot of “Lamb”- the
surprise finalist on last year’s shortlist- though “You Won’t Be Alone” is a
lot better. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b> It’s
slow-moving and occasionally confusing (I was confused by the ending and had to
go online to clarify). The horror-drama genre isn’t what Oscar typically goes
for (though, once again, “Lamb”….)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><br /><br /></b>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwYYpsblcTc0Zg8nCcV7-SiCNDufmzGoVD0TaRZLMJZRVqXnZTLYPS-GLJpT23qlh_M9GEYQWW40VNTYl8sa2w3ztPtPYdYSheCYsNgXKa7M-hmZBzrWgr7IkPv20cSnL000XIOSImS-_Rghhwt8Tacv46g7JqDtCd2wutp8DPK5Yu7XEGFm3UA7USJA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwYYpsblcTc0Zg8nCcV7-SiCNDufmzGoVD0TaRZLMJZRVqXnZTLYPS-GLJpT23qlh_M9GEYQWW40VNTYl8sa2w3ztPtPYdYSheCYsNgXKa7M-hmZBzrWgr7IkPv20cSnL000XIOSImS-_Rghhwt8Tacv46g7JqDtCd2wutp8DPK5Yu7XEGFm3UA7USJA" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />TAIWAN- “Goddamned Asura”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>“Sliding
Doors” meets “Magnolia” meets a mass shooting, on the island of Taiwan<sub><o:p></o:p></sub></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>One
of the more thought-provoking entries from Asia, asking questions about
morality and fate, and “what if”…..whether a seemingly minor event or meeting can
change the course of your whole life. While I was wondering “where is this
going?” a few times, the film ultimately rewards the viewer. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>Reviews
are markedly weaker than its competitors (it ranks 17<sup>th</sup> out of 20 on
Letterboxd, ahead of only Kyrgyzstan and the critically maligned films from
Kazakhstan and Vietnam). The film doesn’t really hit its stride until halfway
through, and some voters may not watch it all the way through. <o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBbJl-tlI34cngoscDIxJETOo8-c5-Vr1WzaoHoRddvpdnN9dEQJ1A8ohLLqgtWhcWilL73WdZHkJ5RHXzEhBoH3wSe7VNOvZsO7rFngkJz8EOCkQOI7S2NcVJhrbAI9vyBKN78bxgt6hiQi9GhXjSeK8AjtnGS3_K7KdY1_dR8XW9f105MrRN2Gge9g" width="160" /></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b>THAILAND- "One for the Road"</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A young man dying of cancer in Bangkok contacts his best friend in New York to ask for help in arranging a road trip to say goodbye to those he has unfinished business with. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>It's a relatable subject, it's produced by HK auteur Wong Kar-wai, and it won a surprise Jury Award at Sundance, showing it can resonate with American audiences. The first half is well-done, with important things to say about friendship and mortality. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>Unfortunately, the film veers off track and the second half is a mess, veering straight into the worst of soap opera melodrama territory and going on for far too long. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I haven’t seen the surprising entries from India and the Philippines:
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcemXcmlaaEgnyHtvEMVmaNV8knkdv_7ngFPp08gfjPD479SONnFLa78DIZ29eGWr15gv2ScKi7IvW4AknuIiGWoHM0zkFpPXI5VGq2Az0kHcCS4ojLJauoBsayx_2IhBSLnV_J4HCwEtI4BwkQelOvey0skfHDmCE4xyAonxpi1vCCnDQO946pZXfLQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcemXcmlaaEgnyHtvEMVmaNV8knkdv_7ngFPp08gfjPD479SONnFLa78DIZ29eGWr15gv2ScKi7IvW4AknuIiGWoHM0zkFpPXI5VGq2Az0kHcCS4ojLJauoBsayx_2IhBSLnV_J4HCwEtI4BwkQelOvey0skfHDmCE4xyAonxpi1vCCnDQO946pZXfLQ" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />INDIA- “Last Film Show”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>“Cinema
Paradiso”, except in a poor village in Gujarat<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>Decent
reviews. AMPAS has always liked movies dedicated to a love of cinema- most
recently with the nominated “Hand of God” in this category last year. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>More
than a month after India’s controversial decision, people are still talking
more about how “RRR” deserved to represent India than about the quality of “Last
Film Show”. It’s a small film with an annoying lead character. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5y9xnBXbV1mCWby-WUKFB26zYmajLNJN3fqi9r94PagnKJ2M_BSwLbxot_ijj5saRseCMWMUnC90npHffbORhz8wPOmZQ5GsOBCxGRbD6enjvp6FOsSOsSd_yDXCJ5n84lh0GOINRkQQ-eXvCA5nH2ZW0-Xi1D-Kbn0H1bT3xuR-jnmHmNI377lovpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5y9xnBXbV1mCWby-WUKFB26zYmajLNJN3fqi9r94PagnKJ2M_BSwLbxot_ijj5saRseCMWMUnC90npHffbORhz8wPOmZQ5GsOBCxGRbD6enjvp6FOsSOsSd_yDXCJ5n84lh0GOINRkQQ-eXvCA5nH2ZW0-Xi1D-Kbn0H1bT3xuR-jnmHmNI377lovpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br />PHILIPPINES- “On the Job 2”<o:p></o:p></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>In A Nutshell: </b>A
3.5 hour exposé of police corruption and censorship under President Duterte
(2016-2022)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Pros: </b>Reviews
have been very good. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Cons: </b>The
film, which many thought would be ruled ineligible, is also airing on HBO as an
edited miniseries- and its lengthy running time probably makes it more suited to
television. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b> UNLIKELY TO
ADVANCE:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuuBu4pJwncWEZlvumxSblGwux1Vu6y5J8-EzdAQiJ85-4WoJqoLrpt8SpXNAwIsUFfNV5tWfasY0ZMYNdaOKv203NcN2b_IwOXKNCoju4FibUT5dEiCI6LLt6nEUS2QIkVI5byHYmFfy9Vlt42OloBgGHjNcgogb4C0n6ZEjziyi_HNwtLpALDKpbOQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuuBu4pJwncWEZlvumxSblGwux1Vu6y5J8-EzdAQiJ85-4WoJqoLrpt8SpXNAwIsUFfNV5tWfasY0ZMYNdaOKv203NcN2b_IwOXKNCoju4FibUT5dEiCI6LLt6nEUS2QIkVI5byHYmFfy9Vlt42OloBgGHjNcgogb4C0n6ZEjziyi_HNwtLpALDKpbOQ" width="160" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9vLxmlh7kvmCx7Of8sBb-dzm9yqFlVGsCI6KF3mnPvKINeF_ZVIVMsdZHyrIHOy5vie1HEsFcrG9ceb4rDeSKdfE9FiOx3P8nuSBNwu_At_bIW_4j1NNaVcEDuy3Ftwy6s9h5FSS4AJrwjbQ0nA0gRilFvG1u1yBGtHE-ybbYFDUyZrUTqXeRd5JkZA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="265" data-original-width="190" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi9vLxmlh7kvmCx7Of8sBb-dzm9yqFlVGsCI6KF3mnPvKINeF_ZVIVMsdZHyrIHOy5vie1HEsFcrG9ceb4rDeSKdfE9FiOx3P8nuSBNwu_At_bIW_4j1NNaVcEDuy3Ftwy6s9h5FSS4AJrwjbQ0nA0gRilFvG1u1yBGtHE-ybbYFDUyZrUTqXeRd5JkZA" width="172" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibuz0TBNyrnBX6OPz51LB09PY7P3fZHQs0smovtso6Yp85NSITUKmr1pL5dJLUrRVRupJMVbPN9F9WC-2_FuNI8pIqCbcaH6Lz7F2lFVN73m4M_NMXJmW6sLwOvHMQBVkAa7pKUPOyUYBMdy2fqVA1cayoP_87_jof-Zw-D4C7zRRNoUGIbS-SBGVg4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibuz0TBNyrnBX6OPz51LB09PY7P3fZHQs0smovtso6Yp85NSITUKmr1pL5dJLUrRVRupJMVbPN9F9WC-2_FuNI8pIqCbcaH6Lz7F2lFVN73m4M_NMXJmW6sLwOvHMQBVkAa7pKUPOyUYBMdy2fqVA1cayoP_87_jof-Zw-D4C7zRRNoUGIbS-SBGVg4A" width="170" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibuz0TBNyrnBX6OPz51LB09PY7P3fZHQs0smovtso6Yp85NSITUKmr1pL5dJLUrRVRupJMVbPN9F9WC-2_FuNI8pIqCbcaH6Lz7F2lFVN73m4M_NMXJmW6sLwOvHMQBVkAa7pKUPOyUYBMdy2fqVA1cayoP_87_jof-Zw-D4C7zRRNoUGIbS-SBGVg4A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-indent: -0.25in;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkTrwI7SocYKD9bdzrjt977JaTEJPFeoG3FRm6FNY_l18OK0_XvabZRBzQ68dohoQK2xmtCkUFejBTGaBYK1TY0RCNRr_jMjYcg_9Up1ZZGNyHrfaCo9e3uFYyB2oY4e3-wVBnmXuCODmeha-nI6lt3PAdiVEIXd8V4hRYRDwDuuyYgEgqgYheMaUN1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="899" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkTrwI7SocYKD9bdzrjt977JaTEJPFeoG3FRm6FNY_l18OK0_XvabZRBzQ68dohoQK2xmtCkUFejBTGaBYK1TY0RCNRr_jMjYcg_9Up1ZZGNyHrfaCo9e3uFYyB2oY4e3-wVBnmXuCODmeha-nI6lt3PAdiVEIXd8V4hRYRDwDuuyYgEgqgYheMaUN1g" width="180" /> </a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; display: inline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWQ6gbxj_TbX5Z4NVUtWxkzW-S4kXTHrjO1yjInZ_2Dpb5AvuDAiwVGFVVDaP945_aMwIK3B6BfsFe1isaJxMzwoGFg3xTWUIT_hGYQXjSEhnqwHc0pweC4F_ISLxswIf3h4JovLlITA8TvzPCWJvzXjcdZHI636At-vBfO0wbpSky8d2GS1IJtULFRQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1429" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWQ6gbxj_TbX5Z4NVUtWxkzW-S4kXTHrjO1yjInZ_2Dpb5AvuDAiwVGFVVDaP945_aMwIK3B6BfsFe1isaJxMzwoGFg3xTWUIT_hGYQXjSEhnqwHc0pweC4F_ISLxswIf3h4JovLlITA8TvzPCWJvzXjcdZHI636At-vBfO0wbpSky8d2GS1IJtULFRQ" width="168" /></a></div><br /><br /></div></b></div><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />11. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/23px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/35px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/46px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">NEW ZEALAND- “Muru” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.8)</b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">12. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/23px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/35px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/45px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">SINGAPORE- “Ajoomma” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.4)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">13. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">BANGLADESH- “Hawa” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">14. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">KYRGYZSTAN- “Home for Sale”</b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 2.7)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">15. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" data-file-height="885" data-file-width="726" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/12px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/19px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/25px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="12" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">NEPAL- “Butterfly on the Windowpane”</span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.9)</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These five films will bring much-needed attention to their
small local-language film industries, and I’m so glad that they all submitted
films. However, their chances of advancing are slim. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Hawa” is the first film from Bangladesh to gross over $200,000
in North America and reviews for this exciting thriller set on a fishing boat
have been great in South Asia and mostly (but less) positive in North America.
Tech credits are said to be a major step up for Bangladeshi cinema. Kyrgyzstan
and Nepal have sent small films that will surely get lost in the mix. “Home for
Sale”, about a Kyrgyz family threatened by loan sharks, quietly premiered at
Busan 2022. The film has no buzz and is said to be a grim, “realism” drama that
will make it difficult to stand out. “Butterfly on a Windowpane”, from Nepal,
is an earnest family drama focused on the lives of a 13-year old girl and her
mischievous little brother living in an impoverished village. This is a sincere
but quiet and mostly forgettable film until the final minutes, which admittedly
pack an emotional wallop, though I’m not certain Oscar voters will have the
patience. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">New Zealand’s “Muru”, about 2007 police raids on the country’s
indigenous Maori communities, has gotten mostly good reviews but I’ve heard
some say that the film is less impactful without the cultural context (though I
would expect that American audiences will understand only too well police raids
in minority neighborhoods), and that it punctuates the quiet drama with
unnecessary action sequences. It comes out on DVD at the end of the month and I’ll
try to see it then to judge for myself. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alongside these four grim stories, we have Singapore-Korea co-production
“Ajoomma”, which is a much lighter film about a shy Singaporean widow obsessed
with Korean pop culture who travels to Seoul alone after her son says he is too
busy to take her. This “late-in-life” adventure may resound with older voters
and it sounds like a lot of fun, but reviews have been more “What a nice film!”
rather than critical raves. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="245" data-original-width="326" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi4SzdWd8t7gaAUbXob7KjVOZliBLIElPA-yvxeZeeD1j-_qJj21QfI3Ft27_224SNdN8Z4ea6ZUKsPl6fX3_S3PmUTbQ_ynkcoMSeZT0JCioXHUPXL9q6NqUa3hyv5-xslN25ECyW4eELT4kxO6sG0zRt1ueQh5YY5tNta-A3eW4JsSE80Hw90-Yks6w=w319-h200" width="319" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmqJ8ZrcRtjseDPZtd7OQmPOYFSrCtQhzjOCPy9LbqrRfnKz1RJ3Mzz_cdnkhrT_9FWMC_EEIiLfDX6AYOQrgnfQUU3WLVZR5cfALc_fPDK-G1n_O3cnSoLsX6EZIOOo5W10kdJWCQco2S4vaOYVtNvzNk_0nMrcx9K4-OMibcEfI-tnHttg6T6m_1xw" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmqJ8ZrcRtjseDPZtd7OQmPOYFSrCtQhzjOCPy9LbqrRfnKz1RJ3Mzz_cdnkhrT_9FWMC_EEIiLfDX6AYOQrgnfQUU3WLVZR5cfALc_fPDK-G1n_O3cnSoLsX6EZIOOo5W10kdJWCQco2S4vaOYVtNvzNk_0nMrcx9K4-OMibcEfI-tnHttg6T6m_1xw" width="320" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt-kXHLUZEoR7bCWA6lwo3F97Q4T80p5CSqCej3k1sq2gsuvG1h-szCmVuFT9aR0rYpxtm1veN8tLJWpAxO3PxRfis5QxCheXZc5KoGjNTR5EPk27w9xPQNFZewFhFKC_laY6qT8jjsbYMWcc4NB6ijz7fgFqwBMPdNzJghsYTvujL8aP2kf9XqIc7uw" style="clear: left; display: inline; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="310" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjt-kXHLUZEoR7bCWA6lwo3F97Q4T80p5CSqCej3k1sq2gsuvG1h-szCmVuFT9aR0rYpxtm1veN8tLJWpAxO3PxRfis5QxCheXZc5KoGjNTR5EPk27w9xPQNFZewFhFKC_laY6qT8jjsbYMWcc4NB6ijz7fgFqwBMPdNzJghsYTvujL8aP2kf9XqIc7uw=w320-h180" width="320" /></a><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyxeXse4vG0vWOdAY3k1nGHJfRn5i-g1A1lBt9sjXLVyE5Bub9HfRBJRtDT_eYkDogCP7veJ2_PcaJaS-GxBK70RIyp7rfonIGbWn8oTBpf5FJ-GZvi9Mqbls5B_8SruK-BAW8Zt4LlL9RyCZ4PSiGHIn6PQphwfmdWfDQ8nBcL61PsyneyhPHJiUidA=w320-h196" width="320" /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;"><br /></span></b></div>16. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"> </span><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">INDONESIA- “Missing Home”</span></b><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 4.1)</b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">17. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/23px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/35px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/45px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">HONG KONG- “Where the Wind Blows” </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.3)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">18. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="background-color: yellow; background: yellow; mso-highlight: yellow;">CHINA- “Nice View” </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 3.4)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">19. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">KAZAKHSTAN- “Life" </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 2.8)</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0px;"><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">20. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/23px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/35px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/45px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">VIETNAM- “Magnum 578" </b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> (Letterboxd: 0.7)</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">First of all, the films from Kazakhstan and Vietnam just
haven’t gotten good reviews so they’re out. Kazakhstan’s “Life” (Toronto) is
one of the most interesting films on the list but this 3-hour film about a successful
tech entrepreneur who accidentally loses the data, photo and memories of
millions of people is said to be overlong and dramatically unsuccessful. Action
flick “Magnum 578”, about a man seeking revenge for his kidnapped daughter, not
only sounds a cross between Vietnam’s 2019 fun submission “Furie” and Liam
Neeson’s “Taken”, but nobody seems to have a good word to say about it. An odd
choice. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9TvaTTlyJrtnQm7eyUYvlw4zBaN4Gu5DmWRvD2s2HUwkpfJWMp-56GIDDN1V_ZeIH1HcS55DmjFKo993kPuSsPVqd8LA6n4qNB8FCrbhnsFv1NENiB7G8P-2eCTtRKy3YQ2nanCYE2qaVLftxPBztX5fwqdvexhuYxgqTkbDJrEqhXVGi_Kp0NR34qQ" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj9TvaTTlyJrtnQm7eyUYvlw4zBaN4Gu5DmWRvD2s2HUwkpfJWMp-56GIDDN1V_ZeIH1HcS55DmjFKo993kPuSsPVqd8LA6n4qNB8FCrbhnsFv1NENiB7G8P-2eCTtRKy3YQ2nanCYE2qaVLftxPBztX5fwqdvexhuYxgqTkbDJrEqhXVGi_Kp0NR34qQ" width="320" /></a></p>The other three are handicapped by their genres. “Missing
Home” from Indonesia is a crowdpleasing comedy (with the highest score on Letterboxd;
4.1) about an elderly couple who have alienated all their three of their adult sons
(their one daughter still lives at home, but she has her own problems) and who
pretend to be getting a divorce to force them to visit. I loved it, and it’s
prime for a U.S. remake, but it’s not serious enough to compete here. “Nice
View”, a comedy-drama from China about a 20-year old trying to launch a business
to pay his sister’s medical fees, is also very entertaining and unsurprisingly
was a box-office hit in China. But- despite the serious subject matter- it is
structured like an 80s movie from the USA, complete with musical montages and a
lovable band of misfits who help the protagonist succeed. It’s a well-made film,
but it’s also predictable and derivative. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p>“Where the Wind Blows” (aka “Theory of Ambition”) is a big-budget,
all-star triad film from Hong Kong. Hong Kong has sent countless crime dramas
that look exactly like this and none of them (including “Infernal Affairs”) got
shortlisted. The few reviews that are out there indicate a positive but
unspectacular reception, and this is not going to advance.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Now the Statistics: <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Who’s Missing?: </b>Not many….but <b>BHUTAN</b> and <b>MALAYSIA
</b>are noticeably absent. Bhutan was the surprise nominee at this year’s
Oscars and I wondered whether that would inspire them to submit films regularly
(they’ve got a small but prolific local film industry aimed at domestic
audiences). But it seems they’ll only send films aimed at a more international audience.
Malaysia has submitted fairly regularly since 2015. They formed a committee
this year and announced a call for eligible films, so I’m not sure what
happened to them. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>AFGHANISTAN</b>- whose government succumbed to brutal
Taliban rule again in Summer 2021- is sadly in no condition to send films to
the Oscars. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Also absent: <b>FIJI </b>(entered one film in 2005), <b>LAOS
</b>(one film in 2017), <b>SRI LANKA </b>(two films 2003-2009), <b>TAJIKISTAN </b>(two
films 1999-2005) and <b>UZBEKISTAN </b>(two films 2019-2021). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Genres: </b>Less than half of the Asian countries have
sent straightforward “dramas”. We also have three “dramedies” (China, Indonesia
and Singapore), 1 horror-drama (Australia), one action movie (Vietnam) and six
thrillers (Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, and Taiwan).
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>I’ve Already Seen: </b>Australia, China Indonesia, Japan,
Mongolia, Nepal, and Taiwan….and I plan to see Thailand before this list is
published. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Many Did I Get Right?: </b>Only 5- Australia, Bangladesh, Korea, Pakistan, and Thailand </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Film I’m Most Excited To See: </b>Pakistan’s “Joyland”.
No contest.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Big Three Festivals: <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Cannes- </b>Korea (Best Director), Pakistan
(UCR Jury Prize), Cambodia, Japan<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Berlin- </b>None<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman"; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b>Venice- </b>Philippines (Best Actor)<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Women Directors- <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></b>Only
<b>one! </b><b><span face=""Segoe UI Emoji",sans-serif" style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol-ext; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji";">☹</span> </b>Chie Hayakawa from Japan….5% …. How
embarrassing!<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Oldest and Youngest Directors- </b>The senior director
from this (very young) group is Korea’s Park Chan-wook, 59. The youngest
director of all 92 competing films is 28-year old Tearepa Kahi from New
Zealand. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Languages Represented- </b>20 films in 19 languages! Bengali,
Cantonese, Filipino, French, Gujarati, Indonesian, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Kyrgyz,
Macedonian (Australia), Mandarin, Maori, Mongolian, Nepali, Russian, Thai, Urdu
and Vietnamese. The most represented language unsurprisingly is Mandarin
Chinese (China, Taiwan plus parts of Singapore and Korea), followed by Korean
(Korea, plus parts of Cambodia and Singapore). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- </b>From this
group? Hmmm….Not that many….Maybe three or four? <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Likely to Get Shortlisted for the First Time- </b>Pakistan<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Buzziest Films: </b>“Decision to Leave”, followed by
“Joyland”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Letterboxd Ratings (as of 16 November 2022): <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Best: </b>Indonesia (4.1), <b>Worst</b>: Vietnam
(0.7) <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Controversies and Changes: </b>India was considered as
one of the frontrunners to win the Oscar for box-office smash “RRR”. I think
those claims were exaggerated but it was still a controversial mistake for
India to reject this widely-loved film for a low-budget drama about kids going
to the movies. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">China’s frontrunner “Return to Dust” passed the Chinese
censors and was released in local cinemas where it was a surprise box-office
hit….before being mysteriously pulled and subsequently banned without any
reason given. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Philippines was criticized for not sending a film last
year and the Director’s Guild criticized the Film Academy of the Philippines
for not sending “eligible films” like “On the Job 2”. Most experts felt the
film wasn’t eligible this year since it aired on HBO before appearing in
Filipino cinemas, but AMPAS appears to have accepted it since it’s world
premiere was at the Venice Film Festival. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Pakistan made this year’s most courageous choice, choosing
transgender love story “Joyland”, which was perhaps surprising for not being
especially controversial….<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Oscar History:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Only
two of these directors has been here before and <b>neither one </b>is Park
Chan-wook (the Korean Academy didn’t submit “Oldboy” or “The Handmaiden”).
Philip Yung represented Hong Kong in 2016 for the forgettable noir thriller
“Port of Call” while Nattawut Poonpiriya represented Thailand in 2013 for the
gonzo horror thriller “Countdown”. 11 of these 20 countries have been nominated
in this category at least once (13 if you count nominations in other categories
for Mongolia and New Zealand). <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Notable Omissions: </b>Besides the aforementioned
“Return to Dust” (China) and “RRR” (India)?<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sometimes an underdog country has the bad luck to have two great
films come out in one year and that certainly happened to Pakistan where
“Kamli”, supposedly one of the best films ever to come out of Pakistan, had to
compete against “Joyland”, a critical darling and the first Pakistani film ever
at Cannes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was also sad to see New
Zealand comedy “Nude Tuesday”- spoken completely in a made-up gibberish
language without subtitles- lose out to “Muru”. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">“Karmalink” (Cambodia) and “The Brilliant Darkness” (Vietnam) may
have been hurt by the fact that they have American directors. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Also absent: Zhang Yimou’s “Snipers” (China), “Before, Now and
Then” (Indonesia), “The Kashmir Files” (India), “Sales Girl” (Mongolia) and “<span style="background-color: white; background: white; color: #333333;">Leonor Will Never Die” (Philippines).
Some of these probably didn’t meet Oscar screening requirements. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Most Famous Faces: </b>Internationally, it’s probably
Swedish actress Noomi Rapace who co-stars as one of the village women in
Australia’s “You Won’t Be Alone”. But we also have Tony Leung and Aaron Kwok
(“Where the Wind Blows”), Tang Wei (“Decision to Leave”) and Cliff Curtis
(“Muru”).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Last Year’s Race: </b>I saw 16 of the 18 Asia-Pacific
submissions last year. My personal favorite was horror film “The Medium” from
Thailand (A-) although I’m sure that AMPAS hated it. I’d put Bhutan’s “Lunana”
(A-) in a close second place followed by “White Building” (B+), “When
Pomegranates Howl” (B+), “Yellow Cat” (B+), “YunI” (B), “Hail Driver!” (B),
“Escape from Mogadishu” (B), “Cliff Walkers” (B), “Bố già” (B), “The Falls”
(B), “Rehana” (B-), “Drive My Car” (C; sorry, not sorry), “2000 Songs of
Farida” (C), “Pebbles” (C-) and finally the abysmally sappy “Zero to Hero” (D).
I couldn’t find the films from Kyrgyzstan and Singapore anywhere. <o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-81940631290223304682022-08-30T00:11:00.005-04:002022-08-30T11:39:14.377-04:00 OSCARS 2023: Predictions for Western Europe<p> And here's the final batch of 20 countries.....This is cheating a little because two countries (Germany, Ireland and Switzerland) have already announced and two more have announced their shortlists (Netherlands and Spain). </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9FRSIrNq2xwW-RVuBKWnvz6BN5sZneJo-mWgOeYUxAG6LYlkKsZaGLT4Sy0g7oUE15Nf9pZYlZJhwwl7LNzOLvPTBh5aMvdzuf-no9qwvtDNf2RRbxS2Yzz5Gi3lJrZ3Wm9VdWC3Q1AoLy1cfsWkzcMVimplhxQYqcxsAbvCGKq3epnqyoXycrK3nKQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="932" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9FRSIrNq2xwW-RVuBKWnvz6BN5sZneJo-mWgOeYUxAG6LYlkKsZaGLT4Sy0g7oUE15Nf9pZYlZJhwwl7LNzOLvPTBh5aMvdzuf-no9qwvtDNf2RRbxS2Yzz5Gi3lJrZ3Wm9VdWC3Q1AoLy1cfsWkzcMVimplhxQYqcxsAbvCGKq3epnqyoXycrK3nKQ=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div><p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_Austria.svg/45px-Flag_of_Austria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>AUSTRIA- </b><b>“Corsage” </b>Austria will probably go with costume biopic “Corsage”, which won
Best Actress for Vicky Krieps at Cannes (Un Certain Regard) for playing a distinguished 19<sup>th</sup>
century Empress. Reviews have been good and it looks like the film will be
getting an Oscar-qualifying release in the U.S. to compete in the tech categories. Its main competition comes from
“Rimini”, a dramedy about a man returning to his childhood home after the death
of his mother. It competed at Berlinale and won Best Picture at the Diagonale
Awards for Austrian cinema, over last year's critical darling “Great Freedom”. Both
directors have just missed out on representing Austria in past years. Dark
horses: WWII revenge drama “Schachten”, Italian-language drama “Vera” (due to
premiere in Venice) and “Above the Ground”, about a wealthy young man who
becomes a hermit.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUqjtBHOzq_97dG9XYFZiLwRntCHEproKA5D7oz61NH5-XOLXA0hLXAQTY5ZEcHaEYwpRj4iohAjy9LEFyrCuhlQDmLD5o80kt1YcPB23CGkvEElYUaAJJAU1y6mmo3P2d__H6fUk7CMCIpqzN7rU4oq0Y48y0SK3fY3dIKD8qjrcn2a9hb5ZTebtqag" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="138" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUqjtBHOzq_97dG9XYFZiLwRntCHEproKA5D7oz61NH5-XOLXA0hLXAQTY5ZEcHaEYwpRj4iohAjy9LEFyrCuhlQDmLD5o80kt1YcPB23CGkvEElYUaAJJAU1y6mmo3P2d__H6fUk7CMCIpqzN7rU4oq0Y48y0SK3fY3dIKD8qjrcn2a9hb5ZTebtqag=w144-h200" width="144" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/92/Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg/45px-Flag_of_Belgium_%28civil%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>BELGIUM- "Close" </b>Belgium essentially has two separate national film industries, based in the Dutch and French-speaking regions of the country. Films from the smaller French side (Wallonie) have been sent of the Oscars seven of the past ten years and the majority of this year's contenders come from there too. However, almost everyone believes that the Belgian entry will be queer adolescent drama "Close" which won the Grand Prix (2nd Place) at Cannes, from the Flemish side (Flanders). It's definitely the buzziest and most critically acclaimed Belgian film of the year and Lukas Dhont was selected four years ago. But all three Flemish directors selected in the past ten years are back with new films. Oscar nominee Felix van Groeningen ("Broken Circle Breakdown") has the critically acclaimed Italian-language "Eight Mountains" (Cannes Jury Prize) while Robin Pront has discotheque drama "Zillion". From the French side, the Brothers Dardennes are back with "Tori and Lokita" (Cannes). They've been selected four times- more than any other Belgian director- but this refugee drama isn't as acclaimed as some of their other films. Other strong Walloon options include "Rebel", a drama about a Muslim family starring Lubna Azabal, "The Damned Don't Cry" (Venice Days) and boxing drama "Final Round". I think it will be "Close"....but "Eight Mountains", and possibly also "Rebel", are going to give it a run for the money. <br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUAbt80K4g2WcbMv2giwE5RRJfOX4nM0jyXxqOtGfzpBxWxvI_kbSBg9or_8HFHuSyYxt7wgg0AnVSYpyl7iIDxxYNwlf5sQlGArXqjZgisIbL0Yp48UtoB4-Bb5QQqQa4zdxM_WBZ6O4p6l1rIUG0aslY97Q5wNN5BNZWN0JBc158GVRvnfuU_TO_xg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUAbt80K4g2WcbMv2giwE5RRJfOX4nM0jyXxqOtGfzpBxWxvI_kbSBg9or_8HFHuSyYxt7wgg0AnVSYpyl7iIDxxYNwlf5sQlGArXqjZgisIbL0Yp48UtoB4-Bb5QQqQa4zdxM_WBZ6O4p6l1rIUG0aslY97Q5wNN5BNZWN0JBc158GVRvnfuU_TO_xg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivXjfyE-LubmTOOoMLmmzhPFjM_S90jMCxK_PSnymoOYCrLykrYBIBfNR0VN1HFMlCJ3RprV4h_oA0j326oI7LaAaSEwNFx2oBiyD5syrdcfIvrjCJLhlhzBsCgAtXU5xUhBaGndU7IFpZrSvl5XhsaET2UsYj-9JvU27XPHT9-jBNi-CgnyYp2Ym8sQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivXjfyE-LubmTOOoMLmmzhPFjM_S90jMCxK_PSnymoOYCrLykrYBIBfNR0VN1HFMlCJ3RprV4h_oA0j326oI7LaAaSEwNFx2oBiyD5syrdcfIvrjCJLhlhzBsCgAtXU5xUhBaGndU7IFpZrSvl5XhsaET2UsYj-9JvU27XPHT9-jBNi-CgnyYp2Ym8sQ=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div></div><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="387" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/20px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/31px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Flag_of_Denmark.svg/40px-Flag_of_Denmark.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="20" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>DENMARK- </b><b>“Forever” </b>Denmark (pop: 6 million) is currently the most
successful country in the world, in this category. In twelve years, they’ve been nominated seven
times, winning twice. They’ve only failed to make the shortlist three times since
then. So, despite their small size, they aim to win every year (and "Flee" would have been a better winner last year than the soporific "Drive My Car"). They’re
scheduled to announce a 3-film shortlist on September 5. Although it’s a weak
year and I don’t necessarily expect them to be nominated, they have plenty to choose
from. I’m predicting the three shortlisted films will be “Forever”, a box-office hit about a family dealing with the unexpected loss of a family member,
“Miss Viborg”, a comedy-drama about the intergenerational friendship between two
dysfunctional women, and “Rose”, about a woman and her disabled sister on a
road trip. Niels Arden Oplev has been
selected in 2008 for “World Apart”, so I was going to predict “Rose”, but “Forever” has gotten such strong notices at home and was selected for a major festival (San Sebastian) so I'm switching. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see 19<sup>th</sup> century
period drama “As In Heaven” (Best Director, San Sebastian), Afghan documentary “Taliban
Land”, WWII thriller/sequel “Out of the Darkness” or even music
biopic “Bamse” (director Henrik Ruben Genz is Oscar Short Film nominee) on the shortlist. I’ve
seen people mention “Holy Spider” (Swedish) and “Godland” (Icelandic), but they
don’t meet the nationality requirements, while buzzy Sundance horror flick “Out
of the Darkness” is mostly in English.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8bXTbcK6kmFsXMmiMFqNGFK2eEsvIPhn_Cp9Tqa3zmhrNG9jxG0GUg5rd-bkISSLgkejKDrdKKMedjNZRGpGeBd2EtVm2wpe5ITpBr9nqjYue8UdMJiSCEInkEVy6nBoyyjULbGcxu44q5j3CpD44e8SUqRWS4vtiet6cXlFvRjYbFEBajG6FOfbVhQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="833" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8bXTbcK6kmFsXMmiMFqNGFK2eEsvIPhn_Cp9Tqa3zmhrNG9jxG0GUg5rd-bkISSLgkejKDrdKKMedjNZRGpGeBd2EtVm2wpe5ITpBr9nqjYue8UdMJiSCEInkEVy6nBoyyjULbGcxu44q5j3CpD44e8SUqRWS4vtiet6cXlFvRjYbFEBajG6FOfbVhQ=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="1100" data-file-width="1800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Flag_of_Finland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Finland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>FINLAND- </b><b>“Girl Picture” </b>After winning the Audience Award at Sundance,
adolescent drama “Girl Picture” (Berlin, 14+) automatically went to the front
of the list for Finland. “The Woodcutter Story” played at Cannes but reviews
aren’t strong enough . I think “Girl” is pretty safe, but two previously selected Finnish directors have new films coming out later this year. Aleksi Salmenperä (2004, 2007) made
the delightful quirky “Man’s Job” and now has “Bubble”, about a teenage girl who
suspects her mother of being involved in a lesbian affair, while Aleksi Mäkelä (1999)
has ice hockey drama “Laitapuolen hyökkääjä”. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/23px-Flag_of_France.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/35px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c3/Flag_of_France.svg/45px-Flag_of_France.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>FRANCE- TBD </b>France is the only country in the world to have submitted every year since the creation of the category in 1956. As usual, they have dozens of films to choose from and I'll update this once France announces their shortlist on September 15. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGBcm8fJ2knYq31dt395ciQDgQoBSyfB3IRpaJgb2miMmk9KkBHuwuaBlt5cv-d0qkOVDUtp6s_nBL3oPxyMtE87y-DfvDSo7lXvsxZoVi1HeklxPyI12mRjoJGYI8CMGZtC5b_XFhyXGy9crZaofBxzCWoHPEV9O_lshJkGM5FY9A8uI2DianEb4BKg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGBcm8fJ2knYq31dt395ciQDgQoBSyfB3IRpaJgb2miMmk9KkBHuwuaBlt5cv-d0qkOVDUtp6s_nBL3oPxyMtE87y-DfvDSo7lXvsxZoVi1HeklxPyI12mRjoJGYI8CMGZtC5b_XFhyXGy9crZaofBxzCWoHPEV9O_lshJkGM5FY9A8uI2DianEb4BKg=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: times;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/23px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/35px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Germany.svg/46px-Flag_of_Germany.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: times;"> </span><b style="font-family: times;">GERMANY- </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: times;"><strike>“Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George Bush” </strike>WRITTEN BEFORE GERMANY ANNOUNCED (So much for predicting a long shot). </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">Germany announced a 9-film shortlist on August 16</span><sup style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">th</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">, containing mostly little-known films. Basic rom</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">-com “Mostly Minimalistic” and “Nico”- a spare, 79-minute "feel-good" drama about a Muslim nurse trying to becoming a karate champion- aren’t competitive, and early reviews for Til Schweiger’s grief drama “Lieber Kurt” haven’t been kind. Three more films on the list- feminist “Talking about the Weather”, quirky pandemic thriller “We Might as Well be Dead” (both from Berlin), and “No One’s With the Calves” (Locarno 2021), a drama about rural boredom, all appear to be too small to represent a country as important as Germany. So that leaves just three serious contenders- two more Berlin entries- WWII drama “The Forger” and black comedy “Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George Bush” (winner, Best Actress and Screenplay)- and the hotly anticipated Netflix WWI movie, “All Quiet on the Western Front”, with Daniel Brühl. “Forger”, about a young German Jew living life to the fullest via a fake identity in 1940s Berlin, has positive but not outstanding reviews…but it’s exactly the sort of film that traditionally nets Germany nominations or at least spots on the shortlist (like "Two Lives" or the mediocre “Labyrinth of Lies”). “Rabiye Kurnaz</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">”, about a mild-mannered immigrant housewife who fights to get her dim-witted son released from Guantanamo Bay, has a great U.S. hook (former President Bush likely has few fans in the Academy) and it won second prize at the German Film Awards (winner “Dear Thomas” was on Germany's shortlist last year but wasn’t picked). Right now, "Rabiye" is the frontrunner. But it all depends on the reaction to “All Quiet”, which will premiere in Toronto before moving to Netflix. Told from the perspective of a terrified German soldier, this is serious competition for the much lighter “Rabiye”…and Germany already sent a rare comedy last year. I know that this is probably going to be “All Quiet” but I’m keeping “Rabiye” as my prediction for now until people can actually tell me if that film is any good or not. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaNDjlZ29HwCod9WFETD9QSkbyNHYHkwB5UDKpwG6Tu6HOx4flQHCgcsy7mAM8j9gcDAP3y4ZFu1_jIlCUpctvAo-A1VhHuXezEFdaOUwQg4xBoC72eZOFd_PYzw_KXrFxgkTHR9XD_5FUD1DdtM52Ljn9SAgCIreGDP_WFJAmxNNXvl1eYOmBkUQWQg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="254" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaNDjlZ29HwCod9WFETD9QSkbyNHYHkwB5UDKpwG6Tu6HOx4flQHCgcsy7mAM8j9gcDAP3y4ZFu1_jIlCUpctvAo-A1VhHuXezEFdaOUwQg4xBoC72eZOFd_PYzw_KXrFxgkTHR9XD_5FUD1DdtM52Ljn9SAgCIreGDP_WFJAmxNNXvl1eYOmBkUQWQg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/23px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/35px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Greece.svg/45px-Flag_of_Greece.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>GREECE - “Magnetic Fields” </b>Many
people say that Greece always sends the winner of Best Picture at the Hellenic
Film Awards (like Israel) but this isn't true. Although they did send “Digger” last year, that was the first
time their selections matched in five years. Still, it would be foolish
to bet against this year’s winner- comedy-drama “Magnetic Fields”- which <i>also<b> </b></i>won
Best Greek Film at the Thessaloniki Film Festival (which used to go to the
Oscars automatically). I’m personally hoping they pick “Dodo”, a screwball comedy by a previously
selected director about a wealthy family in distress, and the only Greek film at Cannes 2022. Other options: crime
drama “Pack of Sheep” and immigrant drama “Holy Emy” both lost Best Picture to
“Magnetic Fields”, while the challenging “The City and the City”, about
Greece’s lost Jewish community, played at a Berlinale sidebar; “Purgatory”
tells seven stories about modern love; Holocaust documentary “The Students
of Umberto Primo” looks at Greece under Nazi occupation.<sub><o:p></o:p></sub><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgGDgH9q-4_8INiwohTTJfb7m15x2QdcAD3rlG4zGjnc8O4j_WSVrOWyFHCvIzUgpK8oXiUGfI3ip-SXwGxSTXmt8vPBLcFatSJEGGfCkfEUTPSnPLEcS1m5ecjIn3w3EgGUGCUN1QrVA1UlerVIN0hNWmIUun2tZ-sYUYF17RZNBG3mo77F1I0RO5TCw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDE7rXCYnb8dFwWU4z-ww2O3mVcdxT-GjZ9eJxg9t21ijetx4nBW_A_Q8YtLq-jXEwPMoh36jTpk7fqtdhhTAgU3_GpA-1ltQ9vVb2281-7Jm3Xptf-JtE-o2bSOeXqPBFFvD5BkXK2Chot-r5bvAE5w5uabDmR_TwtLpOTPJ5CJ6JAb_4beFZNd_xgw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2100" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgDE7rXCYnb8dFwWU4z-ww2O3mVcdxT-GjZ9eJxg9t21ijetx4nBW_A_Q8YtLq-jXEwPMoh36jTpk7fqtdhhTAgU3_GpA-1ltQ9vVb2281-7Jm3Xptf-JtE-o2bSOeXqPBFFvD5BkXK2Chot-r5bvAE5w5uabDmR_TwtLpOTPJ5CJ6JAb_4beFZNd_xgw=w141-h172" width="141" /></a></div></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_Greenland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Greenland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_Greenland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Greenland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_Greenland.svg/45px-Flag_of_Greenland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>GREENLAND- “Into the Ice” </b>Greenland, the smallest country in the
competition (pop: 60,000) hasn’t sent a film since 2012. I don’t think they have anything eligible but for the sake of completion, I’ll predict “Into the Ice”,
an intriguing Danish documentary (<i>Variety </i>said it made science “sexy”)
about the melting ice caps in Greenland. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw5AgmjtvADFtAYUpVgJBWeWX679f1ZsERMVbLWgM8moh7dtDSz3q-5Zrf8wMSmALhDGhsf5NgzcplRxbRJM9-75MFO-rOFhq_o8pjPYEmUWHhY3UW9EwD9c6Ash6ini_A5lrOgnT0igzQ90O3rG9DJsodX7jHV0dWhvZLr8x6Oy4KIxW-IEActqzJqA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="717" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgw5AgmjtvADFtAYUpVgJBWeWX679f1ZsERMVbLWgM8moh7dtDSz3q-5Zrf8wMSmALhDGhsf5NgzcplRxbRJM9-75MFO-rOFhq_o8pjPYEmUWHhY3UW9EwD9c6Ash6ini_A5lrOgnT0igzQ90O3rG9DJsodX7jHV0dWhvZLr8x6Oy4KIxW-IEActqzJqA=w127-h167" width="127" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1250" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/21px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/32px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Iceland.svg/42px-Flag_of_Iceland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ICELAND- “Beautiful Beings” </b>With two critically acclaimed films
eligible, Iceland will have to make the difficult decision of Berlin versus
Cannes. Brutal youth drama “Beautiful Beings” premiered at Berlin Panorama
while period piece “Godland” premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. The two
films share some producers and crew in common who will be celebrating
regardless of which film gets picked. I’m predicting “Beautiful Beings”, which has slightly strong
reviews and also because director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson was expected to
represent Iceland in 2017 for “Heartstone” but was unexpectedly snubbed for the
cute but forgettable comedy “Under the Tree”. The director of “Godland”, about
a 19<sup>th</sup> century Danish priest who slowly goes mad after being sent to a remote Icelandic village, has been picked once before for “A White White Day”
(which I did not like). It’s a more challenging film and tiny Iceland will want
to maximize its chances of making the shortlist two years in a row.
“Beings” will have a better shot. Unlikely but possible: period drama
“Reply to a Letter from Helga”, about a forbidden love affair, and raucous hit
comedy sequel “The Very Last Fishing Trip”. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhOGVMBqwXQKjhwGBI64T2SLNLM1WgVh5Jhm-YbaehP5zPMGbH5Ra-k5Z8SP8WkLWCwJ54wzHJww3aborsZnmrb6IAMqEvf-LVXVZIMzDUaA3ndUCOcZw5CXY6W4_7GaaKZtX9Sp084uXo9n4CIO6BrQY_RUJUNCTxXh7JDt_sklYjnoQhBfkp6RQ9XA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhOGVMBqwXQKjhwGBI64T2SLNLM1WgVh5Jhm-YbaehP5zPMGbH5Ra-k5Z8SP8WkLWCwJ54wzHJww3aborsZnmrb6IAMqEvf-LVXVZIMzDUaA3ndUCOcZw5CXY6W4_7GaaKZtX9Sp084uXo9n4CIO6BrQY_RUJUNCTxXh7JDt_sklYjnoQhBfkp6RQ9XA=w220-h144" width="220" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/45/Flag_of_Ireland.svg/46px-Flag_of_Ireland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>IRELAND- “The Quiet Girl” (WRITTEN BEFORE THE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT) </b>Few countries have an easier choice
this year than Ireland. “The Quiet Girl” is primarily in Irish, it has gotten a
cinematic release, it won two awards at a major film festival (in the K+
Section in Berlin), and has done extremely well with critics and audiences. To top it all off, it just
won Best Picture at the Irish Film Awards, defeating the favorite, “Belfast”.
Ireland doesn’t produce many films in Irish, so this film about a young girl
thriving in a foster case home who discovers a secret, is a shoo-in. <b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjbpzWT5BS1U63m586M3wwFy5K_QTaJXsZKbvxLLKRPLIrKEqQ47zwQdAAJQ48kHT95mTZ-p3JY5UPj1IRg9_EgaF4doMUNZXRtuaoJM8ac9eyA0NvFulJnG0hP-0KxuW-l_pdl_hmL6Rt1Mmdff_qfDhDP0kd6gPt2JLP06ezOveIqJYeJAWQR6UZ5Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjbpzWT5BS1U63m586M3wwFy5K_QTaJXsZKbvxLLKRPLIrKEqQ47zwQdAAJQ48kHT95mTZ-p3JY5UPj1IRg9_EgaF4doMUNZXRtuaoJM8ac9eyA0NvFulJnG0hP-0KxuW-l_pdl_hmL6Rt1Mmdff_qfDhDP0kd6gPt2JLP06ezOveIqJYeJAWQR6UZ5Q=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></div><p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1500" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/23px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/35px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/03/Flag_of_Italy.svg/45px-Flag_of_Italy.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ITALY- </b><b>“Nostalgia” </b>Italy has
more wins in this category than any other country, but they’ve only been
nominated three times in the past 20 years (twice for Paolo Sorrentino, and
once for “Don’t Tell”, probably the most
forgettable nominee I’ve ever seen). The
Italian Academy prefers established directors. They’ve <b>never </b>selected a new
director, and in the past twenty years, 17 of their Oscar submissions were made
by directors who represented the country more than once (and one of the three
others- Claudio Caligari- was selected mostly out of sympathy after he died unexpectedly). So the Italians definitely play favorites. In fact, they've only chose a really young, up-and-coming director once in recent memory- Jonas Carpignano (“A
Ciambra”). In the past 30 years, they’ve also
only picked one woman (who was their second choice after their
first choice was disqualified). So we’re looking for a new movie by an older,
established, male director...and we have lots of movies that fit the profile. This year we have new movies by Gianni Amelio (selected
4 times w/1 Oscar nom; “Lord of the Ants”; Venice), Pupi Avati (selected once; “Dante”),
Marco Bellocchio (selected three times; “Exterior Night”), Emanuele Crialese (selected
twice; “L”Immensita; Venice), Mario Martone (“Nostalgia”, Cannes), Michele
Placido (“Caravaggio’s Shadow”), Paolo Taviani (selected twice, “Leonora Addio”,
Berlin), and Paolo Virzi (selected twice; "Siccita”). These eight will
be the frontrunners alongside Belgian co-production “Eight Mountains” (Cannes).
All eight Italian directors are men over 55 (three are over 80; Taviani is 90). </p><p>Cannes
Jury Prize winner “Eight Mountains” is probably the most critically acclaimed
Italian film of the year but Italy has never selected a film by a foreign
director (Oscar nominee Felix van Groeningen has repped Belgium twice). “Leonora
Addio” has the weakest notices, but the Taviani Brothers were an institution, and this is probably 90-year old Paolo’s last film. The other two films that have
been seen by critics are “Nostalgia”, which is the sort of grim Neopolitan drama
that the Italian Academy loves, and “Exterior Night”, which is a 5 ½ hour film
that premiered at a Cannes sidebar which will be re-edited into a TV series. The
other five will premiere later this year: two costume biopics, 14th century “Dante” and 16th century “Caravaggio’s Shadow”, LGBT drama “Lord of the Ants” and
two new films headlined by big stars- family drama “L’Immensita” (with Penelope
Cruz) and comedy “Siccita” (with Monica Bellucci). Mario Martone is felt to be
overdue (he probably came in 2<sup>nd</sup> place at least twice) so “Nostalgia”
is my prediction, although I think that the starpower of Penelope Cruz could win out if “L’immensita” wins something big at Venice. These are my two top predictions, although I think “Eight Mountains” and the two glossy costume
dramas, “Dante” and “Caravaggio’s Shadow” will be in Italy's Top 5. Other films
that could be on Italy’s (usually very long) longlist- “The Adventures of Gigi
the Law”, “Cattivo Sangue”, “Chiara” (Venice), “The Code of Silence” ,“Grand Bolero”,
“Il pataffio”, “Princess”, “Small Body”, and documentary “Into My Name”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6_ZQ17_c1GCiOjUbfpr28iyuIzS2YfeNGUgWPbv-WDuMQpjuS-hmTY8zAiER0E8jynRH6DyGosnvVjlN-JjWQsj0iWiN3a04pWf7-IqItkDo4UeHMXktoMhcv95gm26pOM7EsdEzRAb_uyDNKGr5D98z4IYdeRakFTI_Bu-iYdDVEk8fUz5eIUHRU-g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi6_ZQ17_c1GCiOjUbfpr28iyuIzS2YfeNGUgWPbv-WDuMQpjuS-hmTY8zAiER0E8jynRH6DyGosnvVjlN-JjWQsj0iWiN3a04pWf7-IqItkDo4UeHMXktoMhcv95gm26pOM7EsdEzRAb_uyDNKGr5D98z4IYdeRakFTI_Bu-iYdDVEk8fUz5eIUHRU-g=w140-h178" width="140" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/23px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/35px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/da/Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg/46px-Flag_of_Luxembourg.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>LUXEMBOURG- “The Way to Happiness” </b>Most of
Luxembourg’s films are co-productions but ever since they were disqualified over nationality issues in 2006, they’ve always made sure to send films by local
Luxembourgian directors- with one controversial exception. In 2019, they sent
Israeli film “Tel Aviv on Fire” (which I loved!) and- surprisingly- it was accepted. But they prefer local Luxembourgian directors, which is why I’m predicting “The Way to Happiness” a French-language dramedy by Nicolas
Steil that’s been compared (mostly unfavorably) to “Life is Beautiful”. It’s
about a Holocaust survivor forced to confront his past when a foreign director decides to make a movie about his life. Reviews have been mixed but I suspect American
audiences will be more forgiving than European ones. There’s also Italian-language “Lost Flowers”,
a personal documentary about the COVID pandemic and German-language
coming-of-age dramedy “Raspberries with Mustard”. Their directors aren’t local
but supposedly they’re majority LUX productions. If Luxembourg wants to pull a
“Tel Aviv on Fire” and claim a film rejected by its host country, they could consider “A
Fleeting Encounter” (Switzerland) or “Where is Anne Frank?” (Israel) which have
Luxembourgian producers, or perhaps “Corsage”, which I assume will be claimed by Austria. <o:p></o:p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipjeKNnBiGIC0cUeQOA5a84AcSaASCpE_DX7g0Q14e47x8mmyExt3e-NFcOAYrrmVX-WqNhe4OCidJXijBAlXq_jU-8FHFabQYo2ZVFDcFCckedObMNkX4Z8OlqkduaAXteqkoZx8H6rtZ1sG55ddn-sHn3HpQMM9IrhiyeruYlOiyCAgFcvibr7XIqg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1482" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipjeKNnBiGIC0cUeQOA5a84AcSaASCpE_DX7g0Q14e47x8mmyExt3e-NFcOAYrrmVX-WqNhe4OCidJXijBAlXq_jU-8FHFabQYo2ZVFDcFCckedObMNkX4Z8OlqkduaAXteqkoZx8H6rtZ1sG55ddn-sHn3HpQMM9IrhiyeruYlOiyCAgFcvibr7XIqg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Malta.svg/23px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Malta.svg/35px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Flag_of_Malta.svg/45px-Flag_of_Malta.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MALTA- “Uwijja”</b> Tiny Malta deserved to make the Oscar
shortlist last year for “Luzzu”…but they didn’t because the Oscar committee apparently has
no taste. The only Maltese-language feature I know of this year is “Uwijja”,
about a man who goes missing, setting into play a tragic series of events.
Rebecca Cremona, who directed their first-ever submission, has a new WWII epic
in production and will probably rep the island next year.<b> </b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm7QhCDDNSSNDJjeECuTO2hiJBYVVq0Rgw9e6twnoI408Xefz1c49_Rt4VgaWATNQ8iz-WdGWHnUZVeYSeYs_DPOAJKJmmDFHOy6RM3TArKcuBgnDekGJhj7fOJ2-7t_DrwEVMRWRzrKpb7sGHCQuLJBT8zJllAo2_XEG1kryeQNWnfIE9JrXtdgrqAA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgm7QhCDDNSSNDJjeECuTO2hiJBYVVq0Rgw9e6twnoI408Xefz1c49_Rt4VgaWATNQ8iz-WdGWHnUZVeYSeYs_DPOAJKJmmDFHOy6RM3TArKcuBgnDekGJhj7fOJ2-7t_DrwEVMRWRzrKpb7sGHCQuLJBT8zJllAo2_XEG1kryeQNWnfIE9JrXtdgrqAA=w137-h175" width="137" /></a></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18pt;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/20/Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Netherlands.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NETHERLANDS-
“Sea of Time” </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In August, the Netherlands announced
it would be considering </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/professionals/see-nl/academy-awards">eleven, mostly very obscure
films</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. I’ll probably get in trouble for
saying this but it saddens me that there aren’t many authentically “Dutch”
films on the list- one is in Italian, one in Russian, one in Persian, one in Arabic,
with one about Senegalese asylum seekers….That leaves only half the list actually
about Dutch subjects. But that’s their prerogative…And, in fact, the two frontrunners- “Sea of
Time” and “Pink Moon”- actually are authentically Dutch stories. “Sea of Time”
was selected to open the Nederlands Film Festival later this year and is a
grand film in the style of their submissions in the 90s and 00s (back when the
Netherlands used to get nominated!! That hasn’t happened in twenty years….). It
focuses on a loving couple who lose their child on a boating trip in the 70s,
and then meet up again forty years later. “Pink Moon”, which got strong reviews
in Tribeca, sounds more like my cup of tea- it’s a darkly comic drama about an
elderly man who informs his daughter that he wishes to peacefully end his own
life. But it’s a wide-open race. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Netherlands went
with the sentimental choice- “Along the Way”- a drama about Afghan refugees
starring two real-life twin sisters (director Mijke de Jong has been selected twice
before) or “El Houb”, an LGBT film about a gay Moroccan-Dutch man coming out to
his conservative family (including Lubna Azabal, who also co-stars as the wife
in Morocco’s similarly themed “Blue Caftan”). I think it will be one of these
four. Unlikely but possible: moral dilemma drama “The Photo Camera”, unreleased
family drama “Narcosis” and Soviet POW documentary “Turn Your Body to the Sun”.
Out of luck: “Shabu” (Berlin 14+), an upbeat documentary about a
Surinamese-Dutch teen, Italian-language crime drama “Last Ride of the Wolves”
and two “kids in peril” family films, “Bigman” and “Totem”. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf8pOhTMg4-3c4vJJZKwWTY9XJNY0qnJVKnSPkMNpvESlMATX8kKJ_kg65gXAgWHIRP9TmA1hiIELpJd_9-AzHsLF1MIjYU19sPW_1SD8Utf5nDsFk-wrv1T_4oLSGaBiRNsIkYFJmBFVtvtJiOriOZb_78ZYwR55SCPbjBb7FbfDKlwN-bKQNTASxWg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1770" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjf8pOhTMg4-3c4vJJZKwWTY9XJNY0qnJVKnSPkMNpvESlMATX8kKJ_kg65gXAgWHIRP9TmA1hiIELpJd_9-AzHsLF1MIjYU19sPW_1SD8Utf5nDsFk-wrv1T_4oLSGaBiRNsIkYFJmBFVtvtJiOriOZb_78ZYwR55SCPbjBb7FbfDKlwN-bKQNTASxWg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="372" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/21px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/32px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Norway.svg/41px-Flag_of_Norway.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">NORWAY- “Narvik” </b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: times;">Norway had
a banner year last year, getting an Oscar nomination for “Worst Person in the
World” (which I was hoping would win over the tedious and overrated mess of “Drive
My Car”) after missing much deserved nominations for “Hope” and “What Will
People Say”. The critically acclaimed “The Innocents” and “Nothing To Laugh
About” didn’t even make the Norwegian shortlist last year, which shows what a strong year it was for Norwegian cinema. This year is a bit
thinner, and I don’t see many films with a chance to make their traditional
three-film shortlist. Favorite “Narvik”, about Norway fighting the Nazis, will
certainly be on the list. I expect it will be joined by comedy “Sick of Myself”
(Cannes UCR) and either small-town drama “A Human Position” or “Krigsseileren”,
another WWII drama. Other options: Roar Uthaug is Norway’s “big-budget”
director and his new monster movie “Troll” could make the shortlist, even
though it won’t actually be selected; upcoming biopic “Munch” is about one of Norway’s
most celebrated artists (I hate biopics); and documentary “Name of the Game” (Trond
Giske) is about political corruption. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: times;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSPV7l9R9ko_v58M0z3_qGoVLsi5iBWFh2JhvYr6l4XfKhcBLPVUkG_SP8UD0axZ6M-hWTknJ4w1E69M2o13BAEtZRO-ASXJuxbwnFXU39oIz81kgSUll6nrL2SCSKrVVD3YZtUuCv2-AKzHjB3ELURiqHkn7gXysHNqgoi1jBg5yiUi1TSovbbhM60g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSPV7l9R9ko_v58M0z3_qGoVLsi5iBWFh2JhvYr6l4XfKhcBLPVUkG_SP8UD0axZ6M-hWTknJ4w1E69M2o13BAEtZRO-ASXJuxbwnFXU39oIz81kgSUll6nrL2SCSKrVVD3YZtUuCv2-AKzHjB3ELURiqHkn7gXysHNqgoi1jBg5yiUi1TSovbbhM60g=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div></span><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="400" data-file-width="600" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Flag_of_Portugal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Portugal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PORTUGAL- "Tommy Guns"- </b>Last year, Portugal picked a movie where the director read random letters to the audience, while the camera focused off to the
side, as if it was bored. The year before, they picked a plotless movie featuring a woman mumbling in
the dark <b>for over two hours</b>. The year before that was somewhat less embarrassing; they picked a three-hour
Portuguese soap opera channeling <i>Falcon Crest</i>. Portugal holds the record for
the most Oscar submissions (38) without ever being nominated (or shortlisted).
I’m not certain they’ve ever even come close….I’ve seen nine of these 38 films;
most were terrible and even the best one (“Blood of My Blood”) was a 7.5/10.
Sorry Portugal. Having said that, 2022 has been a strong year for Portugal and five previously
submitted directors have new films. Most people are predicting “Will-o-the-Wisp”,
a weird 67-minute gay musical comedy set in the year 2069; it played at Cannes
and I actually want to see it. “Remains of the Wind” (by the director of their
2019 soap opera) is supposed to be good too; it’s about a reunion of friends
after 25 years. Angolan war drama “Tommy Guns” (Locarno) is probably the most
acclaimed Portuguese film of the year. Angola doesn’t have a committee, but the director is Portuguese-Angolan and the film is set amidst Angola’s war for
independence against Portugal. Wouldn’t it be funny if Portugal got their first
nomination for a film made in another country? For the last few years, Portugal has announced a shortlist of 4-6 films before their announcement. I predict the other films
on the list will be family drama “Mal Viver”, “Nothing Ever Happened”, about
teens from dysfunctional families and “Alma Viva” (Cannes Critics Week), about
a girl from a small village dealing with her grandmother’s death. But “Amadeo”, “The Child”, “Great Yarmouth” (too
much English?) and “Revolta” could be on the list too. Not eligible: I think royal
historical drama “Pedro” will count for Brazil. Prediction: Unless they hear that Angola is
forming a committee (which they should!), Portugal will grab “Tommy Guns”. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFcXaBfY91S9vaTjhKfwxV03uTJ2UQ_vFpIPHotZquMTtaMqw8rT7hvg3pqyFLqzPZ_6yeJiZm-jHxVaSd9RiNPHK7LQEK1Wtm-c_v3tnuuLOE9cyiC685CB9yxANjz6cSykMJaFx_xXmCvEnBc4WwqwRPReS8P7X3jx7FQB_9Z7bVbuV9cEg9WOkPTg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgFcXaBfY91S9vaTjhKfwxV03uTJ2UQ_vFpIPHotZquMTtaMqw8rT7hvg3pqyFLqzPZ_6yeJiZm-jHxVaSd9RiNPHK7LQEK1Wtm-c_v3tnuuLOE9cyiC685CB9yxANjz6cSykMJaFx_xXmCvEnBc4WwqwRPReS8P7X3jx7FQB_9Z7bVbuV9cEg9WOkPTg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="750" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/23px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/35px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9a/Flag_of_Spain.svg/45px-Flag_of_Spain.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SPAIN- "Lullaby" (Cinco Lobitos) </b>Spain announced their usual three-film shortlist on August 25. There were no big surprises; the list included critically-acclaimed dramas "Alcarràs" (Winner, Berlinale 2022), "The Beasts" (San Sebastian) and "Lullaby" (Berlin Panorama). All-star comedy and box-office hit "Official Competition" probably came in 4th place and will now have to hope it gets picked by Argentina. Spain has a tough choice. All three finalists are well regarded by both critics and audiences, and I'd argue that all of them could potentially make the final 15 at the Oscars. Two of the directors have been in the race for an Oscar before. In 2017, Carla Simon became the third woman and the second director working in the Catalan language to represent Spain, with "Summer 1993". In 2019, Rodrigo Sorogoyen got an Oscar nomination in the Live-Action Short category for the brilliant thriller "Mother". Alauda Ruiz de Azúa is making her feature debut (which could hurt her since Spain usually selects established directors). Interestingly, the three directors and three films represent Spain's four main ethnic regions- "Alcarràs" is from Catalonia, "Lullaby" is from the Basque Country, and "The Beasts" was made in Galicia by a Castilian Spanish director. "Alcarràs", about a family of farmers in turmoil when their new landowner sells the property they've worked for generations, is the favorite by virtue of its Berlin win. But although Berlin Golden Bear winners are almost always selected for the Oscars when eligible (nine times since 2000), they're not usually nominated (just 3 times out of nine). According to websites like IMDB, Letterboxd and Rotten Tomatoes, it's mother-daughter drama "Lullaby" that has the strongest reviews. For the record, it's thriller "The Beasts" that looks like the best film, and the one I'm hoping for....but I'm pretty sure it will come third. All three films would make a strong contender for Spain but my prediction is that it's between the two women. "Alcarràs" has the box-office and the Berlin Prize. "Lullaby" has the support of Pedro Almodovar (who, despite complaining about the Spanish Academy, has been picked seven times) and the critics. The Spanish Academy votes with their hearts and often dumps the frontrunner- ask the cast and crew of "Talk to Her", "Everybody Knows" etc.....So I predict a surprise win for "Lullaby". Maybe that's because I'm still angry at Carla Simon for making me waste 95 minutes of my time watching kids play in their backyard in "Summer 1993", the worst Spanish submission I've seen yet....</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaULwj1-5Ystml-glfWnlVm8SiOZAnO7rFuBai-8MjcyeCXGJZvsVhYFjZV1QZx0ZgOwPxYB541qdKsJlLeJgb-PfWoFYfef-H0blkUTKl6y-BnCoGsuy0HjCXkyJyCf7Xlt5SamHAETQzyePWmchjsZ0joaaCCknd1TupNwwouBIUQU3hys9-VtxgqA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaULwj1-5Ystml-glfWnlVm8SiOZAnO7rFuBai-8MjcyeCXGJZvsVhYFjZV1QZx0ZgOwPxYB541qdKsJlLeJgb-PfWoFYfef-H0blkUTKl6y-BnCoGsuy0HjCXkyJyCf7Xlt5SamHAETQzyePWmchjsZ0joaaCCknd1TupNwwouBIUQU3hys9-VtxgqA=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p></p><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="1000" data-file-width="1600" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Sweden.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sweden.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SWEDEN- "Holy Spider" </b>Sweden usually announces a three-film shortlist before their final announcement and two of those spots are pretty much locked- Ali Abbasi's "Holy Spider" and Tarik Saleh's "Boy From Heaven". Both competed in the main competition at Cannes 2022 and won major awards, although they lost the Palme d'Or to fellow Swedish film "Triangle of Sadness" (which is in English). "Spider" is in Persian and "Heaven" is in Arabic, so I imagine Sweden would like to have one film in Swedish to round out the shortlist, and that will probably be "Burn My Letters', starring Bill Skarsgård, or "Comedy Queen", which won a Crystal Bear at Berlin in the 14+ category. It could also be Lena Olin's new film "Andra akten", LGBT documentary "Nelly & Nadine" or drama "Maya Nilo". But this is probably a race between the two Middle Eastern films (Sweden has selected films in Georgian and Russian to represent them before). "Holy Spider" won Best Actress for exiled Iranian actress Zar Amir-Ebrahimi (now based in France) while "Boy From Heaven" won Best Screenplay so it's a tight race. Serial killer thriller "Holy Spider", set in Iran, has the buzz and slightly warmer reviews so that's my prediction. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnwqIn2LtcthcShcKm_bN3oGuCyIprVH6iVHjtvyOfulqDJLT16GFhwLZ5ZYoi7EFkalfV6X7TBqXXiVR7_W49znCLCkCu2G9tQLUuBoH0TS038w0uvKhs0tD4pd1sYBCkGIDNFSQ2KBaFxRIyRD41LMvFxoPVl269RYdyyWoa_ZC-NzDwn8j4qcP_zg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1119" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnwqIn2LtcthcShcKm_bN3oGuCyIprVH6iVHjtvyOfulqDJLT16GFhwLZ5ZYoi7EFkalfV6X7TBqXXiVR7_W49znCLCkCu2G9tQLUuBoH0TS038w0uvKhs0tD4pd1sYBCkGIDNFSQ2KBaFxRIyRD41LMvFxoPVl269RYdyyWoa_ZC-NzDwn8j4qcP_zg=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="512" data-file-width="512" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Switzerland.svg/15px-Flag_of_Switzerland.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Switzerland.svg/23px-Flag_of_Switzerland.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Flag_of_Switzerland.svg/30px-Flag_of_Switzerland.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="15" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SWITZERLAND- “<s>La ligne</s>” “Piece of Sky” </b>I was
researching the nine films on Switzerland’s shortlist when they suddenly
announced their submission would be the German-language “A Piece of Sky”, a
tragic romance narrated by a choir (?!) that got mostly good reviews in Berlin. I’m
going to mark this as “incorrect” for my predictions because I was going to
predict “La ligne”, the <b>other </b>Swiss film in the Main Competition in
Berlin, mainly because director Ursula Meier made the Oscar shortlist for
“Sister”. The Swiss shortlist included five films from the German region
(Winner “Piece of Sky”, plus “The Black Spider”, “Semret”, “Soul of a Beast”
and “Unrest”), three films from the French region (my prediction “La ligne”,
plus “Continental Drift” and “A Fleeting Encounter”) and one film from Spain
(“La agua”) that seems to have no connection to Switzerland whatsoever. In
terms of what films actually look interesting, I would have preferred they pick
medieval horror-drama “Black Spider” (which sounds like “Sennentunschi”, one of
my favorite Swiss films) or “A Fleeting Encounter”, a culture-clash drama with
an international cast. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV1E49i9-IIPUEIKKPk5vDOp_7hIJZ_hdVwTwsa6BMiWORPwT-uOuV-FIQg89fNYibu-wdP70ZMhlOxVol3z1LMEi-I_apqzM_jW-f0i6eHUcHqwUtQiJz1pgsxjwbgxKTBV9YL-DpmW4836M8U-sg_nQ_t4HXzf9Q3G43sCbE16Gj6YkW9tzokWtcwA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiV1E49i9-IIPUEIKKPk5vDOp_7hIJZ_hdVwTwsa6BMiWORPwT-uOuV-FIQg89fNYibu-wdP70ZMhlOxVol3z1LMEi-I_apqzM_jW-f0i6eHUcHqwUtQiJz1pgsxjwbgxKTBV9YL-DpmW4836M8U-sg_nQ_t4HXzf9Q3G43sCbE16Gj6YkW9tzokWtcwA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4pr4-tLUXsdxwlruk8mP9cxXF9fJGi9x8yJsIq0LhHe5ad_Wb1kYE7EUjTOLLsFVifwr_UxaX6QxPDn0teofSp_OzzBOBJGs3tEQvfSR3eNKTOhOwxpafqsE4fxJg0mxuA7--3tTXYHK7Ub38PFNj_0-PlB_y8jkAx47HERsp1CclFm1AIc7kcXTzyw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4pr4-tLUXsdxwlruk8mP9cxXF9fJGi9x8yJsIq0LhHe5ad_Wb1kYE7EUjTOLLsFVifwr_UxaX6QxPDn0teofSp_OzzBOBJGs3tEQvfSR3eNKTOhOwxpafqsE4fxJg0mxuA7--3tTXYHK7Ub38PFNj_0-PlB_y8jkAx47HERsp1CclFm1AIc7kcXTzyw=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div></div><p><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ae/Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>UNITED KINGDOM- </b><b>“Winners” </b>The UK obviously produces most of
their movies in English but globalization (and the 2006 rule change allowing films in non-official languages of the host country) has meant that British directors have
qualified to send films fairly regularly since 2008 (they’ve skipped three
times). Before 2006, they mostly sent films in Welsh. Since then, only a quarter
of entries have been Welsh films, with the rest in a motley
crew of African, Asian and Middle Eastern languages, including two documentaries. If they want to go “native”, the frontrunners are
two horror-dramas “The Feast” (in Welsh) and “Enys Men” (in Cornish). If they
want to go with an international language, it could be “Winners” (in Persian), “The
Anglistanis” (in Hindi), Afghan documentary “My Childhood, My Country” (in Persian) or “The Swimmers”
(in Arabic). I was ready to predict “My Childhood, My Country”, a documentary
twenty years in the making following the boy (now an adult man) from “Boy Mir”…but
I think it aired on UK television first. And I fear inspiring Olympic refugee
drama “The Swimmers” will have too much English to qualify. So, I think it’s between psychological horror-thriller “Enys Men” (the second feature film ever made in the dying Cornish language)
and “Winners” (by an Afghan director who once represented Afghanistan), a Majidi-esque
drama about two children trying to find the owner of a missing object. “Enys”
has more buzz, “Winners” better reviews. I predict “Winners" will be the final submission. <br /></p><p><b>POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigWfm0IPd-pc0KBk9_5K2b3zakMLBHS05wkntjD_kdcX37p2eIzJQaW4ZA7QmmKOjbuFfudpab7_tyagk9hmX1Pzn5sm1dnUobmM1dlwiu0DhW7VSpsJoEyqSjTMxggye6ladJ3NBpsbwTQwe23Utr0HliQIOVDNIFL1z37od_PqacZE0dgczBc0SegQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigWfm0IPd-pc0KBk9_5K2b3zakMLBHS05wkntjD_kdcX37p2eIzJQaW4ZA7QmmKOjbuFfudpab7_tyagk9hmX1Pzn5sm1dnUobmM1dlwiu0DhW7VSpsJoEyqSjTMxggye6ladJ3NBpsbwTQwe23Utr0HliQIOVDNIFL1z37od_PqacZE0dgczBc0SegQ=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><p></p><p><b>CYPRUS </b>is the only EU country that doesn't participate in the Oscars, although they do make a number of respectable films each year, and they did join the European Film Promotion organization in 2016. If they finally join this year, it's likely to be ".dog", about a young man getting to know his father who has just been released from prison. It was nominated for three Greek Academy Awards, winning one. <br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p><b><br /></b></p></div></div>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-15768368998768270102022-08-23T12:42:00.005-04:002022-08-23T14:20:08.096-04:00 OSCARS 2023: Predictions for the Asia-Pacific Submissions<p>And here are the 28 countries from the Asia-Pacific region....</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIAOqYOrtNf2dTq3KAlXLa_5nGqhZDl_40KD-legMAZUV4guG9USThVHSvphuwi34DouZ5NlrfyEOX-WBN1TidlqoLt8WF_j21eRx1GffR_Jc1w7d97wKnK6YXxLOajANJIrhOlNG9MxdAaNgPhYOJLiySN5qp3Yzl99b8jxmO35qPKfyr3cslZLeTGA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIAOqYOrtNf2dTq3KAlXLa_5nGqhZDl_40KD-legMAZUV4guG9USThVHSvphuwi34DouZ5NlrfyEOX-WBN1TidlqoLt8WF_j21eRx1GffR_Jc1w7d97wKnK6YXxLOajANJIrhOlNG9MxdAaNgPhYOJLiySN5qp3Yzl99b8jxmO35qPKfyr3cslZLeTGA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlo-TWj9c0wNa4DZP_qgb5_rZis7vNmGEweClzVwsS7qNbfZITD1eWnW0d3X5evwOh4cmw-u5ChR3aChVxodDDncSz7OH_8dvXtLBsj-oBIqRcDGUXplgpmTS_lUxeOq5EuRJMIpvYn2-x7w90Rikolmiv-YlPulxDquXy0QUnfUPyqyf5uw-4hfoHow" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlo-TWj9c0wNa4DZP_qgb5_rZis7vNmGEweClzVwsS7qNbfZITD1eWnW0d3X5evwOh4cmw-u5ChR3aChVxodDDncSz7OH_8dvXtLBsj-oBIqRcDGUXplgpmTS_lUxeOq5EuRJMIpvYn2-x7w90Rikolmiv-YlPulxDquXy0QUnfUPyqyf5uw-4hfoHow=w215-h131" width="215" /></a></div></div><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg/22px-Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg/33px-Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg/44px-Flag_of_Afghanistan_%282013%E2%80%932021%29.svg.png 2x" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">AFGHANISTAN- “In her Hands”</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Whither Afghanistan. Even before the
brutal Taliban retook the country in August 2021, forcing most of the country’s
artists and filmmakers into exile or into hiding, Afghanistan was not doing well with
AMPAS. Their selection committee was disqualified in 2019 (not sure why) and
they failed to send a film in 2020. Now there are no films being made- and that's tragic. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen every Afghan submission since 2010 and
they’ve sent some truly wonderful films, deserving (in my view) at least two
shortlist spots. </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On the bright side,</span> two of Afghanistan's leading female directors are in pre-production on new films abroad. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I'm sure Afghanistan will be absent from the Oscars for awhile, but for the sake of completion, I'll predict "In Her Hands", a documentary by Oscar-nominated female Afghan director Tamana Ayazi (doc short "Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone") about the rise and fall of Afghanistan's first female mayor. It's due to premiere in Toronto and is produced by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton. </span>There's also “The Endless War”, a
low-budget action-thriller being touted as one of the last films made in the
country before the Taliban takeover. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDSwoGPTAUmJ70hV7dwXkBBK82TN4zzDK10r8ABJf83EKvJSSwDoxIH5B_DT01ySmfkAhsWCq-blvRTizCnFur0O10a9hYndKbvzQXOV4XolcFs1_JRIwuinnyezW1nFjpu1zPfi2TQSaMSxZ5_zIjlg6p8DH19r7DMVUsmUaSVqoQA-DLKb72NURbbA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="259" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDSwoGPTAUmJ70hV7dwXkBBK82TN4zzDK10r8ABJf83EKvJSSwDoxIH5B_DT01ySmfkAhsWCq-blvRTizCnFur0O10a9hYndKbvzQXOV4XolcFs1_JRIwuinnyezW1nFjpu1zPfi2TQSaMSxZ5_zIjlg6p8DH19r7DMVUsmUaSVqoQA-DLKb72NURbbA=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="1280" decoding="async" height="11" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/22px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/33px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b9/Flag_of_Australia.svg/44px-Flag_of_Australia.svg.png 2x" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">AUSTRALIA- “You Won’t Be Alone” </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">English-speaking
Australia has sent films to the Foreign Film category nine of the past ten years
and they’ll be back again this year, probably with “You Won’t Be Alone”,
by Macedonian-born, Melbourne-based Australian filmmaker Goran Stolevski.
Starring Noomi Rapace (who co-starred in last year's “Lamb”, another horror flick in a language she does not speak), it’s a horror film about witchcraft and ancient
curses in 19<sup>th</sup> century Macedonia that already got a U.S. release in
2022. While not a likely nominee, this would be a high-profile submission…and
let’s not forget that “Lamb” made the shortlist! The horror film faces a challenge from “We
Are Still Here”, a series of short films by four Australian and four New Zealand
directors about modern indigenous heroes (which could also be submitted by New
Zealand). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_AHiHkjPO7ZncEY4lsGFwD9rUIVUczSBl1NV7G-k7RIozSFZU0r5pF4pHx4IWZbXyYFbMDmEM71KjJzMOGaOpRTsWyW7PQ3FVzsPsklVOqvAYaOZmUqMg1jwaZZc6IygHTT6gKV3hac6a7S2egKvbr2zrz_5BaktRjY8-SmvC_dszpRutfjLk2r5kkA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="257" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_AHiHkjPO7ZncEY4lsGFwD9rUIVUczSBl1NV7G-k7RIozSFZU0r5pF4pHx4IWZbXyYFbMDmEM71KjJzMOGaOpRTsWyW7PQ3FVzsPsklVOqvAYaOZmUqMg1jwaZZc6IygHTT6gKV3hac6a7S2egKvbr2zrz_5BaktRjY8-SmvC_dszpRutfjLk2r5kkA=w155-h212" width="155" /></a></span></span></div><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f9/Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg/46px-Flag_of_Bangladesh.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BANGLADESH- “Hawa” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Maritime thriller “Hawa”, about a
group of fisherman who encounter a mysterious young woman at sea, is breaking box-office
records in Bangladesh and is my prediction to go to the Oscars. However,
there are some allegations that the film is a copy of Korea’s 2014 Oscar
submission “Haemoo” (Sea Fog). If that becomes an issue (and Bangladesh is corrupt enough that it probably won't), I predict they'll send political thriller “Paap Punyo”, made by the country’s most influential film
studio (which has supplied most of the country’s Oscar submissions). Other options:
murder mystery “Redrum”, upcoming rural drama “Adom” and “Raat Jaga Phool”, which sounds like a combination of the first two (the murder of a boy in a rural area). I'm really hoping they don’t do a "Lula" (See Brazil 2010) and choose sycophantic biopic “Mujib: The Making of a
Nation”, about Bangladesh’s first Prime Minister (and father of the current Prime
Minister). Not eligible: “Rickshaw Girl”, probably the #1 Bangladeshi film of
the year, and “No Land’s Man” (Busan), by Bangladesh’s leading international
director- Mostofa Sarwar Farooki- who has been selected three times. Both are
primarily in English.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3L4d_WrCcpL8bGoSrGaajvF0kDD5MRdlA8zqRhe54Kq4inyG1rRhsle2ACOxu6XPBCpZAmE8XBryfoGWyHHm51oJ8Jqc6yVGdxLEEJyh1pz8zu0gCOyE-AsolOyUBAy79P5Q86I2JGaHp-D13IyFMutD128q1FBrl9M_2gtEN09H929_6AykX-4Cp3Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3L4d_WrCcpL8bGoSrGaajvF0kDD5MRdlA8zqRhe54Kq4inyG1rRhsle2ACOxu6XPBCpZAmE8XBryfoGWyHHm51oJ8Jqc6yVGdxLEEJyh1pz8zu0gCOyE-AsolOyUBAy79P5Q86I2JGaHp-D13IyFMutD128q1FBrl9M_2gtEN09H929_6AykX-4Cp3Q=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Flag_of_Bhutan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Bhutan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">BHUTAN- “One Night in Thimphu” </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Bhutan
was the Cinderella story of last year’s Oscars, netting a surprise nomination
for the charming, low-budget indie “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”. Bhutan actually produces quite a
lot of movies but most of them are made for purely local audiences. If you want to
see some of them, there’s a new site/app called <i>Samuh </i>where you can watch them (a few have English subtitles). Bhutan
doesn’t have any real Oscar contenders this year, but after last year's success they may choose to send one of their
local films to give them some publicity, e.g. “One Night in Thimphu”, about a couple
travelling to the capital to get a divorce. The filmmakers won a local Best
Picture in Bhutan a few years back. If they send something, it will probably be selected more based on whether English subtitles are available rather than the quality of the film. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwhHxwIfD-4bNGppIUw7GiSfl3wm2vjh5xU1im4NoNkkuooLKw4MEjOQCiflEPrlT_nhV2wou3uBrCfKJy20wDp9GmNLupVRw1bA2WQsq-Bqv54_LkzIYPYEzx4TixtCRIyfPjD5mkAgbTjebYmQAZKFTRSk9OHmjFd7OZip39n-ef-f17BL55RY140w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="500" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwhHxwIfD-4bNGppIUw7GiSfl3wm2vjh5xU1im4NoNkkuooLKw4MEjOQCiflEPrlT_nhV2wou3uBrCfKJy20wDp9GmNLupVRw1bA2WQsq-Bqv54_LkzIYPYEzx4TixtCRIyfPjD5mkAgbTjebYmQAZKFTRSk9OHmjFd7OZip39n-ef-f17BL55RY140w=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></span></div><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="640" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Flag_of_Cambodia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cambodia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpac621ee4s1"><b>CAMBODIA - “Everything
Will Be OK” </b>I</span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpac621ee4s2">f Cambodia, has its way, I predict they will send quirky mystery “Karmalink”, billed as
Buddhism meets Sci-Fi. It's totally unique, very Cambodian, and it premiered in Venice last year where it got good
reviews…but, with the exception of one producer, the director and crew are all
foreign. American director Jake Wachtel is based in Cambodia…but I’m not sure
if that counts. It should be noted that “Before the Fall”, which had an Australian director, did qualify in 2016 with a similar situation. With “Karmalink”’s eligibility in doubt, Cambodia’s
sole Oscar nominee- documentarian Rithy Panh- will be waiting in the wings. His latest- “Everything Will Be Okay”- won an award in Berlin, but it’s generally considered his weakest work. Using static clay figurines similar to those from
the Oscar-nominated “Missing Picture” this is a cerebral
documentary-cum-fantasy about animals dominating a future human society. Critics complain that it is filled with overwhelming, droning French-language narration. I like Panh ("S21" is one
of the best docs ever) but I’m rooting for "Karmalink". Dark horse: Cambodian
director Davy Chou’s “Return to Seoul” (Cannes) is not very Cambodian at all, but may meet the nationality requirements for this story about a French-Korean adoptee
returning to Korea to discover her roots. </span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6sWrm3TQL7ptym7zTXallqYmsCPXloYdGTqV_PvdbeqYp1rn21nO1UNQxT-gpZnSbgiTCEmsJ9woeTYIgjdbaR0Oa-zX4wUu9KZCumNNQvItDa3zMPWiOHk-2gVtScYHXxZXqMEr2yz6qizwuo4is8b2BbQ__L4Pa_F7L3BDvnlm0Yy0LdHYP21dT3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6sWrm3TQL7ptym7zTXallqYmsCPXloYdGTqV_PvdbeqYp1rn21nO1UNQxT-gpZnSbgiTCEmsJ9woeTYIgjdbaR0Oa-zX4wUu9KZCumNNQvItDa3zMPWiOHk-2gVtScYHXxZXqMEr2yz6qizwuo4is8b2BbQ__L4Pa_F7L3BDvnlm0Yy0LdHYP21dT3A=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><br /></div><p class="yiv7548285328ydp814724cep1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_People%27s_Republic_of_China.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><b>CHINA- "Return to Dust" </b>China makes the strangest choices and I think last year was the first year they picked the frontrunner (Zhang Yimou's low-key spy thriller "Cliff Walkers") since 2013. Although China makes some truly wonderful films, they don't send them. In the past ten years, the best film they've sent (according to both IMDB and Letterboxd) is kiddie cartoon "Ne Zha". That's sad....and very possibly true! (I've seen 9 out of 10 and personally liked "Caught in the Web" and "Go Away, Mr. Tumor", but they were hardly Oscar-worthy). Why not send "Shadow" or "Coffin in the Mountain"? Last year, was the first time they even tried to send a real Oscar contender since 2014, so here's hoping they'll send a quality film instead of a movie all critics find boring (2016), a poorly reviewed action blockbuster (2017) or a spy thriller no one likes (2018). So who are the five main Chinese contenders? "Lighting Up the Stars", a drama seeking to channel Czech winner "Kolya", "Nice View", a comedy-drama about a man trying to pay for his sister's surgery, and the only Best Picture nominee from the Hundred Flowers Awards to be eligible this year, "Return to Dust", an arthouse film about an arranged marriage and the only Chinese to compete at a major festival this year (Berlinale 2022), "Run Tiger Run", a well-received Chinese anime in the style of "Ne Zha", and "Snipers", a Korean War drama and the latest from Zhang Yimou (who repped China last year). Jackie Chan's "Home Operation", a Chinese version of "Escape from Mogadishu", about the evacuation of Chinese nationals from wartorn Yemen probably won't be finished in time. I'm in a good today so let's predict China's sends something good. I predict "Return to Dust", followed by "Lighting Up the Stars". </span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp814724cep1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></b></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp814724cep1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9XKhrnD-ZcHS9Bzs_ffk9yPgp-FY46j4dWDwNFCrUbQuWoh5NtcZ_gUdWs7eBABlm29LUWJcSHMe7Vcf7Wp13Ozb-0bWECty3rme-fYBKBCrHRkoHLnPf0-ODSCs5rrNZONrRk82DP-qfM3x7BqZT6ZN9fYOali5ap8H8tm6HRHhFnMPhm_YR_gXUeQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9XKhrnD-ZcHS9Bzs_ffk9yPgp-FY46j4dWDwNFCrUbQuWoh5NtcZ_gUdWs7eBABlm29LUWJcSHMe7Vcf7Wp13Ozb-0bWECty3rme-fYBKBCrHRkoHLnPf0-ODSCs5rrNZONrRk82DP-qfM3x7BqZT6ZN9fYOali5ap8H8tm6HRHhFnMPhm_YR_gXUeQ=w200-h100" width="200" /></a></span></span></b></div><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"><br /></span></span></b><p></p>
<p class="yiv7548285328ydp814724cep1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Fiji.svg/23px-Flag_of_Fiji.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Fiji.svg/35px-Flag_of_Fiji.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/ba/Flag_of_Fiji.svg/46px-Flag_of_Fiji.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">FIJI- Nothing </span></span></b><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;">Fiji sent a single film
in 2005 but has no real domestic film industry and nothing eligible this year. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp814724cep1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDtZ_jCeWQEyVqwipf8O1xr5EJgixEOiXfSPfGxAsZd8VadPgZYx7hy3C6YSPJhXru4c32UvvBm3yedEnD2zP7wMCU3HG96ymGSIwinBZBL6gvKN_xUVCsPfOZXhlQd4NN1Ys-t9p0zs23Js6OCa3-GyTjydYkIGoJQr5xfXLqjG7Zv1iXQY1JWdRM9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDtZ_jCeWQEyVqwipf8O1xr5EJgixEOiXfSPfGxAsZd8VadPgZYx7hy3C6YSPJhXru4c32UvvBm3yedEnD2zP7wMCU3HG96ymGSIwinBZBL6gvKN_xUVCsPfOZXhlQd4NN1Ys-t9p0zs23Js6OCa3-GyTjydYkIGoJQr5xfXLqjG7Zv1iXQY1JWdRM9g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ4rdyLk44Jrr2honK5oF2YAhxoz1auqWIrVxgqhHP1-NcgnoQ7Vt97rV6QadGdRMdy0h3SuwApfgvrTNrAbm37S8-eFOZryIlAceXpL4C9VhQIbvmCTbktxYq9npQE0WA2MCH8DmABY47gibNUi14rvNYT6ofK7h68TgDe0vVWEb5QCyJzri0CS4FKw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="696" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ4rdyLk44Jrr2honK5oF2YAhxoz1auqWIrVxgqhHP1-NcgnoQ7Vt97rV6QadGdRMdy0h3SuwApfgvrTNrAbm37S8-eFOZryIlAceXpL4C9VhQIbvmCTbktxYq9npQE0WA2MCH8DmABY47gibNUi14rvNYT6ofK7h68TgDe0vVWEb5QCyJzri0CS4FKw=w213-h151" width="213" /></a></div><br /></span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/23px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/35px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg/45px-Flag_of_Hong_Kong.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">HONG KONG- “Once Upon A Time in Hong Kong” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">If the year ended today, Hong Kong
would probably pick “Mama’s Affair”, a soap opera cum family drama about a
housewife seeking to return to her career as a talent manager. But there are three months left until the November 30th deadline and “Once Upon A
Time in Hong Kong” could easily knock it down. The film has no release date yet, but it will 100% represent Hong
Kong once it comes out- either this year or next year. The film reunites the
cast and crew of “Infernal Affairs” (which was remade as Best Picture winner “The Departed”), including
Andy Lau and Tony Leung, for this crime drama set in the 1980s. The Hong Kong Academy
loves crime dramas, and this is one of the most expensive and hotly anticipated HK films
in recent history. If it’s released by November 30, it’s in. If not, it’s probably
“Mama”. Other options: “Barbarian Invasion” (Shanghai) and “A New Old Play” (Locarno
2021). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjPyiyXt77ArA81wD5eMl6qfKc1wmp9We1oRS40dAoVJ4bW137nbUOmb03tzO57UkrdFf738cjgRnhwwkW6qTwIth85TXipstEKlJ4eukbb_k84NM0dEQog59DGkAPLCRwVLWjDIwJ2Ji9qbXCT-48mWXAsvQ3kygjj-2LthBhGF70QXUtnKAU9KhI3w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="265" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgjPyiyXt77ArA81wD5eMl6qfKc1wmp9We1oRS40dAoVJ4bW137nbUOmb03tzO57UkrdFf738cjgRnhwwkW6qTwIth85TXipstEKlJ4eukbb_k84NM0dEQog59DGkAPLCRwVLWjDIwJ2Ji9qbXCT-48mWXAsvQ3kygjj-2LthBhGF70QXUtnKAU9KhI3w=w141-h200" width="141" /></a></span></div><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><br /><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="900" data-file-width="1350" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/23px-Flag_of_India.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/35px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/41/Flag_of_India.svg/45px-Flag_of_India.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>INDIA- "RRR" </b>India is almost impossible to predict. They make hundreds of movies in dozens of languages each year. In the past ten years, they've selected six regional films (in five different regional languages) and only two that could be described as traditional "Bollywood" (the goofy but charming "Barfi!" and the terribly dull "Gully Boy"). Four of the submissions ("The Good Road", "Liar's Dice", "Pebbles" and "Village Rockstars") were mostly unknown on the day they were chosen, and many popular favorites were ignored in favor of lesser films. So, it's surprising that this year, India appears to have reached a consensus that 3-hour Bollywood "RRR" is their best chance at an Oscar nomination in years. By some accounts the most expensive Indian film ever made, the film has done well with both Indian and Western critics, securing a Netflix deal and becoming one of only four Indian films in history to gross 10 billion rupees (about $150 million). And despite being popular with Hindi audiences and the "Bollywood"-style, it's also a regional film originally made in Telugu, whose film industry hasn't been selected for the Oscars since 1986. So, while it's not a sure thing (India's Academy makes weird choices), there's certainly no better prediction. Serious threats may come from Sanjay leela Bhansali's "Gangubai Kathiawadi" which played in a sidebar section of Berlinale, and "Aparajito" (in Bengali), a tribute to renowned Indian director Satyajit Ray, Other options that we may see on the shortlist: "Rocketry: The Nambi Effect" and "The Kashmir Files" (Hindi), "Bhoothakaalam" and "Freedom Fight" (Malayalam), "Mrugtushna" (Gujarati), "Taanakkaran" (Tamil), "Situ Ramam" (Telugu), and documentary "All that Breathes" (Hindi). </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCG-rvsVVGWtWdcf8wlPcwjjAdg0aHTthdwbzIIDOZ4P-WxCwgB_GEdW2dMjpV_fE4BCQb00fcPL9eqtzlfJTMGcxepcjSUueNGg5SKZgf2_8cFkv9IP99V0CojoWIKRMAGds_SEFv0iTL8Pl2qYNdeDW187R8S6AIA7QBxnbpsjxXG7KMWKp_zSaBjg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiCG-rvsVVGWtWdcf8wlPcwjjAdg0aHTthdwbzIIDOZ4P-WxCwgB_GEdW2dMjpV_fE4BCQb00fcPL9eqtzlfJTMGcxepcjSUueNGg5SKZgf2_8cFkv9IP99V0CojoWIKRMAGds_SEFv0iTL8Pl2qYNdeDW187R8S6AIA7QBxnbpsjxXG7KMWKp_zSaBjg=w171-h216" width="171" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">INDONESIA- “Before, Now and Then” (Nana) </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Indonesia’s
two main contenders are about how difficult it is to be an Indonesian woman. “Before, Now and Then” competed at Berlinale where it won Best Supporting Actress, and “Photocopier” swept the National Film Awards late last year. If they do pick the festival cache of “Before,
Now and Then”, 36-year old Kamila Andini
will have been selected two years in a row. The film is about a woman living amidst the political turmoil of Indonesia in the 1960s. Back in the
present-day, “Photocopier” follows a similar theme, this time a woman from a
conservative family who is thrown out of her home and loses her scholarship
when scandalous photos (which she cannot remember) surface on social media.
Dark horses include “Preman”, a crime drama with a deaf protagonist, and the upcoming “Autobiography”,
which is premiering in Venice but unlikely to get a local release in time (but will be a probable frontrunner for next year). I think "Before Now and Then" will be picked. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9e/Flag_of_Japan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Japan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">JAPAN- TBD</span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcVYKZkDOumTHWArGpbtFpzVJwzjXWttioICo88HxgLF3NhcrZXsjM-fOIKoXcq5XAeKTPMVTE4jo_7Kip6K2I_n38k8KW_aDYBQCr2824kkE4-hUujJB5clU9FPxFwuxqbu6eBpY4Dst6vPs8VR4ip7lzx7iEL9dLlt1PP6TFUTsL5ZriKGfzgHJqsg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="531" data-original-width="456" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhcVYKZkDOumTHWArGpbtFpzVJwzjXWttioICo88HxgLF3NhcrZXsjM-fOIKoXcq5XAeKTPMVTE4jo_7Kip6K2I_n38k8KW_aDYBQCr2824kkE4-hUujJB5clU9FPxFwuxqbu6eBpY4Dst6vPs8VR4ip7lzx7iEL9dLlt1PP6TFUTsL5ZriKGfzgHJqsg=w172-h200" width="172" /></a></span></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Kazakhstan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">KAZAKHSTAN- “Scheme” </span></b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kazakhstan
has a wide-open race this year with at least eight films in strong contention. The Kazakh Academy likes to send films that highlight national history or culture (2012, 2013, 2015,
2019) or ones that show how Kazakhs/Central Asians have been victimized by
Russian/Soviet aggression (2016, 2017, 2018, 2020). They have traditionally
shied away from films- like the acclaimed “Harmony Lessons” which was <b>not sent</b>- that show
contemporary social problems. This presents the Kazakhs with a dilemma as the two films that won awards in Berlin- grim domestic violence drama “Happiness” (Panorama
Audience Award) and “Scheme” (14+), about adolescent angst about the upper
classes- are totally about contemporary social problems. They have two biopics about national poets- “Poet” (Berlin) and “Mukagali
(Tallinn Black Nights)- that are more in line with what Kazakhstan usually sends, but
poetry is tough to translate and neither film has much buzz. WWII drama “Summer of 1941” is "patriotic" but reviews haven’t been great.
Super-prolific director Adilkhan Yerzhanov was selected for the first time last year,
which will probably make it harder for him to be selected a second time for
either of his two new black comedies, “Assault” (Rotterdam) or “Herd Immunity” (Nika
nomination). Lastly, there’s “Zere”, a quiet village drama about a widow trying
to pay off her husband’s debts, after his unexpected death. I’ve been a big fan of
Farkhat Sharipov since his brilliant “Tale of a Pink Hare” so I’m predicting
“Scheme”, which is a far less grim look at Kazakh society than “Happiness”. I have "Poet" in second place, “Zere” in third, “Happiness” in fourth and "Mukagali" in fifth. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHpfyNTAub78HpdYwkyDecXI6f5XmbQOYFcgaKDfylXPhrHu_f_HAe8PUWCD47n9UiY5oCH2XsdIrM5fUB-9MSNbodCMEevGXOVtLfldT2Bow1LNd7UfxgLvuUnqU_aQXteZg8aB8-O71X0YuLR4JerwqiLq_6yduTk_wiXa9suXJpGeuWp70bNWjHIA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHpfyNTAub78HpdYwkyDecXI6f5XmbQOYFcgaKDfylXPhrHu_f_HAe8PUWCD47n9UiY5oCH2XsdIrM5fUB-9MSNbodCMEevGXOVtLfldT2Bow1LNd7UfxgLvuUnqU_aQXteZg8aB8-O71X0YuLR4JerwqiLq_6yduTk_wiXa9suXJpGeuWp70bNWjHIA=w139-h200" width="139" /></a></span></div><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/35px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/09/Flag_of_South_Korea.svg/45px-Flag_of_South_Korea.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>KOREA- “Decision to Leave" WRITTEN BEFORE KOREA'S OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT </b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Korea quietly announced a shortlist with seven films on July 19th- “Broker”, “Contorted”, “Decision to Leave”, “Emergency Declaration”,
“Hansan: Rising Dragon”, “Hommage” and “Yeonryeon”. Let’s do this backwards:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>7<sup>th</sup>
place</b>- “Yeonryeon”. No information online. Film has no digital footprint. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>6<sup>th</sup>
place</b>- “Contorted”. Genre bias. Korea is unlikely to choose a horror movie. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>5<sup>th</sup>
place-</b> “Hommage” An obscure film about the travails of female filmmakers…but
the film has no buzz and the Korean Academy has never chosen a film by a female
director. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>4<sup>th</sup> place- </b>“Broker”. It’s true that good reviews and a Best
Actor win at Cannes for Korean megastar Song Kang-ho (“Parasite”) will help…but
there is <b>no way </b>that nationalist Korea will pick a movie by a Japanese director,
even if that director is Oscar nominee Hirokazu Koreeda. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>3<sup>rd</sup> place- “Emergency
Declaration”</b> is a well-received action movie…but no one seems to think that it’s
more than that. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>2<sup>nd</sup> place-</b> “Hansan: Rising Dragon” is a big-budget
historical drama that has dominated the Korean box office…but it’s also a
sequel (actually a prequel) to a film AMPAS members won’t have seen (I’ve seen
the first one….production values are excellent but it was a nationalistic mess). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">That means there
is a 90% chance that “Decision to Leave” by the brilliant Park Chan-wook will
get this. Even if the competition wasn’t weak (and it is), “Decision to Leave” won
Best Director at Cannes, has a recognizable star (Tang Wei, “Lust Caution”) and
excellent reviews. Even if Korea has ignored him before (“Oldboy” was defeated
by Korean war drama “Taegukgi”; “The Handmaiden” was defeated by the quickly forgotten
spy movie “Age of Shadows”), “Parasite” has made them realize they can win….They
won’t ignore Park this year. <b>UPDATE: "Decision to Leave" </b>was officially selected on August 11. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdu2IYYhVsUeEIQBiE9lMb66yvFiCujDZ6dqnhCEOHj1OIbL1oQHuVgy_5ixZ1ZECHYY7ZqAxZzsa450EX27vN43iFhgfPfLLhR8RgPVAmEunSHIYj2jR2YjN0nLIoh2wQP5BOdWl18AyYqRfFnNz8Mtyj7NtpwrCpKd0RQgThd-lNnE6sxRUS8WzOdA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="308" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdu2IYYhVsUeEIQBiE9lMb66yvFiCujDZ6dqnhCEOHj1OIbL1oQHuVgy_5ixZ1ZECHYY7ZqAxZzsa450EX27vN43iFhgfPfLLhR8RgPVAmEunSHIYj2jR2YjN0nLIoh2wQP5BOdWl18AyYqRfFnNz8Mtyj7NtpwrCpKd0RQgThd-lNnE6sxRUS8WzOdA" width="168" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Kyrgyzstan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">KYRGYZSTAN- “1000 Dreams” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kyrgyzstan is usually one of my
favorite countries in this competition but they don’t have much this year.
The only film I know about is a surreal B&W drama called “1000 Dreams” (Tallinn
Black Nights) whose trailer looks confusing to say the least. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5YXlIKme1aDmDu4X_k4MuGArZhjQeQQslPJ0-lPLyKX3JBVeTm6LfBqdtzWsm3Dk0U_iC1Yrz4Rnu4tc7x1gAF4FoOW_9fDH3lHSSTWcGAHEHmTv9Ss7EOxNZvAIIZnn0i6_gGYR7c11szWqI534jsLeBsTW3rAXDv1tDFjF2m1c0BcBl2AXfLrhFWQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5YXlIKme1aDmDu4X_k4MuGArZhjQeQQslPJ0-lPLyKX3JBVeTm6LfBqdtzWsm3Dk0U_iC1Yrz4Rnu4tc7x1gAF4FoOW_9fDH3lHSSTWcGAHEHmTv9Ss7EOxNZvAIIZnn0i6_gGYR7c11szWqI534jsLeBsTW3rAXDv1tDFjF2m1c0BcBl2AXfLrhFWQ=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Laos.svg/23px-Flag_of_Laos.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Laos.svg/35px-Flag_of_Laos.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Laos.svg/45px-Flag_of_Laos.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LAOS- Nothing </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Laos sent a horror movie in 2017 but even though they’ve had some well received films at festivals since then, they haven’t sent anything else. As far as I know, they got slowed down by the pandemic and haven’t made
a feature film since “Goodbye Mister Wong” which premiered in France in
December 2021…making it eligible this year. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh54I81CZfhUyZC7UOtEYpGgMppqB11PUTzt-Dj2qaPZ9Xo8ZOSYUI9j29_jrBDZVW_1TDR9ua1g6uTaS8p-J58dZ2tCLamjnlvpNYqDlC5-c4ZAgwSzU6lyK5EZHvs7hTWts9MjJnHCO7gmZUm7k2Pu41g0oxBnBHIoZwdxTSMlc-VYN_iELB3rjNJBg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh54I81CZfhUyZC7UOtEYpGgMppqB11PUTzt-Dj2qaPZ9Xo8ZOSYUI9j29_jrBDZVW_1TDR9ua1g6uTaS8p-J58dZ2tCLamjnlvpNYqDlC5-c4ZAgwSzU6lyK5EZHvs7hTWts9MjJnHCO7gmZUm7k2Pu41g0oxBnBHIoZwdxTSMlc-VYN_iELB3rjNJBg=w149-h200" width="149" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Flag_of_Malaysia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Malaysia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Flag_of_Malaysia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Malaysia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Flag_of_Malaysia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Malaysia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"> </span><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s1"><b><span style="color: black;">MALAYSIA-
“Imaginur” </span></b></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;">Malaysia has sent seven films intermittently since 2004, covering
virtually every genre- two dramas, a documentary, a horror movie, an action
movie, a comedy, and a genre-defying fantasy period piece. I’m predicting a
surprise win for “Imaginur”, a quirky fantasy drama that premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival, about a man whose life and memory begin to play tricks on him. On paper, it's probably more likely they would choose
upcoming Locarno violent sci-fi flick “The Stone Turtle” or nationalist action epic
“Mat Kilau” about Malays fighting British colonialist rule. But I'm sticking with "Imaginur". Less likely: “Tiga
Janda Melawan Dunia”, a comedy about a bunch of older ladies who accidentally
get themselves involved in a drug war....It's probably too silly but it has gotten
strong reviews. </span></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOj72VrOz9u6AK7r_CsQPXsmWlquVRBsHrP37b3FMljIEVwRc8THAZp5rtGRIx4Rj4R493s_fPYkajPFeRCDWT0MnIbC2hEZEFL8I0C2KtmZ2J42LqtVTqzqiHGm9-lVd7pZJiCphOdeQYQ2OyxfwYA8-C5OkRh9F8Zdh1I-17d64Ngz2wAb1-qRSmsw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjOj72VrOz9u6AK7r_CsQPXsmWlquVRBsHrP37b3FMljIEVwRc8THAZp5rtGRIx4Rj4R493s_fPYkajPFeRCDWT0MnIbC2hEZEFL8I0C2KtmZ2J42LqtVTqzqiHGm9-lVd7pZJiCphOdeQYQ2OyxfwYA8-C5OkRh9F8Zdh1I-17d64Ngz2wAb1-qRSmsw=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></span></span></span></div></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697s2"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Flag_of_Mongolia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mongolia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="background-color: transparent;">MONGOLIA- “Bliss Bringer” </b><span style="background-color: transparent;">Mongolia
skipped last year which is a shame because they had a number of interesting
films to choose from. I blame COVID. If they decide to return this year, I’m pretty sure it will be
either “Bliss Bringer”, a drama about two “frenemy” nomadic tribes who come
together once a year to celebrate Mongolian New Year, or “The Sales Girl”, a
black comedy about a young woman who takes a job at a sex shop in the capital, Ulaanbaatar. “Sales
Girl” represented Mongolia at Cannes Film Market and Asian festivals in Osaka
and New York, but every single one of Mongolia’s submissions thus far has
focused on Mongolia’s rural cultural traditions, so I’m picking “Bliss”.</span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibsNk87l8XTxrFZ3jNM7CYZv6S2n3QpTie_tWs87aGutcaozH1jo51UhZ6GxI8F4kaKdZGgRBYDSErLOHU3orQvYXEjAsx1DNW-cx_q6bmNfVVkFjAByjhUhOf8IjHNS3tBFWcRgKOqnjO_B40d3M5Cm1oS_ly8HMCofTDl3mdoBbwDNq-Z6OVgv6PfQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="309" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibsNk87l8XTxrFZ3jNM7CYZv6S2n3QpTie_tWs87aGutcaozH1jo51UhZ6GxI8F4kaKdZGgRBYDSErLOHU3orQvYXEjAsx1DNW-cx_q6bmNfVVkFjAByjhUhOf8IjHNS3tBFWcRgKOqnjO_B40d3M5Cm1oS_ly8HMCofTDl3mdoBbwDNq-Z6OVgv6PfQ" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div></div><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></b></span><p></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"><img alt="" data-file-height="885" data-file-width="726" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/12px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/19px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Flag_of_Nepal.svg/25px-Flag_of_Nepal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: middle;" width="12" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"> </span><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b>NEPAL- “Tulkee” </b></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces2">Nepal submitted</span><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces1"><b> </b></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces2">movies every year from
2013-2019 but they have been absent since the pandemic (they did call for submissions
in both 2020 and 2021, so they haven’t lost interest). This year, I expect they will send either “Tulkee”, about a young bride who is forced to marry her husband’s two
brothers per village tradition, or “Prakash” an inspiring “feel-good” movie
about a poor village boy who wants to become a schoolteacher. My original pick,
“Crushed Wings”, about female genital mutilation, appears to be entirely in
English. Nepal likes “issue movies” so my money is on “Tulkee”. </span></p><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces2"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: times;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydp814724ces2"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLyXTPA3mkmtoqrPjXXQhzTU_IuOIrF12ysjbXkMbRQYN13BiBJ56CKZiI0OrA1XjaaLcvwnqinEPyPlzOzXFB19ijAL2n2WpKuKwbWqMvoDq517cDnzY2xYDFwweAiGinnhUz6fqKzr5fLyCAT4D2yOzJhtXhJpG6-49jK03jLDHp_c8Ndm2PGp-G3Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLyXTPA3mkmtoqrPjXXQhzTU_IuOIrF12ysjbXkMbRQYN13BiBJ56CKZiI0OrA1XjaaLcvwnqinEPyPlzOzXFB19ijAL2n2WpKuKwbWqMvoDq517cDnzY2xYDFwweAiGinnhUz6fqKzr5fLyCAT4D2yOzJhtXhJpG6-49jK03jLDHp_c8Ndm2PGp-G3Q=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><br /></span></span><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/23px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/35px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg/46px-Flag_of_New_Zealand.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122;"> </span><b><span style="color: black;">NEW ZEALAND- “Nude Tuesday” </span></b></p><span style="color: black;">So, this year's big eligibility question is likely to come from English-speaking New Zealand. The raucous nudist comedy co-starring Jemaine Clement
(“Flight of the Conchords”) is in an invented “gibberish” language spoken by
its entire cast. AMPAS rules simply say the film has to be mostly in “a
language other than English”….which this film is….So it’s my professional
opinion that it’s eligible. For the record, “Nude Tuesday” is a comedy about a middle-aged
married couple who end up on a nudist retreat to save their marriage. Four of NZ’s six Oscar submissions have been stories in the indigenous Pacific languages of Maori and Samoan. This year, New Zealand has “Whina”, a Maori biopic, and “We
Are Still Here”, an omnibus film by four Australian and four New Zealand directors,
that could easily represent either country. But “Whina” might have too much English.
Or, New Zealand, which has skipped the past three years, may just opt out again.</span><p class="yiv7548285328ydp511cf697p1" style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: times;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipSD7_EoCQI6rqvFPVD45_VrTvKmaaetob08gDgvkBvRbKMBAe5kBZ80MfBdUx7WdWHZ3_6hiOA9xd20S_6ggaZiP2fWeSx9TBPb6mUIgo2EEvEmg6S3zWQl7oXESVW31U7R2RuMIPLFE9xLgaY22rSMorSTleZMDeJ8Me3TOeqtH5LjDki7QwvAnHAg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="822" data-original-width="828" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipSD7_EoCQI6rqvFPVD45_VrTvKmaaetob08gDgvkBvRbKMBAe5kBZ80MfBdUx7WdWHZ3_6hiOA9xd20S_6ggaZiP2fWeSx9TBPb6mUIgo2EEvEmg6S3zWQl7oXESVW31U7R2RuMIPLFE9xLgaY22rSMorSTleZMDeJ8Me3TOeqtH5LjDki7QwvAnHAg=w200-h198" width="200" /></a></span></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Flag_of_Pakistan.svg/45px-Flag_of_Pakistan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">PAKISTAN- “Joyland” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Pakistan took the year off last year
due to cinema closures but they’ll definitely be back this year with one of two
critically acclaimed films- Cannes darling “Joyland” (where it won two awards)
and “Kamli”, widely held to be the best Pakistani film of the year. This will
be rough. “Kamli” director Sarmad Sultan Khoosat was selected in 2020 for the
brilliant, controversial “Circus of Life”…. It's a melodrama about a woman whose husband has
been missing for eight years and would probably be the more popular choice in Pakistan. But I think the Cannes victory of “Joyland” (which was widely hailed as a victory for Pakistan's struggling cinema) will
be too much to overcome. Interestingly enough, the film is about a romance
between a wealthy man and a transgender dancer. It won the Queer Palm so you
can add Pakistan to the list of countries (Georgia, Morocco) whose
frontrunner may be stymied by homophobia. But trans issues in Pakistan are far less controversial than LGB
issues, and the Pakistani Academy has shown itself to be far more progressive than the country it represents. But if the trans themes do make
them queasy, "Kamli" would be a fitting substitute. Dark horse: the hotly anticipated action thriller “The Legend of Maula
Jatt” is a modern remake of a beloved series of shlocky 70s films. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnl_CCyHDVlnDRdGbAyO7w23a5lRlj_7VTg0NLVrcZSEM8iWh6BIWSGyUbcPEs3INaFe068TqhP6iwC6RjB3AAcZfmowdMeSwrd238q0_Mm1pZR1sBV10jau17xK8Bcu-MJ0ls8Q5upMGoJw6h8Yo4rjrIbtRx07XnFIo4tARDsDeR_KwKDqQyHVjWLw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="460" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgnl_CCyHDVlnDRdGbAyO7w23a5lRlj_7VTg0NLVrcZSEM8iWh6BIWSGyUbcPEs3INaFe068TqhP6iwC6RjB3AAcZfmowdMeSwrd238q0_Mm1pZR1sBV10jau17xK8Bcu-MJ0ls8Q5upMGoJw6h8Yo4rjrIbtRx07XnFIo4tARDsDeR_KwKDqQyHVjWLw=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg/46px-Flag_of_the_Philippines.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">PHILIPPINES- </span></b></span><b>“Whether the Weather is Fine”- </b>In 2005,
the Film Academy of the Philippines sparked a backlash from the local film
community after they failed to send a film claiming they thought they weren’t
invited (AMPAS confirmed they were). Last year, they said they couldn’t participate
because of the pandemic. Once again, the film community angrily pointed out
that several films, including “On the Job 2” (Venice 2021), were in fact
eligible. This year, they’ll probably be back and it’s a fairly wide open race.
I see the five evenly matched frontrunners as (alphabetically) “The Baseball
Player” (Winner, Cinemalaya 2022), about former child soldiers dreaming of
becoming champion baseball players in a war-torn southern region, “Big Night” (Winner, Metro Manila 2021), a very
dark comedy about a young man trying to get his name of a government “blacklist”
that is likely to get him killed, “Blue Room” (Jury Prize, Cinemalaya 2022), a
moral dilemma drama about a bunch of privileged teens caught with drugs by
corrupt police, “Leonor Will Never Die” (Sundance), a surreal comedy-drama about
an elderly woman director who dreams of being an action hero, and “Whether the
Weather is Fine” (Locarno 2021, Jury Prize, Metro Manila 2021), about the
aftermath of a typhoon. Release dates are very confusing; I can’t confirm that
any of them got a qualifying release. If they’re all eligible, I think “Leonor”
or “Weather” will be picked because of their international exposure, although “Big
Night” has the best reviews and is directed by Jun Lana, who deserved an Oscar
nod for “Bwakaw” ten years ago. “Whether the Weather is Fine” looks like what
the Philippines usually sends- namely, a long-winded arthouse film- though I have
no desire to see it. I predict “Leonor” will come second, “Big Night” in third,
“Baseball Player” in fourth, and “Blue Room” in fifth. I hope they’ll go with
one of the two dark comedies. Unlikely but possible: Auteurs Brillante Mendoza (“Virgin
Forest”) and Lav Diaz (“History ni Ha” and “When the Waves are Gone”) have new films
but I don’t think they’ll contend this year; there’s also medical thriller “Nelia”,
abortion drama “12 Weeks”, and revenge thriller “Kargo”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtrlU9D3awpOsRcIKgdvHkdBbEY7s-00syDRWpG12OHbbnNXQjStDkVaZmRUDiBqvDadsI4_FjuyCG-oi2zcKfWahzvziTEL-vUtEpMzqew7SliQltQVB5PDr5f80Hdt5Sxyc6ucGuZ1U0F6lbLpXEG_CaEOZECg52ZTkrkQWL61HHmztlwEFImbmwew" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtrlU9D3awpOsRcIKgdvHkdBbEY7s-00syDRWpG12OHbbnNXQjStDkVaZmRUDiBqvDadsI4_FjuyCG-oi2zcKfWahzvziTEL-vUtEpMzqew7SliQltQVB5PDr5f80Hdt5Sxyc6ucGuZ1U0F6lbLpXEG_CaEOZECg52ZTkrkQWL61HHmztlwEFImbmwew=w137-h200" width="137" /></a></span></b></span></div><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/23px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/35px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/48/Flag_of_Singapore.svg/45px-Flag_of_Singapore.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SINGAPORE-
“24” </span></b></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Singapore
has had such a weak film year that I wonder whether they’ll even bother to enter this year. They’ve
got three local Chinese comedies and some controversial anti-establishment docs that would never
be selected. I'm guessing they’ll go with the experimental “24” (Busan) by Royston
Tan, one of the island’s best-known directors. It’s some sort of weird movie about a
dead sound engineer who comes back to life and visits different locations with
his equipment. If it's just too strange, they send comedy “Reunion
Dinner” or drop out. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl3LKUKSRQ_gukyMuGXqSgrXMC391F0UW6mPgDQKBGUTZsPgvlDoIh2DQKNIxs8j-Tk1c7QLcdfYWvVS0QX1O__UAw7beL_I4N1VYjH_TAOtDAtQ22h4Q6o_mO_zMMVoMCfIM60CBN7hAlLdJMsxv09kskQ-XP2DIq3jqlsqrtGRA_pM6D4wi4DnVwvQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhl3LKUKSRQ_gukyMuGXqSgrXMC391F0UW6mPgDQKBGUTZsPgvlDoIh2DQKNIxs8j-Tk1c7QLcdfYWvVS0QX1O__UAw7beL_I4N1VYjH_TAOtDAtQ22h4Q6o_mO_zMMVoMCfIM60CBN7hAlLdJMsxv09kskQ-XP2DIq3jqlsqrtGRA_pM6D4wi4DnVwvQ=w145-h200" width="145" /></a></span></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sri_Lanka.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SRI
LANKA- “The Dawning of the Day” </span></b></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sri Lanka is falling apart. The
president fled the country on July 13, the economy is in tatters and, anyway, they
haven’t sent a movie to the Oscars since 2009. They won’t send a film
but if they did, the only real contender would be “The Dawning of the Day”
(Tokyo) a fictionalization of the life of poet Pablo Neruda who served as
Spanish ambassador to Sri Lanka and whose writings reveal possible evidence of
a history of sexual </span></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></span><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">assault. </span></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIQnkmb00N8yTK4C_SWLXt_FZPJ_p6BXJ-TsLP33O_ndpIzuZHFkvWIy6QO0lpJjxtNj236ujO19lNWI1dgTp0KTxXAncCjwQxIp820AvsRqUm_ylq8AqUWLUiCZ2TJVFDDDl4lxW8CShDaaEB_EA6_VU8Ss9jnIeE2p8seAZ58ktR_b0tu-31p1qYxw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="900" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIQnkmb00N8yTK4C_SWLXt_FZPJ_p6BXJ-TsLP33O_ndpIzuZHFkvWIy6QO0lpJjxtNj236ujO19lNWI1dgTp0KTxXAncCjwQxIp820AvsRqUm_ylq8AqUWLUiCZ2TJVFDDDl4lxW8CShDaaEB_EA6_VU8Ss9jnIeE2p8seAZ58ktR_b0tu-31p1qYxw=w135-h178" width="135" /></a></span></span></div><span class="yiv7548285328ydpbefea939s2"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/72/Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Republic_of_China.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>TAIWAN- </b>On August 15th, </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Taiwan became the first country in Asia to
make their Oscar selection- horror-drama “Goddamned Asura”- before I had a chance to make my predictions. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2ncHtAiGzYLLLa34g01blY-5_etUDtW27POYNI3XsrciDTaZjimPXOK1qJEYcS9Y3YxqnyD1yhKb1nJxEjbShu9SF2GmwuJjDzoiz9cuX0jZwJHvq3qCKB6icPNb9l89wRWxkM1ZovOXjk0l34wU69rdx4zM4isGEbFlxDo0XOr1zevZBkeDcZ9tIA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjq2ncHtAiGzYLLLa34g01blY-5_etUDtW27POYNI3XsrciDTaZjimPXOK1qJEYcS9Y3YxqnyD1yhKb1nJxEjbShu9SF2GmwuJjDzoiz9cuX0jZwJHvq3qCKB6icPNb9l89wRWxkM1ZovOXjk0l34wU69rdx4zM4isGEbFlxDo0XOr1zevZBkeDcZ9tIA=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Tajikistan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">TAJIKISTAN- “The Water Boy” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tajikistan sent two films to the
Oscars but they’ve been absent since 2005…longer than any country in this region. I think “The Water Boy”, a drama
about a group of filmmakers who come to make a movie in a tiny village, was released too
early, but I can’t find any evidence of any features produced more recently. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlRioqQMGAABvUnMAYoBVAM1_PaLJ3S2XxI9zdCP3scYesOPATnZT7_Ek8tBkfNneGqf34PJ1fFD7SeBw6VHPt7y1TCUmYaBcmODe7QgpmD5Ii7eJ50fpT8BwR5MT7LnJgfWiscquT3L02vNyQwxsIUPOtI_M7hxAjUDq1g1jJ52C8KFUivokLYQjX8g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlRioqQMGAABvUnMAYoBVAM1_PaLJ3S2XxI9zdCP3scYesOPATnZT7_Ek8tBkfNneGqf34PJ1fFD7SeBw6VHPt7y1TCUmYaBcmODe7QgpmD5Ii7eJ50fpT8BwR5MT7LnJgfWiscquT3L02vNyQwxsIUPOtI_M7hxAjUDq1g1jJ52C8KFUivokLYQjX8g=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/23px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/35px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Flag_of_Thailand.svg/45px-Flag_of_Thailand.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">THAILAND- “One For the Road” </span></b>Thailand produces some of the craziest,
most bonkers submissions year after year, including last year’s “The Medium”
which I loved and AMPAS surely hated. Last year, I predicted “One for the Road”
(Sundance 2021) which didn’t premiere in Thailand until February 2022. This
road movie about two friends who go on a final trip after one friend is
diagnosed with terminal cancer has gotten very good reviews (winning the Special
Jury Prize at Sundance) and is likely to tug at all the right heartstrings.
Director Nattawut “Baz” Poonpiriya was selected once before for a crazy violent horror
movie (“Countdown”) and came close with critically acclaimed heist comedy “Bad
Genius”, so he’s well-liked and also due. It helps that Thailand doesn’t have too
many other options. It’s main competition comes from “Anatomy of Time”, a
pretentious arthouse film that played in Venice (Thailand picked films like
this in 2017/2018). Tom Waller (also overdue) has “Cave Rescue”, about the
famous 2018 rescue of the Thai schoolboys, but reviews aren’t nearly as good as
“One for the Road”. “Fast and Feel Love” has good reviews but it’s probably a
bit too light and silly. “One for the Road” is probably safe and will be one of
the submissions I most want to see this year.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18pt;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" style="font-size: 9pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgozu2s9F-8-aVgCJais50spLVy7lxJdjJqV63EtG4GPaDUK0OFbeBEVLsUd-03v-TCpQUvf3jGcarz973h7wpbKXBrxElCKI9irtkxT3Xl88h7RYBlWiSv64XnDK68htKDwYJzJQSl5_lDMyUJ44yZhf74yuIHFCSCPkPJuAnCxPdrczD_LiP7iT8dWw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1280" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgozu2s9F-8-aVgCJais50spLVy7lxJdjJqV63EtG4GPaDUK0OFbeBEVLsUd-03v-TCpQUvf3jGcarz973h7wpbKXBrxElCKI9irtkxT3Xl88h7RYBlWiSv64XnDK68htKDwYJzJQSl5_lDMyUJ44yZhf74yuIHFCSCPkPJuAnCxPdrczD_LiP7iT8dWw=w200-h141" width="200" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></b><p></p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/84/Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Uzbekistan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">UZBEKISTAN- “Captivity” (Tutqunlik) </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">There’s
not much information about the Uzbek film industry online. They had a pavilion
this year at Cannes, but it seems to have been primarily a way of promoting Uzbekistan
as a filming destination for period epics (I was there on vacation last year;
it’s a beautiful location!). Most of their films are fairly basic efforts. There
was an Uzbek/Russian-language film about Uzbek migrants living in Moscow at
Berlinale 2022 (“Convenience Store”) but I don’t think it would meet the
nationality requirements. For lack of other options, I’m predicting “Captivity”,
a state-sponsored film about trying to reform Uzbeks returning from jihadist
crusades in the Middle East…but that would be an odd choice to represent the secular-minded
country. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTGJoiMWr2n-pdSuGp1nxeiV-oeE1aAwE9NOnCzY_TYGWDhYIa-CmCSjGolAq6iAyXxQpHXuIi1TqQFj9IYI7LCkUgZ3ZATjWYpsaRVkPBcjk_8DU7O5DL48_pculOgh2whAYmW8189GnfVhLLmGA7rHPyslYbkHPHSBZTjQLQ5d517akzL6qnSmeu4w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="251" data-original-width="201" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTGJoiMWr2n-pdSuGp1nxeiV-oeE1aAwE9NOnCzY_TYGWDhYIa-CmCSjGolAq6iAyXxQpHXuIi1TqQFj9IYI7LCkUgZ3ZATjWYpsaRVkPBcjk_8DU7O5DL48_pculOgh2whAYmW8189GnfVhLLmGA7rHPyslYbkHPHSBZTjQLQ5d517akzL6qnSmeu4w=w160-h200" width="160" /></a></span></span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/23px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/35px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Vietnam.svg/45px-Flag_of_Vietnam.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">VIETNAM- “The Brilliant Darkness” </span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Vietnam
has been submitting every year since 2015 and, unlike most countries, the
majority of their submitted films have been locally popular films. So, I expect
they’ll send popular family thriller “The Brilliant Darkness” (Đêm Tối Rực Rỡ!),
about a large family who assembles for their grandfather’s funeral, and learns
that a violent mafia gang is on their way to collect a large debt none of them
knew about. It’s been compared to a Vietnamese “Parasite” or “Knives Out”. One hiccup-
the director is a Vietnam-based American. Other options: action revenge movie “578”
sounds like their previous submission “Furie” or, if they want to go the
festival route, “Memoryland”, a “Magnolia”-style drama with a flurry of stories
revolving around death and mortality. It played in Berlin and Busan. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b>POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b></b></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjymw7qr_B2hury--WYEgwZnJ39q9VcVo6KNz31jjRwtVChvXgbxImbBKO1EzXt9AHmFNVXHIRNbEHBD3mLijd58FmFmFa6x4nbizLS0WSE2lQufhnjX1mtZgnbwolOlIb9k9_OegZi4x3hV2YTrpg0V4g7X8seATx1inksXDFs6mXubak0ShpKj7YCyw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="220" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjymw7qr_B2hury--WYEgwZnJ39q9VcVo6KNz31jjRwtVChvXgbxImbBKO1EzXt9AHmFNVXHIRNbEHBD3mLijd58FmFmFa6x4nbizLS0WSE2lQufhnjX1mtZgnbwolOlIb9k9_OegZi4x3hV2YTrpg0V4g7X8seATx1inksXDFs6mXubak0ShpKj7YCyw=w134-h200" width="134" /></a></b></span></span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><br /></b>It's highly doubtful that any new Asian countries will debut this year, but the most likely would be LGBT drama "What Happened to the Wolf" from <b>BURMA (MYANMAR). </b>The filmmakers are opposed to the brutal military government so the film can't screen in Burma, so the Burmese would have to form a committee in exile (which Syria did in 2017). <b>TURKMENISTAN, </b>the only former Soviet republic never to enter a film, previously banned domestic cinema but all that's changed, and they have a fairly big-budget costume drama "Çapar" this year. Tiny <b>MACAU </b>has "Madalena". <b>NORTH KOREA </b>has Korean War romance "The Day the Mountain Cried", but the idea of them entering the Oscars is pretty much impossible. </span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-5850894938996691472022-08-16T11:59:00.000-04:002022-08-16T11:59:31.698-04:00 OSCARS 2023: Predictions for the American Submissions<p> And here are the predictions for Canada and the countries of Latin America:</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEOJJamPoQAto612PUIg3domsMsseCf_NnjgFTQW9IIg-0igJjUI7dMrgtX_-WMGdTMJaPQd0okvA0VMG_ftTo4jbGYkIkH_cbAnPbbuFFT8Xqymg7bXqMbB1x8TK38qUEdx-yjynYhpcPZN-WcxRbXwZB4yPXcUAw10LI3TZBRqNYJWx8P9igT_s3hw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhEOJJamPoQAto612PUIg3domsMsseCf_NnjgFTQW9IIg-0igJjUI7dMrgtX_-WMGdTMJaPQd0okvA0VMG_ftTo4jbGYkIkH_cbAnPbbuFFT8Xqymg7bXqMbB1x8TK38qUEdx-yjynYhpcPZN-WcxRbXwZB4yPXcUAw10LI3TZBRqNYJWx8P9igT_s3hw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi6zfuR4TN07yR5eG3a97SOqG6PZFeVCtbVJ30gpo-7XhTGB-BWa1kRXtYfNfU7X9bLewor5TMZKkR4asndbsDzzJJofDAyk2Qb0RrcblSkOOzGP4eC0q74LofjY8_ENOuk0T_ZabGCld05KACSIJQVoq1q8_XflGqrZ8-h3bMvz5H8YiQV_inmNEnGQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgi6zfuR4TN07yR5eG3a97SOqG6PZFeVCtbVJ30gpo-7XhTGB-BWa1kRXtYfNfU7X9bLewor5TMZKkR4asndbsDzzJJofDAyk2Qb0RrcblSkOOzGP4eC0q74LofjY8_ENOuk0T_ZabGCld05KACSIJQVoq1q8_XflGqrZ8-h3bMvz5H8YiQV_inmNEnGQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih1qW0KIW9iDAw_i3pQqF7vyBpWdjMImLVIau3RrYHLSohSQv3ZJ4ZVRw8ejU8moxsVrZWIB9juZMhybWooosl8OXEHBXNvuD86VD5TOSZ_jPkKIcpI9D-KTR__eRmccUmkbGHHmcVqPahc3Jlw-oeySRkkLkGLAcHGv4GioOHZWMBcCjbHqoZ598g3A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1023" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih1qW0KIW9iDAw_i3pQqF7vyBpWdjMImLVIau3RrYHLSohSQv3ZJ4ZVRw8ejU8moxsVrZWIB9juZMhybWooosl8OXEHBXNvuD86VD5TOSZ_jPkKIcpI9D-KTR__eRmccUmkbGHHmcVqPahc3Jlw-oeySRkkLkGLAcHGv4GioOHZWMBcCjbHqoZ598g3A" width="200" /></a></div></div></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">1. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="500" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/23px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/35px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Flag_of_Argentina.svg/46px-Flag_of_Argentina.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">ARGENTINA-
“Argentina 1985” </span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; padding: 0in;">Argentina
loves Ricardo Darin. He hasn’t made a movie in three years (they sent his last
one, “Heroic Losers”) but he’s back on screen with “Argentina 1985”, a weighty
drama set to premiere in the main competition at Venice and then in Argentina
cinemas at the end of September. Besides Darin and the Venice label, the film
is a dramatic thriller about lawyers facing off against the Argentina military
dictatorship, which Argentinians will remember is the same setting that won
them their first Oscar. And Santiago Mitre is a well respected director what
has scripted several Argentinian submissions and come close to being selected
himself for films like “The student” and “Paulina”. It should be an easy
choice, but for one dark horse- “Official Competition”, the Spanish comedy
starring Antonio and Penelope, but directed by the Argentinian pair selected in
2016. Argentina tends to be one of the last countries to select their film,
while spain usually decides weeks earlier. There is a chance that if Spain
ignores their front runner (as they often do), Argentina may decide to snap up
what they believe will be an easy nom. But “1985” is still likely. Unlikely:
“Sublime” (Berlin) and “The Substitute” (San Sebastian). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMvqJ7sNSWc0x4szi5A80VpEbwPPriqn3HTZEHSUgsAgXbWekozpDaQ6j22PhOWuDY0zlLkl3cpxsVs4rxF9CQEYSYbpq0xK9emRFwqt-tOMRmj6qNq22vl4cq8slU_TG6ARWHrvo8_df2WMa6mX9V-ELz6jk9iJ_pxAWzEbaahwwk7NqJLQIXz_437A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="189" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMvqJ7sNSWc0x4szi5A80VpEbwPPriqn3HTZEHSUgsAgXbWekozpDaQ6j22PhOWuDY0zlLkl3cpxsVs4rxF9CQEYSYbpq0xK9emRFwqt-tOMRmj6qNq22vl4cq8slU_TG6ARWHrvo8_df2WMa6mX9V-ELz6jk9iJ_pxAWzEbaahwwk7NqJLQIXz_437A=w128-h171" width="128" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">2. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="750" data-file-width="1100" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/22px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/34px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg/44px-Bandera_de_Bolivia_%28Estado%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">BOLIVIA-
“Utama” </span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; padding: 0in;">Bolivia
has had a great film year but winning the Sundance Film Festival probably has
the race locked up for “Utama”, which is mentioned as a dark horse for
Bolivia’s first Oscar nomination, which would mean so much here (where I’m
living now). The only pitfall is that it hasn’t been screened here yet, but I
don’t see that as an obstacle. If for some reason it’s release is postponed
until next year, they could send “El visitante” (Beat Screenplay, Tribeca) or
“Sun and Daughter” (Munich). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; padding: 0in;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIDTO_H8hPgfRFiXskgOuQ4DkR5mTDTMeU3TqU4xNrG2UpW4rMwvI-PFZPg9IY3EDYhSzVtUH7uj_ehnv-gKtLUWyx2tzCAbXzwCAZdcWI3_hua2CDy43FgFDDYnj4yDponrxTbRXCDnHJLk4ej7JkV9c57Uk_bAox1EIfve__piS_CTwZWWHle7dBiA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhIDTO_H8hPgfRFiXskgOuQ4DkR5mTDTMeU3TqU4xNrG2UpW4rMwvI-PFZPg9IY3EDYhSzVtUH7uj_ehnv-gKtLUWyx2tzCAbXzwCAZdcWI3_hua2CDy43FgFDDYnj4yDponrxTbRXCDnHJLk4ej7JkV9c57Uk_bAox1EIfve__piS_CTwZWWHle7dBiA=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">3. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="504" data-file-width="720" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/22px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/33px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/05/Flag_of_Brazil.svg/43px-Flag_of_Brazil.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="22" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><b>BRAZIL- "Mars One" </b>I wanted to wait for Brazil's (usually very long) shortlist to come out, but other countries are starting to announce so I'll go out on a limb with Brazil and say that they'll choose Afro-Brazilian family drama "Mars One" which has gotten warm notices at U.S. film festivals like Sundance. It's also anti-Bolsonaro so it depends who is on Brazil's committee. But part of me wants to predict crazy horror-musical "Medusa", which premiered at Cannes last year. It won Best Picture at the Rio de Janeiro Film Prizes and would be a much more visible contender. Brazil has dumped the favorite and gone with a dark horse the past two years (one good, one bad). Other very possible films: "Duetto", about an Italian-Brazilian family, and "Pedro" a glossy 19th century historical drama about the founder of Brazil's short-lived royal dynasty. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"><br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeriWbF60GsQfOeAD7QzpAS-wLEQVj3eqayIKgkIqXeNUIVucoLMIMWgMNatd9VMGx3SJtwokxekUGYNaOiNX0vlwcjVZakqVBvZpxFQadRqgonEDtCrqSSnKC_bzKSguavo3-sf1bUmTQ6ZorWEK06XisS6_EAPMyuX6mzBUS_ptFil1pyAv2lJqYxg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjeriWbF60GsQfOeAD7QzpAS-wLEQVj3eqayIKgkIqXeNUIVucoLMIMWgMNatd9VMGx3SJtwokxekUGYNaOiNX0vlwcjVZakqVBvZpxFQadRqgonEDtCrqSSnKC_bzKSguavo3-sf1bUmTQ6ZorWEK06XisS6_EAPMyuX6mzBUS_ptFil1pyAv2lJqYxg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: transparent;"><br />4. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/23px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/35px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d9/Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg/46px-Flag_of_Canada_%28Pantone%29.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="background-color: transparent;">CANADA- “Falcon Lake” </b><span style="background-color: transparent;">The Canadian race is confusing because</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">
they have a lot of Canadian films premiering at Toronto (which is normal) and most
of the films don’t seem to have any trailers or any indication of whether they’ll
be contenders. One of the few Toronto films that (a)- is not in English, (b)-
has buzz and (3)- has already played at festivals is “Falcon Lake” (Cannes), a
French-language coming-of-age thriller. It seems to check all the right boxes
and although Canada has plenty of other films to choose from, this really seems
to be the frontrunner. </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">Other French-language
options: hit man thriller “Confessions”, teenage escort drama “Noemie Says Yes”,
based-on-a-true-story embezzlement drama “Norbourg” and my choice for runner-up,
“Rosie”, an indigenous drama debuting at Toronto starring a cute little orphan
girl. </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4dFfPtfHlCnBMJoCqKUvdT09oEIASnuTDM_Izfs_bSikI2xxdd9vxVn3ko_hdtQGuoDyJMSjhopURoriqerP8fFnzwleJ6N1n3OPIy6fIzv2UNVP5SAN0ZQjJz8RFJjOwlW8ZgRA4ukW-7x1j-4yn1l8EUDxqUtFgYFDOYIGsj6hMlg23TaUBXGBXCA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg4dFfPtfHlCnBMJoCqKUvdT09oEIASnuTDM_Izfs_bSikI2xxdd9vxVn3ko_hdtQGuoDyJMSjhopURoriqerP8fFnzwleJ6N1n3OPIy6fIzv2UNVP5SAN0ZQjJz8RFJjOwlW8ZgRA4ukW-7x1j-4yn1l8EUDxqUtFgYFDOYIGsj6hMlg23TaUBXGBXCA=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br />5. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/23px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/35px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Flag_of_Chile.svg/45px-Flag_of_Chile.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CHILE- “1976” </b>Chile will probably choose because two
films that debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. “1976” is a new film set during
the dark days of the Pinochet dictatorship when a middle-class woman accepts a
priest’s request to shelter a fugitive. Reviews have been mixed, but the same
went for “Spider”, which Chile sent three years ago. “My Imaginary Country”, by
Patricio Guzman, is a documentary about the 2019 leftist protests that nearly
brought down Chile. Chile got a nomination for a documentary two years ago
(though that was a much lighter one), 81-year old Patricio Guzman has won a Goya
but never been sent to the Oscars, and- politically- one of the student protest
leaders is now President. Dark horse: “Blanquita”, about a Catholic Church
scandal, is set to premiere in Venice but there’s no word if it will be
eligible this year or next year. Rounding out the Top 5 options for Chile: “The
Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future” (Sundance), a well-reviewed environmental
drama, and “Regresar al Final” a family drama set during COVID confinements,
which were particularly strict in Chile.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOAptfWx-LW0rjrSwFL_xRdPtfPOH7YSq20R-5JAcWHsXPuywDxpolXM5LplhzdRo-eSZ_tZC60zRQUphdet_hbrrHGrjkkB_UBmF-tUQIsSkraEAornLpmOJtuTzVj77RD2O4UM3KLeUlB5FyifwTtaV8OncH0Vfzib3B-xUiIJufLki8t-2shH8LRw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="460" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOAptfWx-LW0rjrSwFL_xRdPtfPOH7YSq20R-5JAcWHsXPuywDxpolXM5LplhzdRo-eSZ_tZC60zRQUphdet_hbrrHGrjkkB_UBmF-tUQIsSkraEAornLpmOJtuTzVj77RD2O4UM3KLeUlB5FyifwTtaV8OncH0Vfzib3B-xUiIJufLki8t-2shH8LRw" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">6. </span></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Flag_of_Colombia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Colombia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">COLOMBIA- “Amparo” </span></b><span color="inherit" style="font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">With many of Colombia’s major
directors working in television, I’m pretty sure they will go with Simon Mesa
Soto, a young director who won the Cannes Palme d’Or for Best Short Film in
2014 at the tender young age of 27. Mesa Soto made his feature debut with
“Amparo” at Cannes 2021 in the Critics Week section, a film about a mother who
finds her 18-year old son is missing, and learns he has been drafted into the
military while she was at work. I predicted it last year but it didn’t premiere
in Colombia until April 2022. In a very close second place, "Kings of the World", about the lives of a group of teens in Medellin. Its set to premiere at San Sebastian in Spain, and in Colombian cinemas in October. In third and fourth place are two more feature
debuts- “La Jauria” (Cannes 2022, Critics Week Grand Prize), about a juvenile
detention center in the jungle, and “The Red Tree” (Seattle/Tallinn Black
Nights)- about a young man in search of his mother who abandoned the
family. Rounding out the Top Six: “The Rust” (La Roya), about a young
man growing up in the rural countryside, and “City of Wild Beasts”, which was
just released on Hulu and HBOMax. I see some people predicting Cannes drama “Un
varon”, but I don’t think reviews are good enough.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgteM_xX-ayR6JOHddw1qk38h1HEh6Zewb59uEHf59DXa8ErdG_a41ViT3OF5F_lFNzi_iUWR2nnyNmIuWiFCYDyN9SWVDbnvSvlFVeePLkPywvT5v4JFeEYtbuDgfk538aZb3qAQvtyAVeVSZ52d6rSk9Hiot8lZ4d3dJpC-jUQ7IzQ9l_5ozxAvzR5A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="189" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgteM_xX-ayR6JOHddw1qk38h1HEh6Zewb59uEHf59DXa8ErdG_a41ViT3OF5F_lFNzi_iUWR2nnyNmIuWiFCYDyN9SWVDbnvSvlFVeePLkPywvT5v4JFeEYtbuDgfk538aZb3qAQvtyAVeVSZ52d6rSk9Hiot8lZ4d3dJpC-jUQ7IzQ9l_5ozxAvzR5A=w134-h172" width="134" /></a></b></div><b><br />7. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/23px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/35px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f2/Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg/46px-Flag_of_Costa_Rica.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>COSTA RICA- “Domingo and the Mist" (Domingo y la niebla) </b>Costa Rica is
confusing because I can’t find any information about release dates and I don’t
know what’s eligible. What I can say is that teen pregnancy drama “Aurora” won
Best Costa Rican Film in 2021 and “La Pasion de Nella Barrantes”, about a woman
descending into madness due to religious devotion, won it in 2022. “Domingo and
the Mist” debuted at Cannes 2022, and “Volvio”, a well-reviewed comedy about a
man awakening from a 19-year coma, is the only one I can confirm was released
in theatres. Last but not least, “La hija de la muerte” is based on a
well-regarded national novel and is coming out at the end of the year. There’s
no way of knowing which of these five films will go forward without knowing
what’s eligible. On the off chance that all five are released in 2022, I’d
predict “Domingo” and “La hija” as the two frontrunners. For now, let’s assume
the Cannes label pushes environmental drama “Domingo & the Mist” to the
front of the queue. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJXNQi75PUfzEKlMzHRXgIUGnfyzLzcBitkOcR_4ZMdesBVUqUfI54H1_2aFw9yle6CFhkujg2QBi2ZlyOlAIMJRECxkosiQLxNVD8zUBDRZfu2eQNVH1snY2SsLcdYybnf2ptCFT2Qgw7xscPFHGHcEzL20fP2fKZ1MKwpko5hVQ4B_Xe5geoqPWh-w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJXNQi75PUfzEKlMzHRXgIUGnfyzLzcBitkOcR_4ZMdesBVUqUfI54H1_2aFw9yle6CFhkujg2QBi2ZlyOlAIMJRECxkosiQLxNVD8zUBDRZfu2eQNVH1snY2SsLcdYybnf2ptCFT2Qgw7xscPFHGHcEzL20fP2fKZ1MKwpko5hVQ4B_Xe5geoqPWh-w=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br />8. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/46px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CUBA- “The Foam of Days” (La Espuma de los Dias) </b>Cuba submits films about half the time, most
recently in 2020. If they send anything, I predict it will be “The Foam of
Days”, a drama about the friendship between four men, one of whom has just been
released from prison. It screened in Cuba in January so it’s eligible. Last
year’s Habana Film Festival didn’t have a single Cuban feature in competition.
The highest-profile film is sci-fi indie “Corazon Azul”, but I believe that’s
by a dissident director. If they’re released, we could see comedy “Riquimbili”
(by one of Cuba’s most prominent regime-allied directors) or “Bajo un sol
poderoso”, about a filmmaker dealing with the ghosts of characters from his
films.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxpDqV3w41O6cnBiRVUXwV53sVN44OSo4UFCSheY4P6j-8wzdb524yLRzj7MX_03LH_hJGfOPI0fuOThpHcs8hHqBTaHbCk67vh7pO36G8FywGnQpc10TPoHS5hJMpvNXwwkffoLKEkJfvP_QQfe_7KqZ0-yfvuLIj0Pdpg3pbATiTrIdtYJ-WOgeByw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxpDqV3w41O6cnBiRVUXwV53sVN44OSo4UFCSheY4P6j-8wzdb524yLRzj7MX_03LH_hJGfOPI0fuOThpHcs8hHqBTaHbCk67vh7pO36G8FywGnQpc10TPoHS5hJMpvNXwwkffoLKEkJfvP_QQfe_7KqZ0-yfvuLIj0Pdpg3pbATiTrIdtYJ-WOgeByw" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><br />9. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/23px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/35px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg/45px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- “La hembrita” </b>The DR has been
regularly sending films to the Oscars since 2011 and in these eleven years,
they’ve send three films by Leticia Tonos, three films by José Maria Cabral (my
favorite) and two films by the directing team of Israel Cardenas and Laura
Amelia Guzman. So, that means that “Parsley” (Cabral) and “La hembrita”
(Cardenas/Guzman) are statistically the frontrunners. However, I think this
year they’d like to send a film by somebody new for the first time since 2018,
namely “Carajita”, which won Best Latin American Film in Guadalajara and Miami
in 2022. This drama about race and social classes focuses on a girl and her
nanny and has very good reviews…but there’s one problem- directors Ulises Porra
and Silvina Schnicer are from Spain and Argentina respectively and so it s a
lot of the crew. So it’s on the bubble. Picking Cabral’s “Parsley” would also
cause a headache, as the film’s focus- a historical massacre of Haitians- is
controversial in the DR. Rounding out their choices are music drama “Flow
Calle”, directed by a very popular actor, upcoming thriller “Broma de la
Justicia”, and “Bantu Mama”, about an Afro-Dominican woman rescued by three
teenagers. I think they’ll want to send “Carajita” but will end up with “La
hembrita”, about a wealthy woman taking care of her maid’s granddaughters,
which would mean Cardenas & Guzman repping the country two years in a row.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_mStVNEnIyLoXa9P3VQQIPlTfk-GSEIswGGYnVM61PQNRCS0Piw8drsn0Mm4cH_xE4e4rO8S9dO1IM-lE5WDuu7ECOrUWp2XG_Rma45uw7Yr-G7TVHE0tG31X27o-h9z2MurIeII4SB5ILcSLpzIOFUNNIZ2XKspclKrHEJsPSctVivr70sRyCS96yw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="470" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_mStVNEnIyLoXa9P3VQQIPlTfk-GSEIswGGYnVM61PQNRCS0Piw8drsn0Mm4cH_xE4e4rO8S9dO1IM-lE5WDuu7ECOrUWp2XG_Rma45uw7Yr-G7TVHE0tG31X27o-h9z2MurIeII4SB5ILcSLpzIOFUNNIZ2XKspclKrHEJsPSctVivr70sRyCS96yw=w134-h200" width="134" /></a></b></div><b><br />10. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="960" data-file-width="1440" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Flag_of_Ecuador.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ecuador.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Flag_of_Ecuador.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ecuador.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Flag_of_Ecuador.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ecuador.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ECUADOR- “Lo invisible” </b>Ecuador has now becoming a
regular participant in this category, missing just one year since 2013. Two
previously submitted directors have promising new movies this year- “Lo
invisible” (Toronto), a horror-drama about post-partum depression, and “Octopus
Skin”, about a pair of creepy twins. Release dates are confusing but it looks
like “Octopus” will open in December, which is too late to compete this year.
There’s also historical costume drama “Camino a la libertad” whose release was
delayed years by COVID, fantasy-drama “Al Oriente” (Venice 2021), and a weird
erotic drama called “The Fever”. I think this is a dead heat between “Lo
invisible”, which has the festival cache, and “Camino a la libertad”, which is
a bigger, splashier film but one made for local audiences. Based on their
previous, gritty indie submissions, I’ll pick “Invisible”. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEji0mNQUTVsc9RWmzr-esQ81nj3JLu0SBE_Ur9BjHAu2NTUqCQZgVwlkq0C1RnpxWuH6wlz6n2NgpYzW8hpO13mXprpvzfz43oU81s7W7FWMAZnGdG_10ldrbZgnEmz1Qc1LJ4feNw_oaR2zN95xUx4oZkDtL192UTr11eAfvZoW_rGyignkvF49fJZhQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEji0mNQUTVsc9RWmzr-esQ81nj3JLu0SBE_Ur9BjHAu2NTUqCQZgVwlkq0C1RnpxWuH6wlz6n2NgpYzW8hpO13mXprpvzfz43oU81s7W7FWMAZnGdG_10ldrbZgnEmz1Qc1LJ4feNw_oaR2zN95xUx4oZkDtL192UTr11eAfvZoW_rGyignkvF49fJZhQ=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br />11. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="960" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/23px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/35px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ec/Flag_of_Guatemala.svg/46px-Flag_of_Guatemala.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>GUATEMALA- “Roza” </b>Guatemala submitted two films by
Jayro Bustamente since 2015, including the shortlisted “La Llorona” which many
pundits believe probably came in sixth place in 2020. I’m predicting “Roza”, a
film about a migrant worker who returns home to a family and a community that
has moved on without him. Two other options: Jayro Bustamente wrote
coming-of-age drama “1991” which I predicted last year…but I can’t find a
release date; U.S. director Justin Lerner has repped Guatemala at several
festivals with “Cadejo Blanco”, which may or may not meet the nationality
requirements.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRlM7QjirTlETob8ZYI43eMAZMEqFknmhKxf36ZOKPs4NpyAiiyDnoZWulE1AYDUCr8EmAnpeDHGX9nmZmLSU7OqJvpysyhC0AWF2oCY2tlVfm7V7_c8Tw2WsCMY7bVJIiPDrV8aZVKZBA3ijdV0OhpA4KQI5ZXBkdj8pLTPHqAzbGCzhGObCkAhTmjg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRlM7QjirTlETob8ZYI43eMAZMEqFknmhKxf36ZOKPs4NpyAiiyDnoZWulE1AYDUCr8EmAnpeDHGX9nmZmLSU7OqJvpysyhC0AWF2oCY2tlVfm7V7_c8Tw2WsCMY7bVJIiPDrV8aZVKZBA3ijdV0OhpA4KQI5ZXBkdj8pLTPHqAzbGCzhGObCkAhTmjg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br />12. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg/23px-Flag_of_Haiti.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg/35px-Flag_of_Haiti.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Flag_of_Haiti.svg/46px-Flag_of_Haiti.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>HAITI- “July 7” </b><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Haiti submitted a film for the second time
last year with “Freda” (Cannes UCR). They have a rather exciting film in post-production-
“July 7”- about a woman investigating the real-life assassination of the
Haitian President Jovenel Moise in his home in July 2021. But there’s no
release date and Haiti isn’t likely to be able to finish the film quickly.
Unlikely: if they really want to send something that’s already released, they
could send “Vakans”, a rom-com about wealthy young Haitian expats living in
Miami. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh7gHvnnK41lfKi9ZGGRUVANT5rbCdtbl7mT2-5-vUc-FiCoAKP3OrMSWb7wnXSb66pVAKXQWKb7rahnaCympty-tYcRdHtwuM7AIdTaTgIO5zl__0VfNzfZ4q-tXOKizvA9wkp4Z_JEFjkCpdMFAaNVlT2-kkH4m00sOE1GLLdKQqEsU2LhY6QfLZFQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhh7gHvnnK41lfKi9ZGGRUVANT5rbCdtbl7mT2-5-vUc-FiCoAKP3OrMSWb7wnXSb66pVAKXQWKb7rahnaCympty-tYcRdHtwuM7AIdTaTgIO5zl__0VfNzfZ4q-tXOKizvA9wkp4Z_JEFjkCpdMFAaNVlT2-kkH4m00sOE1GLLdKQqEsU2LhY6QfLZFQ" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><br />13. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Flag_of_Honduras.svg/23px-Flag_of_Honduras.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Flag_of_Honduras.svg/35px-Flag_of_Honduras.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Flag_of_Honduras.svg/46px-Flag_of_Honduras.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>HONDURAS- “Indomita Salvaje” </b>Honduras has sent films three
times in the past five years. They have two new low-budget action movies in
cinemas this year (“Esperanza de Honor” and “Indomita Salvaje”) and a
well-received indigenous short film (“Bili Kat”) but their selection is a lot
worse than last year (which they skipped) so I can’t really see them sending
any of these. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZvB4m7J6qYcw_4p22v8xfJFvzv_wK3HoBAx_GS0l-ZuovYCMHXU9GCOz7tK3mJFUMZYt2xtRqrhk8Ar7NC6lzAOtPH43Jygc66JWL88YtXTOJ2o4_MC8SVcRAHi_XL0WiZlJYqHiBfA8mVVuGrxddiyvJtDwXokqDfiY2azEk3oZoe-HTqXcvXeOF1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1200" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZvB4m7J6qYcw_4p22v8xfJFvzv_wK3HoBAx_GS0l-ZuovYCMHXU9GCOz7tK3mJFUMZYt2xtRqrhk8Ar7NC6lzAOtPH43Jygc66JWL88YtXTOJ2o4_MC8SVcRAHi_XL0WiZlJYqHiBfA8mVVuGrxddiyvJtDwXokqDfiY2azEk3oZoe-HTqXcvXeOF1g=w200-h123" width="200" /></a></b></div><b><br />14. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="560" data-file-width="980" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fc/Flag_of_Mexico.svg/46px-Flag_of_Mexico.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MEXICO- “Bardo” </b>Alejandro Iñárritu has made four feature
films in the United States, one in Spain and just one (“Amores Perros”) in his
native Mexico. <b>All six </b>netted Oscar nominations. Three of the four
American films netted Best Picture nominations (“Birdman” won) and he won Best
Director twice in a row for “Birdman” and “The Revenant”. Both Spanish-language
films made the Final Five in the Foreign Film category, and both probably came
in second place. So, it would be foolish to bet against “Bardo”, his first film
made in Mexico in over twenty years, one of the favorites at this year’s
Venice Film Festival and a hotly anticipated title on Netflix. This is pretty much a lock. On the off chance, the
Mexican Academy doesn’t like this as-yet-unseen film, they could choose “Dos
Estaciones” (Sundance)…but I’m sure this will be “Bardo”. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBWtnvWLGXmqOhvez8OguZnvzzfwLCGIZTeGvFQNz3xYD6kp-ZYt64gnaDvkmE7whjTrRCbTY0E2yGdbDuQY3J-zdJv_5A57ZqrfGlcPxPp7irKAFllBdDs57TKvPh8lK5QaIwOec49ilJ8vQK7rp_N4wQ4xBuQbeNtlosPv_p2_Klil4CJ-wo-Enxlg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="388" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhBWtnvWLGXmqOhvez8OguZnvzzfwLCGIZTeGvFQNz3xYD6kp-ZYt64gnaDvkmE7whjTrRCbTY0E2yGdbDuQY3J-zdJv_5A57ZqrfGlcPxPp7irKAFllBdDs57TKvPh8lK5QaIwOec49ilJ8vQK7rp_N4wQ4xBuQbeNtlosPv_p2_Klil4CJ-wo-Enxlg" width="170" /></a></b></div><b><br />15. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1000" decoding="async" height="14" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nicaragua.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>NICARAGUA- “Daughter of Rage” (La hija de todas las rabias) </b>Nicaragua has only sent
one film in the past thirty years (“La Yuma” in 2010, which I enjoyed). They do
have a fairly significant premiere at San Sebastian, namely “Daughter or Rage”
(La hija de todas las rabias) about an impoverished little girl growing up in a
landfill.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUh9zuQFP9n-jQNWkSzd-dyYra2LQ46DYtlRUiwBl3RVqROXIVxzhhWMZyGPqghDOYXHBthLUtvaaEune_3z4HyeFmTkhrbvnnlh5ceMRcicA2DqbQlB77HUYdkSOxl8SC_MxEIKQfz8uZErOe0ADYuApaPPbCLF_vwYpSKT4g-WffiftdnluNLQQDzA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="150" data-original-width="101" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhUh9zuQFP9n-jQNWkSzd-dyYra2LQ46DYtlRUiwBl3RVqROXIVxzhhWMZyGPqghDOYXHBthLUtvaaEune_3z4HyeFmTkhrbvnnlh5ceMRcicA2DqbQlB77HUYdkSOxl8SC_MxEIKQfz8uZErOe0ADYuApaPPbCLF_vwYpSKT4g-WffiftdnluNLQQDzA" width="162" /></a></b></div><b><br />16. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/23px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/35px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Flag_of_Panama.svg/45px-Flag_of_Panama.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PANAMA- “Birthday Boy" (Cumpleañero) </b>Panama was shortlisted for the
first time last year for “Plaza Catedral” and I expect they’ll be hoping to
make it two in a row with the upcoming “Birthday Boy” (Cumpleañero), about a
45-year old who gathered all of his friends together for a huge party…and then
announces he plans to commit suicide that evening. Director Arturo Montenegro
was selected in 2019. If it’s not released in time, perhaps they’ll send
documentary “For Your Peace of Mind, Make Your Own Museum”, which won Best
Central American Film at the Costa Rica International Film Festival or, less
likely, local COVID comedy “Sancocho Presidencial”. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtetyNtcEfyFRYNWL7-kC10950Sb1SjBBkvLPYaibZBuy1FMHGWauLFHTf8RoA64w7_4Ji0NsG3Cufk1JFfZuK_CFkHjPCp8qA2yw-NSdG35W_ZMjQ5w1l3xkrkB0BVmnQ3I9QIZ24mFlIxHzj3jJx2VTvIm2SF0XmlgZqsv3KXd0XBNimZ3StAWhFEA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="774" data-original-width="501" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhtetyNtcEfyFRYNWL7-kC10950Sb1SjBBkvLPYaibZBuy1FMHGWauLFHTf8RoA64w7_4Ji0NsG3Cufk1JFfZuK_CFkHjPCp8qA2yw-NSdG35W_ZMjQ5w1l3xkrkB0BVmnQ3I9QIZ24mFlIxHzj3jJx2VTvIm2SF0XmlgZqsv3KXd0XBNimZ3StAWhFEA=w129-h200" width="129" /></a></b></div><b><br />17. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="660" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/23px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/35px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/27/Flag_of_Paraguay.svg/46px-Flag_of_Paraguay.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PARAGUAY
- “Eami” </b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">Paraguayan
films rarely win major international film festivals so when mystical
fable/docudrama “Eami” won in Rotterdam, it automatically became the front
runner to represent Paraguay at the Oscars. Add that to the fact that there’s
really no competition and that director Paz Encima was considered an Oscar
contender for “Paraguay Hammock” before Paraguay had a recognized Oscar
committee, and this is a lock. Trivia: although Paraguay is officially
bilingual (Guarani and Spanish), this would be their second submission in a row
in the dying Ayoreo language. </span><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_LQB5gq5eCDVZH9XfXzQnOsPBO7xtCNolpVMLBUa4fb_mlGgPs-DvAE8ov-_KGI3FjU0mN8Sgd7LrP84D81yUUwqcYIgkqoefkO_pYJubJr86C2DB_TmW2ZghwiJFF0XCCHZyAdWXbfaFvTOHH8ZgD-9-0PgElK8C7-HyVh_NPk_7bAlgM2UnF3X71Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="800" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_LQB5gq5eCDVZH9XfXzQnOsPBO7xtCNolpVMLBUa4fb_mlGgPs-DvAE8ov-_KGI3FjU0mN8Sgd7LrP84D81yUUwqcYIgkqoefkO_pYJubJr86C2DB_TmW2ZghwiJFF0XCCHZyAdWXbfaFvTOHH8ZgD-9-0PgElK8C7-HyVh_NPk_7bAlgM2UnF3X71Q=w127-h171" width="127" /></a></b></div><b><br />18. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/23px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/35px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/Flag_of_Peru.svg/45px-Flag_of_Peru.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PERU- “La Pampa” </b>The two Peruvian features in
competition at the Lima Film Festival this month were “Tiempos Futuros”, a
sci-fi drama and human trafficking drama “La Pampa”. Joining them in contention
to rep Peru are “Huesera”, a twisty horror drama that won two awards in
Tribeca, “Operation Condor”, a corruption drama set in the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>1970s, and “Antonia en la vida”, about a 45-year
old woman rediscovering life. I think “La Pampa” will get this, followed by
“Huesera” and “Operation Condor” in third. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR9c-ccj2uDYIiZiWPx-NaiUd_ZvYngRIPma_H8Fud9da5ivOTG2k2gyqV8_WOytBShrUiMiwCNirBJfdULK7_9WxaYusOQG4FEcvWeU07EO6hFuFiBLQ70kY0-quuNsu0wu7o5W1jMAeex2wdCV1mPFk63UPNm5OGe0xd89lyv8M_-ZOU_8YZE3MSrA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="388" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgR9c-ccj2uDYIiZiWPx-NaiUd_ZvYngRIPma_H8Fud9da5ivOTG2k2gyqV8_WOytBShrUiMiwCNirBJfdULK7_9WxaYusOQG4FEcvWeU07EO6hFuFiBLQ70kY0-quuNsu0wu7o5W1jMAeex2wdCV1mPFk63UPNm5OGe0xd89lyv8M_-ZOU_8YZE3MSrA" width="170" /></a></b></div><b><br />19. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg/23px-Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg/35px-Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/28/Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg/45px-Flag_of_Puerto_Rico.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PUERTO RICO- “Without Prescription” (Receta no incluida) </b>Puerto Rico was
unfairly and unceremoniously disinvited from the Oscar competition in 2011,
despite submitting films for over two decades. Hopefully, AMPAS will reverse
this silly decision in the near future. If Puerto Rico is invited again, they’d
certainly send “Without Prescription”, a drama that won the Audience Award at
South by Southwest, about a woman living her life with OCD. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBDJ_D8gtub2Zrz6IzDUzywSPMGyV6-0hTQockTsi7bIAbbPfLSKCzsSOLPyA2w5drugYoKaW_PRhzGOQI1G2ifr6dvR0FmbUMEb25xE7WymxHym1APRmBD46an6jZW5rpW1kBb_FTqoX21JQ249CezJ0BtLrd2uPSXU2tzyFwAsidbwn0jpvudKte_w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1414" data-original-width="998" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjBDJ_D8gtub2Zrz6IzDUzywSPMGyV6-0hTQockTsi7bIAbbPfLSKCzsSOLPyA2w5drugYoKaW_PRhzGOQI1G2ifr6dvR0FmbUMEb25xE7WymxHym1APRmBD46an6jZW5rpW1kBb_FTqoX21JQ249CezJ0BtLrd2uPSXU2tzyFwAsidbwn0jpvudKte_w=w141-h200" width="141" /></a></b></div><b><br />20. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Flag_of_Suriname.svg/23px-Flag_of_Suriname.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Flag_of_Suriname.svg/35px-Flag_of_Suriname.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Flag_of_Suriname.svg/45px-Flag_of_Suriname.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0in;">SURINAME-
“Dear Mister Bouterse”</span></b><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #201f1e; padding: 0in;"> Tiny
Suriname sent a film once in 2020. I doubt they’ll enter this year. The only
film I know of is 60-minute documentary “Dear Mister Bouterse”, about the
country’s eccentric dictator who ruled the country after a coup from 1980-1987
and again as an elected leader 2010-2020. </span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuPMinVlehEh38ekKDkO6yu19OtutH2P5cGrkQQavUzbVr22hJSfngQZQdc3fpwF_AcR52ccWirdos4d0dn2zsxgRQ9MEm8GLT_8_72P2W9lLW42kuBl2g9IO1qzZfTlopC4fnqZwj5MfWVSMJOCkFuemAfZYNUZaJj1KGDiKopGuWPXkgkKhQgzcPFw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="395" data-original-width="266" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjuPMinVlehEh38ekKDkO6yu19OtutH2P5cGrkQQavUzbVr22hJSfngQZQdc3fpwF_AcR52ccWirdos4d0dn2zsxgRQ9MEm8GLT_8_72P2W9lLW42kuBl2g9IO1qzZfTlopC4fnqZwj5MfWVSMJOCkFuemAfZYNUZaJj1KGDiKopGuWPXkgkKhQgzcPFw=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b style="background-color: transparent;"><br />21. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="630" data-file-width="945" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/23px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/35px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Uruguay.svg/45px-Flag_of_Uruguay.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b style="background-color: transparent;">URUGUAY- “Nine” </b><span style="background-color: transparent;">I originally counted three
contenders- sports drama “9”, upcoming Netflix thriller “Togo”, and trendy
horror flick “Virus-32” (they picked a horror movie by the same director in 2011)
with one question mark- “The Employer & the Employee” premiered at Cannes
Director’s Fortnight in 2021 and submitted itself to represent Uruguay but lost
the race to “Broken Glass Theory”. However, after losing that race, its release
date was postponed until April 2022. However, on August 3</span><sup style="background-color: transparent;">rd</sup><span style="background-color: transparent;">, the
Uruguayan Academy (ICAU) announced that three films were being considered- “9”,
“The Employer & the Employee” and “Bosco”, a documentary I’d never heard
of. Zombies (sad!) and Netflix are out. So, what will they pick? “Employer
& the Employee” is the highest-profile and “Bosco”, about the director
tracing her roots back to a depopulated village in Tuscany with only 13
inhabitants, probably has the best reviews. But the Uruguayan Academy has
already rejected “Employer” and has never selected a documentary before. So,
although I hate sports movies, I think they’ll choose “9” which combines the
Uruguayan love for football with the trendy topic of social media harassment
and bullying.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik1bHVSBsY9FfAdon7V0oMrAFNZBb0v23hytnbmmrR9q6D4mNGYM0kD2j3zCWxepEhnsOhwWLP5e_2iUudPI086zxTmeJQSTa9uJQ56aYsRwW4SqzP3h8T9vhrEIBbOLSkh91RHWdkyeOEf1Fi8CIDlKn6yV2atX-C1B2QJUqWz1hPclArWqVFTApGIg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="692" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEik1bHVSBsY9FfAdon7V0oMrAFNZBb0v23hytnbmmrR9q6D4mNGYM0kD2j3zCWxepEhnsOhwWLP5e_2iUudPI086zxTmeJQSTa9uJQ56aYsRwW4SqzP3h8T9vhrEIBbOLSkh91RHWdkyeOEf1Fi8CIDlKn6yV2atX-C1B2QJUqWz1hPclArWqVFTApGIg=w135-h200" width="135" /></a></b></div><b><br />22. </b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/23px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/35px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Flag_of_Venezuela.svg/45px-Flag_of_Venezuela.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>VENEZUELA- “Jezabel” </b>Despite economic collapse,
Venezuela makes some really wonderful films. This year, Venezuela has two main
choices- (1)- “Me and the Beasts”, a weird dramedy about a guitarist trying to
build a solo musical career amidst Venezuela’s economic crash, or (2)-
“Jezabel”, a crime-thriller by Hernan Jabes (who probably came close to a
nomination with “Rock, Paper, Scissors” in 2012) about three adults whose lives
are still being affected by the murder of a friend sixteen years before. “Me and
the Beasts” just beat “Jezebel” for Best Picture and Best Director at the
Venezuelan Film Festival. But “Jezabel” won the important Best Picture award
from the press, and the Venezuelan Academy tends to select grim, gritty
films….and it’s what I think Venezuela will choose to go to the Oscars. Dark
horse: the upcoming “Sons of the Revolution”, following two young lovers over
25 years of Venezuelan history. Unlikely but possible: “Three’s a Crowd, Four
is a Disaster”, a Birdcage-style comedy based on a local play or “La Toma”, a
low-budget Romeo & Juliet story that finished second behind “Me & the
Beasts” at the national film awards.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><b>POSSIBLE DEBUTS:</b><p></p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpAycTj4fHfjmmv2SJLvJWY3fbbJ4LikomB1HpmQeSDjwe0KmOfIN3gSB0IO5AzgdAZK4L_S6kA2tdXC8wldxQhZr0Hfl35bDWPgzy7oXBvG8PpiR7_mYw-J_DDSTiiCUvlmNa04bGABTcmssnv6bz8WEwHlHwUvmj3fkRcKfJep1GkmizAEYWpTe8OQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="291" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjpAycTj4fHfjmmv2SJLvJWY3fbbJ4LikomB1HpmQeSDjwe0KmOfIN3gSB0IO5AzgdAZK4L_S6kA2tdXC8wldxQhZr0Hfl35bDWPgzy7oXBvG8PpiR7_mYw-J_DDSTiiCUvlmNa04bGABTcmssnv6bz8WEwHlHwUvmj3fkRcKfJep1GkmizAEYWpTe8OQ=w132-h185" width="132" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="567" data-file-width="1005" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg/23px-Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg/35px-Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg/46px-Flag_of_El_Salvador.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>EL SALVADOR </b>is the only country in Latin America that's never sent a film to the Oscars. If they decide to make their debut this year, it will probably be "Polvo de gallo", a B&W allegorical tale about abortion (El Salvador has some of the most restrictive anti-abotion laws on earth, imprisoning women simply for having a miscarriage). Director Julio Lopez represented El Salvador in the Central American omnibus "Days of Light", which represented Honduras two years ago. They also have "Antes la Lluvia", about the difficulties of two women seeking to migrate to the United States and "Hoy", a drama about drivers (bus, taxi, etc.) that premiered in 2020 but was delayed due to COVID. <p></p><p><br /></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1190950236363053164.post-13808855207356025882022-08-08T21:52:00.001-04:002022-08-08T21:52:25.893-04:00OSCARS 2023: Predictions for the African and Middle Eastern Submissions<p> Here are the 34 countries from Africa and the Middle East. Many of these countries have only sent films once or twice. Last year, 17 of these countries sent films. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbCVQjQCnNvUJBD66IgsUM686N_I72-gIEfzCXdtM6Mlws7PYlWNLld4EcDxpK1ChX95JOW1HDjEq8OtFZp292fvxNpP4WQu3iYQTvREcnhsdKhisHP7YncCg8VjkLi6ZwbWlWFQUO9Hwjq6H5KDKcv2SSDgToKWZXl8P_kHMaaSefZd1rtvcgKM9Y9A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbCVQjQCnNvUJBD66IgsUM686N_I72-gIEfzCXdtM6Mlws7PYlWNLld4EcDxpK1ChX95JOW1HDjEq8OtFZp292fvxNpP4WQu3iYQTvREcnhsdKhisHP7YncCg8VjkLi6ZwbWlWFQUO9Hwjq6H5KDKcv2SSDgToKWZXl8P_kHMaaSefZd1rtvcgKM9Y9A=w148-h200" width="148" /></a></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/77/Flag_of_Algeria.svg/45px-Flag_of_Algeria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">ALGERIA- “Nos
frangins” </span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Algeria seems to
have three options. The two true Algerian films are “La vie d’apres”, about a
widow and her son who are driven from their village by a series of vicious
rumors, and “Argu”, a film set in the ethnically unique Kabylia region, about a
young man whose carefree, bohemian lifestyle leads the village elders to place
him in a mental institution. I give “La vie d’apres” the edge. But watch out- three-time Oscar nominee Rachid
Bouchareb had a new film at Cannes and- as far as I know- Algeria has never
failed to send one of his eligible films. “Nos frangins” (Our Brothers) represented
France at Cannes and is about the 1986 death of a French-Algerian student due to police violence.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqSWUvPCagu0bj-IgPwU18EUGdeBdc5lUJ5yKmIWybdQNn3lfsDmebBMNcOd6--UbR6HqJJ4pIuUfC8gFRrHKF-H9Mp_tjZD351Uf94jlqKQPW71Vx_U653S2r5jTZ3GZY3fMmZ01SB5lRE-7VhKJjZLqCrjrr767QbyvPR4wTYVFQs4ocSRAfhD0rag" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="300" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqSWUvPCagu0bj-IgPwU18EUGdeBdc5lUJ5yKmIWybdQNn3lfsDmebBMNcOd6--UbR6HqJJ4pIuUfC8gFRrHKF-H9Mp_tjZD351Uf94jlqKQPW71Vx_U653S2r5jTZ3GZY3fMmZ01SB5lRE-7VhKJjZLqCrjrr767QbyvPR4wTYVFQs4ocSRAfhD0rag=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><br /><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/23px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/35px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/31/Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg/45px-Flag_of_Burkina_Faso.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>BURKINA FASO- “The
Crossing” </b>Burkina Faso sent
a film just once in 1989. They tried again in 2019 and were rejected
for not having an approved committee. This year, they could return with “Massoud!”, about
the radicalized son of a respected imam, although that faces some nationality
issues (The director is Burkinabe but the film was made in Chad). More likely would be “The Crossing”, a drama about a man who returns home to Burkina Faso after ten
hard years working in Italy, who agrees to help six young people migrate to Europe.<p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhydseCEPsa1--AHbcOcmmXZTxhhLEQF3IjKT5lXbRDdmjneLDVmxleDsTrYZOTtwavtC2jn23fi787EXGg89NqBNzLsZLOPPRWrlTnjbnPTfyspJLPjhzO9dffEFRgwgMnWCGI-SGOXQ2MLTSJHnBwv9xNjHAnRgzanbN1xEfOBpzeyjsnr9QnX76i3w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3508" data-original-width="2480" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhydseCEPsa1--AHbcOcmmXZTxhhLEQF3IjKT5lXbRDdmjneLDVmxleDsTrYZOTtwavtC2jn23fi787EXGg89NqBNzLsZLOPPRWrlTnjbnPTfyspJLPjhzO9dffEFRgwgMnWCGI-SGOXQ2MLTSJHnBwv9xNjHAnRgzanbN1xEfOBpzeyjsnr9QnX76i3w" width="170" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/23px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/35px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4f/Flag_of_Cameroon.svg/45px-Flag_of_Cameroon.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CAMEROON- “Kankan”
</b>Cameroon has sent
films the past two years. The only film I’ve heard of this year is a biopic of
one of their most acclaimed comedians called “Kankan”. The poster says it will premiere in Cameroon on October 21. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7mjZZkeDwmvOGLo7miw1pqc7Q68xgfaJRqPOikWcPRmaKwMmFmX8kBDAw5Ec9XF3xkrkUxy443tugWRVUEOn9shgc_s8Ea4DnHG0-K9Je2HQPYDoUvgdhGR13HvqSnoWmi6YWM1uDSbihdz9wPeN7mkf6plmjCXXwKG4OeoVxKjEuD1Gvl0lrWAZbEQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi7mjZZkeDwmvOGLo7miw1pqc7Q68xgfaJRqPOikWcPRmaKwMmFmX8kBDAw5Ec9XF3xkrkUxy443tugWRVUEOn9shgc_s8Ea4DnHG0-K9Je2HQPYDoUvgdhGR13HvqSnoWmi6YWM1uDSbihdz9wPeN7mkf6plmjCXXwKG4OeoVxKjEuD1Gvl0lrWAZbEQ=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Flag_of_Chad.svg/23px-Flag_of_Chad.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Flag_of_Chad.svg/35px-Flag_of_Chad.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Flag_of_Chad.svg/45px-Flag_of_Chad.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CHAD- “Massoud!” </b>Director and former Minister of
Culture Mahamat-Saleh Haroun has made five features in Chad since 2002 and Chad
has sent three of them to the Oscars. My favorite was “Grigris”. Chad doesn’t
have any other international directors so they’ll probably have to wait until
he makes another film. Dark horse:
“Massoud!”, about the radicalized son of a respected imam, was filmed in Chad
by a Burkinabe director who has worked as crew on at least one of Haroun’s films.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMSVwcC9mYbPnDNkU_0Ihm2gewXlKKYxzi-Pt_ivw4il4pTfTwM6juIzbJtCeCS5YHb0hE2vzPaBo-FM-3Oi5Prx7eA51O0va47JOKPJ4cyOPT4gukkXnzajvREoV749_KUGKSclKg9Lwl6S2gf2YV_AKTR1iVAE4HGmqH2Op6EuQ5b9ujKH_CxpP0Vg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="843" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMSVwcC9mYbPnDNkU_0Ihm2gewXlKKYxzi-Pt_ivw4il4pTfTwM6juIzbJtCeCS5YHb0hE2vzPaBo-FM-3Oi5Prx7eA51O0va47JOKPJ4cyOPT4gukkXnzajvREoV749_KUGKSclKg9Lwl6S2gf2YV_AKTR1iVAE4HGmqH2Op6EuQ5b9ujKH_CxpP0Vg=w200-h131" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="800" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg/20px-Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg/31px-Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6f/Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg/40px-Flag_of_the_Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="20" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>CONGO-KINSHASA-
“Alone in A Strange World” </b>Congo-Kinshasa
submitted a film just once in 1997, even though they’ve had some strong contenders
(“Viva Riva”, “Benda Bilili”) since. In the unlikely event that they return this year,
they could send “Alone in a Strange World”, about a Congolese family that sends
their seven-year old son to Germany to escape the civil wars of the 1990s. It’s
played at some African film festivals and has German
production partners. Congo-born Rafiki Fariala had a documentary in Berlin (“We
Students”), but that film was about his life in the neighboring Central African
Republic.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy8LrDxqLSLxlSyZuw9DrDwbjzYRBR59lmyzy1IbKdAvd-inozgjRHi4ZriEyegqmKBFhadtJhCOB-hPGkv3Fmnj6ENQwpI2IpI_gs58mxqMN3xGknFSFSwZ868fpQFEGY4QNUyafhKSfLnxNmXV_sZkQ_PA4Cga_9XVO6xOOEROSzqNa1mSbOF7mk-Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1131" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhy8LrDxqLSLxlSyZuw9DrDwbjzYRBR59lmyzy1IbKdAvd-inozgjRHi4ZriEyegqmKBFhadtJhCOB-hPGkv3Fmnj6ENQwpI2IpI_gs58mxqMN3xGknFSFSwZ868fpQFEGY4QNUyafhKSfLnxNmXV_sZkQ_PA4Cga_9XVO6xOOEROSzqNa1mSbOF7mk-Q=w168-h212" width="168" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/23px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/35px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg/45px-Flag_of_C%C3%B4te_d%27Ivoire.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>COTE D’IVOIRE-
“Ticket At Any Cost” </b>Côte d’Ivoire (aka Ivory Coast) is another one of those African countries that enters only when their premiere international director makes
a movie, in this case Philippe LaCote. LaCote has a new thriller in development (“7 Gold Thieves”) which is
scheduled to start filming in Africa and the United States in 2024. This year,
I doubt they will enter, although they do have comedy “Ticket At Any Cost”, a
comedy about a young man in need of cash who wins the lottery…but I fear it may
have been released too early.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvvRauaZk9rkIvI0Y92AbDo-NK5cj4WGywSJ1RckKVQ-cwNPAS9me2p3G3ZvDz2BaHwahpcKA5jUBQaTZCWtbc7W97gOF6nzmmBBMbJQA-HmqMPaeP9HFGzw9vr8ErNyCrABHQ89W7VztdHo5RMIa2aYYhZfj2UuNopFNUkKFUfO2z9rhNfeuTcdN7Lw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="403" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjvvRauaZk9rkIvI0Y92AbDo-NK5cj4WGywSJ1RckKVQ-cwNPAS9me2p3G3ZvDz2BaHwahpcKA5jUBQaTZCWtbc7W97gOF6nzmmBBMbJQA-HmqMPaeP9HFGzw9vr8ErNyCrABHQ89W7VztdHo5RMIa2aYYhZfj2UuNopFNUkKFUfO2z9rhNfeuTcdN7Lw=w138-h173" width="138" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/23px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/35px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Flag_of_Egypt.svg/45px-Flag_of_Egypt.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>EGYPT- “Kira
& El Gin” </b>Of course, everyone knows Egypt
should send “Feathers”, possibly their best chance at getting their first Oscar
nomination since they began submitting films in 1958. Of course they probably
won’t. There has been a weird backlash against the film in Egypt (vague allegations that it "highlighted poverty" which is ridiculous if you've seen prior submissions like "Poisonous Roses" or "Lust") despite its
excellent reviews. I believe the film is in fact eligible because of new COVID-19 rules saying a film can qualify with a 2022 cinematic run in another
country. In the past, the Egyptian Academy has made
bold, controversial choices so I hope I’m wrong. Egypt doesn't have many other options. “Kira &
El-Gin” is a nationalist, three-hour box-office hit about Egyptian history,
namely overthrowing the British in 1919. “The Crime” is about a cold case disappearance (murder?) from the 1970s. Both films are by previously selected
directors (Marwan Hamed made “The Yacoubian Building”, which I loved) and
geared more towards Egyptian audiences. “You Resemble Me” is a drama about Islamic radicalization directed by
New York-based Egyptian Dina Amer, and executive produced by three Oscar
winners- Spike Lee, Riz Ahmed and Spike Jonze. This would be a more international
choice. But in a weak year, my money is on Hamed and “Kira & El Gin”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzrZ64ChX6QRSATpfDOXq_0SQ1liZ-2Or_-VefhltjVXGvZrrDe-rV2MTDT6K11Kot2FPbT0cw3UTh4dRO82J_TJB5GOIgJh_4zAqZAMTsPau_0ccJzu7pwNmpRztH4WzvrTYRCYh6aKvxiUvG8vzuYfKgRKPk3EmesxEA9CkqzAy-5T7X70iKslIyRg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="390" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjzrZ64ChX6QRSATpfDOXq_0SQ1liZ-2Or_-VefhltjVXGvZrrDe-rV2MTDT6K11Kot2FPbT0cw3UTh4dRO82J_TJB5GOIgJh_4zAqZAMTsPau_0ccJzu7pwNmpRztH4WzvrTYRCYh6aKvxiUvG8vzuYfKgRKPk3EmesxEA9CkqzAy-5T7X70iKslIyRg=w143-h200" width="143" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/71/Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg/46px-Flag_of_Ethiopia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ETHIOPIA- “Among
Us Women” </b>Ethiopia has only
sent one film in the past six years and they don’t have any fiction features on
the film festival circuit this year. If they do submit, I predict it will be
documentary “Among Us Women”, following a pregnant farmer living in a rural
village as she deals with medical bureaucracy at her local clinic and the trusted
midwife in her local community. The film has German and Ethiopian co-directors,
which means it would likely be eligible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj20JhHOEy80d73BUVbT3CUTH1rfgKHLNWJ62eMFFp6AU8DXifPOi2a7rPbbS2VTiejmmdEo9CDxpdp67e4jleSl8e_SZyDRdN__5vDKM6rcA0JmtHUKREKDLjQKduq_76pqHCzFTohZH7QcLsABaBph7v7xHn5tDHZvx8vU6vylq9QBn5nEqGp-ziK1g" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="785" data-original-width="578" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj20JhHOEy80d73BUVbT3CUTH1rfgKHLNWJ62eMFFp6AU8DXifPOi2a7rPbbS2VTiejmmdEo9CDxpdp67e4jleSl8e_SZyDRdN__5vDKM6rcA0JmtHUKREKDLjQKduq_76pqHCzFTohZH7QcLsABaBph7v7xHn5tDHZvx8vU6vylq9QBn5nEqGp-ziK1g=w148-h200" width="148" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/23px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/35px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Flag_of_Ghana.svg/45px-Flag_of_Ghana.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>GHANA- “Public
Toilet Africa” </b>I
hate predicting the same film two years in a row, but quirky
road-movie-cum-revenge-tale “Public Toilet Africa” doesn’t seem to have
premiered in Ghana since premiering at Locarno 2021, although it secured a
berth at the 2022 SXSW in the United States. Ghana has only sent a film once (in 2019) and
the oddly titled “Toilet” (in a mix of Twi, Polish and English) would be a
great second one. Critics say it’s a bit of a mess, with a plot all over the
place but it paints a fascinating picture of Ghana.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4rV62JJTXYxoQsYlxAxtJ7WibEDhyg45S7aI1MgZjcp0955iqTp7JJcodywDmQCwmt3BX7Y2Snj9gN0rgU3A-SZBqzucwsVldxWLhW7KvgYmJs2Q1QAyYPUp2Y0RsX9emK-czZyfwyJhCxFMvLb4ySmtuVhKKW4VW9GNbm5dTQjnOODk2a-jzpHkqxg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="193" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4rV62JJTXYxoQsYlxAxtJ7WibEDhyg45S7aI1MgZjcp0955iqTp7JJcodywDmQCwmt3BX7Y2Snj9gN0rgU3A-SZBqzucwsVldxWLhW7KvgYmJs2Q1QAyYPUp2Y0RsX9emK-czZyfwyJhCxFMvLb4ySmtuVhKKW4VW9GNbm5dTQjnOODk2a-jzpHkqxg=w148-h200" width="148" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="360" data-file-width="630" decoding="async" height="13" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/23px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/35px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Flag_of_Iran.svg/46px-Flag_of_Iran.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>IRAN- “Leila’s Brothers” </b>Iran has a wide-open race
with seven contenders from the three big festivals (Cannes, Berlin and Venice)
and four different films that dominated the Fajr Film Festival awards. With a recent crackdown on filmmakers at home, I think they’re going to want to pick someone with
impeccable revolutionary credentials (Asghar Farhadi criticized the government
last year during the Oscar campaign). I’m predicting they choose 3-hour drama
“Leila’s Brothers”, starring Taraneh Alidoosti as a woman fed up with being
taken advantage of by her dysfunctional family. It competed in Cannes and has
gotten very strong reviews from critics. Young director Saeed Roustayi swept
the Fajr Film Awards in 2016, meaning he probably follows the rules. Two films
by previously selected directors- “Beyond the Wall” (Venice) by the director of
“No Date No Signature” and “Night Guardian” (Fajr; Best Director) by the
director of their 2005 and 2014 submissions- will be very strong competitors.
Rounding out the Top Five choices for Iran: “Last Snow (Fajr; Jury Prize), a
village drama about the mysterious disappearance of a young woman, and “Without
Her” (Venice Horizons and Fajr; Best Actress), a mystery about a woman seeking to help an apparent amnesiac. Dark horse: I don’t think “World War III”,
set to premiere in Venice, will be eligible until next year but this weighty
drama could contend if it gets a late release. Family drama “Hit the Road”,
probably the most acclaimed Iranian film of the year, won’t be considered since
it was directed by the son of imprisoned, dissident director Jafar Panahi.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigw_HGsTO4LKmj49N83N4fx1vnmaHw_oBGK8SC3MWiqYoE4lkugicjyL4nrhoHJFPiaoHK-UXqM0BOTkdNZTFB8cT6Pb_gpPlFHONi4LqDWkDvPtr7ILeRdlACiQyNmDoeLWFWsLbuMilt1FVSSTQqu5ThUli4dryQUoFecOn14Zf-lS_NNXizoyC2Sg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="187" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigw_HGsTO4LKmj49N83N4fx1vnmaHw_oBGK8SC3MWiqYoE4lkugicjyL4nrhoHJFPiaoHK-UXqM0BOTkdNZTFB8cT6Pb_gpPlFHONi4LqDWkDvPtr7ILeRdlACiQyNmDoeLWFWsLbuMilt1FVSSTQqu5ThUli4dryQUoFecOn14Zf-lS_NNXizoyC2Sg=w138-h200" width="138" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/23px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/35px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Flag_of_Iraq.svg/45px-Flag_of_Iraq.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>IRAQ- “Our River, Our Sky”</b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><span class="s2">One of last year’s great surprises was
the return of Iraq, with the riveting thriller “Europa”…perhaps not in my Top
5 but one of the most original and interesting films in last year's competition. Iraq
basically runs itself as two completely separate countries- the Arab south and
the autonomous Kurdish north. Most (6 of 10) of their Oscar submissions have
come from the Kurdish region. This year, the Kurds are probably out of luck.
“Goodnight Soldier”, about two feuding families whose kids fall in love, has
gotten good reviews in the West but has been reviled among many Kurds for sexually explicit scenes. “The Exam”, a moral dilemma drama about a woman who
wants to help her sister cheat on a school exam to avoid an arranged marriage, was my pick
last year…but I think it was released too early. From the Arab side, we have
“Our River, Our Sky” (Sarajevo 2021) as well as “Tale of a Purple House” (Locarno
2022), a 3-hour intellectual documentary which I doubt will be released in cinemas. So, I think “Our River”, about the chaos of Iraq’s civil
war circa 2006, will get this. That would make 74-year old London-based Maysoon Pachachi the first woman ever to represent Iraq.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> A
fifth option- “The Hanging Gardens”- will premiere at Venice but probably won’t
make it to cinemas by November 30.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiM20owj-EWtHJA7qsoa_xE3E40bki30MGw4HjtUOL4_tn5062zHYyFRI7xoPj9-HncjZWjSq_2NxQ-TQd5OVij_iVDUqELUUD6j-wj1mFWXkXDF5XQxhrcmdod_N5_X2-xbpMWmvgRZNjZSzj6mAr981p4DHYtm6ImkBGbwUcTmsuk2T7KTO4qybsarw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1310" data-original-width="1000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiM20owj-EWtHJA7qsoa_xE3E40bki30MGw4HjtUOL4_tn5062zHYyFRI7xoPj9-HncjZWjSq_2NxQ-TQd5OVij_iVDUqELUUD6j-wj1mFWXkXDF5XQxhrcmdod_N5_X2-xbpMWmvgRZNjZSzj6mAr981p4DHYtm6ImkBGbwUcTmsuk2T7KTO4qybsarw=w153-h200" width="153" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1100" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/21px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/32px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d4/Flag_of_Israel.svg/41px-Flag_of_Israel.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="21" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>ISRAEL-
“Karaoke”</b>
Israel just announced the <a href="https://www.israelfilmacademy.co.il/?section=1586" target="_blank">27 films eligible</a> for the Ophir Awards. As
always, the winner of Best Picture will represent Israel at the Oscars (as long
as it’s not in English). That means to predict the Ophir winner, you first need to
predict what will be nominated. It’s a very strong list! I’m pretty sure that
“35 Downhill” (Winner, Best Israeli film, Jerusalem 2022), “Karaoke”
(Tribeca), “June Zero”, and the upcoming family drama “The Silence” will make the cut, and will be the four main contenders to win the Ophir. The final slot is
likely to go to Bérénice Bejo’s “Shake Your Cares Away” (Winner, Best Israeli film, Jerusalem 2021) although it could just as easily go to animated film
“Where is Anne Frank?” (by the director of “Waltz with Bashir”), “Concerned
Citizen” (Berlin), urban drama “Children of Nobody”….or possibly even
English-language comedy “My Neighbor Adolf” (which looks like a remake of “Mr.
Kaplan” and wouldn’t be eligible to go to the Oscars). So which of those potential nominees will go to the Oscars? My money is on “Karaoke” which has the best
reviews, a sizable star (Lior Ashkenazi) and a plot that will be relatable to the older Oscar
voters that have historically dominated the voting (though far less than before). "Karaoke" is a comedy-drama about a dull 60-something couple who find a
new spark in life when they meet a fascinating new neighbor (Ashkenazi). “June Zero”
is also an extremely strong contender, but I wonder if having an American director
will make less people vote for it. If it’s not “Karaoke”, I’m pretty sure it
will be the as-yet unseen “The Silence” (Hashtika), whose director almost went
to the Oscars in 2006 but lost in a tiebreaker vote. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq4RXkHcleVjpwO5rm68M7G8CkrTjw4Oawn3H_c1abiuiQVg9vwYAgc5blAjfQ0l4Nisva4qMSNl8otuzInLu6KaAnkzYrFzuGNeyI94oH1HOmY2_eh9hx2lX4bq-rND9hhEeCb-zo6j5OPFBpzEBGaTHotaML4D4PsDkzG0KorZP5EwkXvO_GFq3P_Q" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="269" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgq4RXkHcleVjpwO5rm68M7G8CkrTjw4Oawn3H_c1abiuiQVg9vwYAgc5blAjfQ0l4Nisva4qMSNl8otuzInLu6KaAnkzYrFzuGNeyI94oH1HOmY2_eh9hx2lX4bq-rND9hhEeCb-zo6j5OPFBpzEBGaTHotaML4D4PsDkzG0KorZP5EwkXvO_GFq3P_Q=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c0/Flag_of_Jordan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Jordan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>JORDAN- “The Alleys” </b>Last year, Jordan cowardly withdrew the provocative “Amina” in
response to a social media campaign of people condemning the film, who
clearly hadn’t seen it. This year, Jordan has a really difficult decision with
four contenders, namely “The Alleys” (Locarno 2021), “Daughters of
Abdul-Rahman” (Cairo), “Farha” (Toronto/Busan 2021) and “Salma’s Home”
(Netflix). That’s a lot of movies for Jordan! Buzz for “Farha” has faded, but I think the
other three stand a great chance of being selected. I am predicting urban
thriller “The Alleys”, about the various denizens of a conservative Amman
neighborhood, because reviews have been great and because it comes from the
screenwriter of Jordanian Oscar nominee “Theeb”. “Daughters of Abdul-Rahman”, a
lighter film about four estranged sisters looking for their missing father, is
my second pick. As far as I know, only “Alleys” has been released in theatres, although the Netflix release of "Salma” may also count. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih5OGehQ2jL2lb2jwZhqU9-TingXhEAJZ7FNuUhl9WkKsBUpr5cAjmeUSff4zQlI4C2K2fyVZzhV-SY_9FI3vuHLVy3IYKKrwK6Jmg3GzdBGi1bJUmNnT6kaf_b58Nc_j3L2CwaSDcnOwll9G15BEfxukNeJ7rqwV10qf-vh3N-5IgST9CMZ6jzmgtxg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1509" data-original-width="995" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEih5OGehQ2jL2lb2jwZhqU9-TingXhEAJZ7FNuUhl9WkKsBUpr5cAjmeUSff4zQlI4C2K2fyVZzhV-SY_9FI3vuHLVy3IYKKrwK6Jmg3GzdBGi1bJUmNnT6kaf_b58Nc_j3L2CwaSDcnOwll9G15BEfxukNeJ7rqwV10qf-vh3N-5IgST9CMZ6jzmgtxg=w112-h166" width="112" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Flag_of_Kenya.svg/45px-Flag_of_Kenya.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>KENYA- “Gaza” </b>Kenya doesn’t have much of anything this year and I’ve
no idea what they’re going to send. Unconventional love story “Blind Love” was
released too early, and “Kamtupe”, about a government official who is robbed of a
laptop with government secrets, looks too commercial. “Zuena”, about a
woman returning to her home village, is a spare 60 minutes, and “Ayaanle”, a
thriller about the country’s Somali minority, is more likely to be selected by
Somalia. “Gaza” makes more sense but according to IMDB, it’s opening one day
after the deadline. This film about a woman who’s just been released from
prison could be a good option with a qualifying release one day early.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEird4FdyoyWe5sHYM6z5Q34iBDK7Loxsr0PPVlM5V3Sgz2WZnYxg7P8R5irqcILfRlv9d-xEqqJFiXEwWgff57TeQFYVqcq10CP082-NW2xZwxTdj4v2epulJohADSYzzgEs604NTPsxUbZ7kZf5Z0ikS-Z0q9HcuKFYEWHui_bZ_EF5hBo0ispWitJRQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="180" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEird4FdyoyWe5sHYM6z5Q34iBDK7Loxsr0PPVlM5V3Sgz2WZnYxg7P8R5irqcILfRlv9d-xEqqJFiXEwWgff57TeQFYVqcq10CP082-NW2xZwxTdj4v2epulJohADSYzzgEs604NTPsxUbZ7kZf5Z0ikS-Z0q9HcuKFYEWHui_bZ_EF5hBo0ispWitJRQ=w137-h200" width="137" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Flag_of_Kuwait.svg/23px-Flag_of_Kuwait.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Flag_of_Kuwait.svg/35px-Flag_of_Kuwait.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Flag_of_Kuwait.svg/46px-Flag_of_Kuwait.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>KUWAIT- “Akh” </b>Kuwait hasn’t sent a film since 1978, a longer gap than any
of the 128 countries that have competed over the years. They obviously
won’t send anything this year. According to IMDB, their only option is “Akh”, a
horror film loosely based on Cain and Abel. It doesn’t seem to have
screened anywhere yet.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZ_kf2Y391QAlXf-VY30TtItjXBkHds7SRWchfQlmzZjZarmLfKeU0-wlbPaIoeZcexUM1jFOts3RCWmEx2P1VxK6H-J2Q1dyfUY_t69tilv6p3leBOLWY7o602huhXWPzCDD9MFb-OjnhcEBbUCkCQJguoHEaq2BR0KQYh0wKeOLskTrRgzXO0wcrIQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1000" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZ_kf2Y391QAlXf-VY30TtItjXBkHds7SRWchfQlmzZjZarmLfKeU0-wlbPaIoeZcexUM1jFOts3RCWmEx2P1VxK6H-J2Q1dyfUY_t69tilv6p3leBOLWY7o602huhXWPzCDD9MFb-OjnhcEBbUCkCQJguoHEaq2BR0KQYh0wKeOLskTrRgzXO0wcrIQ=w133-h173" width="133" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Flag_of_Lebanon.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lebanon.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Flag_of_Lebanon.svg/35px-Flag_of_Lebanon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/59/Flag_of_Lebanon.svg/45px-Flag_of_Lebanon.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>LEBANON- “Memory Box”</b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><span class="s2">It’s a case of deja vu! Lebanon had a
banner year at international film festivals last year, while this year they’ve
mostly been absent. However, three of their films from last year- “Memory Box”
(Berlin, Main Competition), “Death of a Virgin and the Sin of Not Living” (Berlin Panorama),
and “The Sea Ahead” (Cannes, UCR)- all debuted in Lebanese cinemas in 2022. All three have
gotten pretty great reviews, although it’s “Memory Box” that has seen the most
festival play and attention. It’s about three women linked by a mysterious box of
audiotapes and other memorabilia. I’d love to see comedy-drama “Death of a
Virgin” make it- it's about four teenagers losing their virginity to a prostitute-
but it’s probably out of luck this year. Lebanon does sometimes like to pick a
brand-new film…”Beirut Hold ‘Em ” (starring Saleh Bakri) and “The Anger” could
contend but probably not against these heavy hitter festival films.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> "Dirty Difficult Dangerous" will premiere in Venice but won't be eligible until next year. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99cqV0_VN-TknyGuv25D2w6VtueqI4PZHI0THUV5NlssuXMt-OJW7xuUZof5FUXGRgvrSN2NnRDcXTKSdX3TVgv-zE2FOLzBB8FsRYanPQ7enwJwyQOGOKGEZa3-I_dZfa8hW6NIZEK5nQ7RXjsbVr-6fJg7uuU_B7cC6LRK1jxrd_geMPPrVTSOtpA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="255" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg99cqV0_VN-TknyGuv25D2w6VtueqI4PZHI0THUV5NlssuXMt-OJW7xuUZof5FUXGRgvrSN2NnRDcXTKSdX3TVgv-zE2FOLzBB8FsRYanPQ7enwJwyQOGOKGEZa3-I_dZfa8hW6NIZEK5nQ7RXjsbVr-6fJg7uuU_B7cC6LRK1jxrd_geMPPrVTSOtpA=w200-h133" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Flag_of_Lesotho.svg/23px-Flag_of_Lesotho.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Flag_of_Lesotho.svg/35px-Flag_of_Lesotho.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Flag_of_Lesotho.svg/45px-Flag_of_Lesotho.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>LESOTHO- Nothing </b>The tiny Kingdom of Lesotho sent “This
Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection” in 2020 but I don’t think they have had anything eligible since. At their local film festival in December 2021, a film called
“Quarantine” won Best Lesotho Film, but there’s no information about it online
and I’d imagine it’s probably a short film.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfwCTL92EK-Ha85wPm-FZdaFLVu7CQNExzFK4ERCUX9buI3yn2wc2NzeMY8CUy3xWjkwv_TQTzIIsmgkZb8mp1aDTOTdIzyxp_3PDOsygZaBNGZrrYvhmqXqCHFWplxsxRwIMQW6KKDKn_ZYsbkUx99Vmdosxv3Cb_O95zAxTs8o89tDv0WH4qIM9d6w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfwCTL92EK-Ha85wPm-FZdaFLVu7CQNExzFK4ERCUX9buI3yn2wc2NzeMY8CUy3xWjkwv_TQTzIIsmgkZb8mp1aDTOTdIzyxp_3PDOsygZaBNGZrrYvhmqXqCHFWplxsxRwIMQW6KKDKn_ZYsbkUx99Vmdosxv3Cb_O95zAxTs8o89tDv0WH4qIM9d6w=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Flag_of_Malawi.svg/23px-Flag_of_Malawi.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Flag_of_Malawi.svg/35px-Flag_of_Malawi.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d1/Flag_of_Malawi.svg/45px-Flag_of_Malawi.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MALAWI- “Sorry to
My Mother” </b>Malawi sent a
surprise entry last year. The only film I know of this year is
low-budget melodrama “Sorry to My Mother”, which premiered in April 2022. Production
values don’t look up to Oscar standards, but this is all they’ve got.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfF_HHfvNTwoIxrBjGM4It0ozOoerhT6iIeL90JU8fSzNlF9SiQ3RumbfHP1JJW_u02Fe1wPTC_a23bbuTOKrzn41LiErRJLijMgkgx8uswscG0h4yPofi7cRAfpjGFR1fYf5IYqFnuJOhiGYBf1OYvm56Im9HY9zAESm6djti1aD87AL6TQCsyTTCBA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhfF_HHfvNTwoIxrBjGM4It0ozOoerhT6iIeL90JU8fSzNlF9SiQ3RumbfHP1JJW_u02Fe1wPTC_a23bbuTOKrzn41LiErRJLijMgkgx8uswscG0h4yPofi7cRAfpjGFR1fYf5IYqFnuJOhiGYBf1OYvm56Im9HY9zAESm6djti1aD87AL6TQCsyTTCBA" width="79" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/43/Flag_of_Mauritania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mauritania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MAURITANIA- “The
Perfumed Hill” </b>Abderrahmane
Sissako got a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Mauritania’s only Oscar entry
“Timbuktu” way back in 2014/2015. It’s long been assumed that Sissako’s next
film would be Mauritania’s second Oscar entry, but he hasn’t made a feature
since (he has been making short films, and recently directed a theatrical opera
in Paris). As of April 2022, Sissako is in post-production on “The Perfumed
Hill”, a drama set amidst the African community in Guangzhou, China. Completion of the film has been delayed due to COVID and I’m not sure if it will premiere in 2022 or
2023. Because Mauritania has been absent longer than five years, they’ll
have to get AMPAS authorization for a new committee. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDu2qjdfjTIOWF9OH1pH6ejAJzavlyKZ8IBMSRHP8gdTffBjZGEoqFOdTGkhBz-0M6jo6onDPxLoF8F6h6rujqlHTQRJq0i2pG2kjm0xBQnR17yZ9xH5GV8K1e6CgmaErrhwluCnLMduj2gqSLWSPW7Rmtyppc9yLFZEm0PxxXFT0TJwL0RFq4G1UAXA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1211" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhDu2qjdfjTIOWF9OH1pH6ejAJzavlyKZ8IBMSRHP8gdTffBjZGEoqFOdTGkhBz-0M6jo6onDPxLoF8F6h6rujqlHTQRJq0i2pG2kjm0xBQnR17yZ9xH5GV8K1e6CgmaErrhwluCnLMduj2gqSLWSPW7Rmtyppc9yLFZEm0PxxXFT0TJwL0RFq4G1UAXA" width="151" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/23px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/35px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/Flag_of_Morocco.svg/45px-Flag_of_Morocco.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MOROCCO- “The Blue Caftan” </b>Like Georgia and Pakistan, Morocco has
to decide whether to send their best film of the year…despite its LGBT themes. “The
Blue Caftan” is widely recognized as the best Moroccan film of the year. It won
the FIPRESCI prize this year at Un Certain Regard at Cannes, it's produced by Morocco’s
most well-known director (Nabil Ayouch, who has repped Morocco a record five times), it has
a well-known cast (Lubna Azabal and Saleh Bakri) and director Maryam Touzani
has represented Morocco once before. But I worry that the theme of a wife dealing with a
closeted gay husband may be too much for Morocco, where homosexuality is illegal. However, the film is promoted on the Centre Cinematographique Marocain (CCM) website, and they
don’t have any other really strong candidate….My Moroccan friend says it was widely publicized that the film "won an award at Cannes" without talking too much about the gay stuff. So I’m predicting they (quietly) send it.
Perhaps they won’t make an announcement and it will just appear on the list? If
they’re too shy, they’ll probably send “Life Suits Me Well” (Tallinn), about a
man who returns to his hometown after being diagnosed with a fatal illness.
Dark horses: “Collapsed Walls” premiered this summer, while feminist adventure “Queens”
will close out Venice Critics Week (but Moroccan movies take forever to play in
cinemas so it probably won’t premiere in time). Let’s be optimistic and predict
“Caftan”. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBKfa_OgUKVonzI99Af7qkj96S_zNwkJmBkTQVSwb7GxZnl722r_XxGIKXhmEi82eDJy_K9Z3DWfFW517Ud762P1XqsSprKO5zJ6pC1rlnCewlhnHzXhahxR38PrV4mj8V6llvsGjiw5TICSFUpPYOLViXEP-4BBMLyyUxhFGZKUuLDjYDjY3JGitbpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1000" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBKfa_OgUKVonzI99Af7qkj96S_zNwkJmBkTQVSwb7GxZnl722r_XxGIKXhmEi82eDJy_K9Z3DWfFW517Ud762P1XqsSprKO5zJ6pC1rlnCewlhnHzXhahxR38PrV4mj8V6llvsGjiw5TICSFUpPYOLViXEP-4BBMLyyUxhFGZKUuLDjYDjY3JGitbpg=w139-h176" width="139" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Mozambique.svg/23px-Flag_of_Mozambique.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Mozambique.svg/35px-Flag_of_Mozambique.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Flag_of_Mozambique.svg/45px-Flag_of_Mozambique.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>MOZAMBIQUE- “</b><b>Maputo Nakuzandza</b><b>” </b>In 2017,
Mozambique became the first country in Portuguese-speaking Africa to send a
film to the Oscars, with the surprisingly good “Train of Salt and Sugar”. I
doubt they’ll send anything this year but if they do, it will be “Maputo
Nakuzandza” (Maputo, I Love You), a 60-minute “film-poem” following a variety
of characters in the Mozambican capital, directed by Brazilian Ariadine
Zampaulo (“Train” was also directed by a Brazilian). </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNuD94-k_ePX-mGPjKdU-tMKgsPgkT5knozhVHBuSVRbkEIKySo1yjdeZxq67zgh298y3v6EUyqUmSFAWFAwh6_GQw8PdoOEMma0AkP_AyNeAZlLm2s2A5VZiDQ6ugrFpvxSl2QJm1b6Me0WxKzclxzYvorhmb-TocpvKOXqlCwt-gEXFIJcmEWPxhbg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="700" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjNuD94-k_ePX-mGPjKdU-tMKgsPgkT5knozhVHBuSVRbkEIKySo1yjdeZxq67zgh298y3v6EUyqUmSFAWFAwh6_GQw8PdoOEMma0AkP_AyNeAZlLm2s2A5VZiDQ6ugrFpvxSl2QJm1b6Me0WxKzclxzYvorhmb-TocpvKOXqlCwt-gEXFIJcmEWPxhbg=w200-h116" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="700" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/18px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/27px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Flag_of_Niger.svg/35px-Flag_of_Niger.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="18" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>NIGER- Nothing </b>Niger sent a film to the Oscars once
in 2018. An acclaimed documentary by a female filmmaker, “Zinder”, appeared at
several doc-centered festivals in 2021, and premiered at home in Summer 2021.
However, I don’t think they have anything this year. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqMC3bqYXcbjmiEFKPL5TdpvAAkj8ElQv9KvU7l89azFzeY8wi--s5idPTYQTq-fgG6Toz9P9b08bI7Zq_ktMyPIHzA2AoAyiCe_war22R0ij1krXCxyoeZT_oPh0jcwSlR5CzvpqyjbFzRcr9vLbkze7-HMsLd15t3wneghxsA1HsSrS6Lz3x9M53QA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="470" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqMC3bqYXcbjmiEFKPL5TdpvAAkj8ElQv9KvU7l89azFzeY8wi--s5idPTYQTq-fgG6Toz9P9b08bI7Zq_ktMyPIHzA2AoAyiCe_war22R0ij1krXCxyoeZT_oPh0jcwSlR5CzvpqyjbFzRcr9vLbkze7-HMsLd15t3wneghxsA1HsSrS6Lz3x9M53QA=w134-h200" width="134" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Flag_of_Nigeria.svg/46px-Flag_of_Nigeria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>NIGERIA- “The King’s Horseman” </b>Nigeria had an Oscar committee approved in 2014, but
they’ve only sent one eligible film since then. Most years, including last
year, they launch a call for submissions and then declare that none of their
submissions were eligible. If they enter, I see three main possibilities.
Horror anthology “Juju Stories” premiered in Locarno 2021 and debuted in
Nigerian theatres in January 2022. This looks like a really fun movie, and the
trailer appears to be slightly more than 50% in Pidgin English or another
African language. Yoruba-language “King of Thieves”, reportedly the most
watched African film since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, is a genre-defying period action movie
set in a fictional African kingdom, complete with magic, warriors, folklore and melodrama. Culturally, very, very Nigerian. But thanks to the power of Netflix and
the prestigious Toronto Film Festival, I think this will go to “The King’s
Horseman”, based on a true story from the 1940s in which a respected King’s
courtier is expected to commit ritual suicide after the death of the King….but
unsurprisingly doesn’t wish to die just yet. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_j6_Gj0sItZNd6cYxV1Nxm223AoQ1iGIePmtfZDO_7utokd9aZI1QqjgEUrZmo10gmP39RN_C_0zG0_B6TuasPIYGlgDqG44fN4bpFCKfZPqOWv5Dn9Km58KL0SqSprd_XjBvl0yWa3SWYXvjyvTY_-IKmqjmOqw7pOuXnXtdTeZpLOQrafL5Co3X9A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj_j6_Gj0sItZNd6cYxV1Nxm223AoQ1iGIePmtfZDO_7utokd9aZI1QqjgEUrZmo10gmP39RN_C_0zG0_B6TuasPIYGlgDqG44fN4bpFCKfZPqOWv5Dn9Km58KL0SqSprd_XjBvl0yWa3SWYXvjyvTY_-IKmqjmOqw7pOuXnXtdTeZpLOQrafL5Co3X9A=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="216" data-file-width="432" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/23px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/35px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/00/Flag_of_Palestine.svg/46px-Flag_of_Palestine.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>PALESTINE- “Mediterranean Fever”</b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><span class="s2">Cineuropa calls this “a delightful
comedy about depression.” Premiering at Cannes Un Certain Regard, this comedy
about the unlikely friendship between a depressed writer and a con artist is
probably Palestine’s best (and only) option this year. I don’t think Hany Abu
Assad’s “Huda’s Salon” ever premiered in Palestine and anyway, Palestinians protested that the film had too much nudity. Dark horse: Michael Winterbottom’s
Gaza documentary “11 Days in May” has a Palestinian co-director…but with Kate
Winslet narrating, it probably has too much English.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> "A Gaza Weekend" will premiere in Toronto and will likely be eligible next year. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB7OrEZbKl5xWsBewT5vg2Tue3pMqfa_4VaPJXhc49JlKVraCsfHYIyu6tqO345RBRjiTWqLCsxemvyzOQbylR4WIpe_5K64vEgdD1sxVSSApT8R1N1WAa4S5RjfdARXHk3hVsTDT6bDeS5FLnr7kuGS418NvUvkQvy0gTb7kSIGfdMLzuPPMFhLLvQw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="495" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiB7OrEZbKl5xWsBewT5vg2Tue3pMqfa_4VaPJXhc49JlKVraCsfHYIyu6tqO345RBRjiTWqLCsxemvyzOQbylR4WIpe_5K64vEgdD1sxVSSApT8R1N1WAa4S5RjfdARXHk3hVsTDT6bDeS5FLnr7kuGS418NvUvkQvy0gTb7kSIGfdMLzuPPMFhLLvQw=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="s1"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Saudi_Arabia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SAUDI ARABIA- “Quareer”</b></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><b> </b></span><span class="s2">The Saudi Academy has shown itself to
be partial to films about strong women (probably partially because of the
propaganda value). So with “Quareer”, a provocative anthology of short films by
young, female directors, winning Best Film at the Saudi Film Festival, I think this will be an easy win. If not, expect
it to be “Route 10”, a rare Saudi thriller about a brother and sister running
into all kinds of trouble when they drive cross-country across the Saudi desert after their flight
is canceled.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-converted-space"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWRwWztVjr6OFaaN4BqPOZnz27YC3tCGAy9zA0qfCyClA4U_kFVyQ8xIFDBfKYZ_moLTSGSq0iGzH7SemQ6du4-4tISSk_8ND0pQ7myuDPnWQl-oPO64zl2NZOyS1uRNFTp9fV_IXxYlPoEdO1Bb97XwpCDVtXrU3hD3KabaLBE_j0PWQp0i7QHSs1bQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="192" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWRwWztVjr6OFaaN4BqPOZnz27YC3tCGAy9zA0qfCyClA4U_kFVyQ8xIFDBfKYZ_moLTSGSq0iGzH7SemQ6du4-4tISSk_8ND0pQ7myuDPnWQl-oPO64zl2NZOyS1uRNFTp9fV_IXxYlPoEdO1Bb97XwpCDVtXrU3hD3KabaLBE_j0PWQp0i7QHSs1bQ=w147-h200" width="147" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/23px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/35px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/Flag_of_Senegal.svg/45px-Flag_of_Senegal.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SENEGAL- “Saloum”
</b>Ditto Ghana. I
hate to predict the same film twice in a row, but midnight movie favorite
“Saloum”, a unique African horror film set in a remote region of Guinea-Bissau,
is finally premiering in Senegal in August 2022, after nearly a year on the film
festival circuit after its Toronto premiere in 2021. It’s great to have genre films competing, so here’s hoping Senegal enters.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjol2tBdkAaL8D_50n9l4Ii2SH0QjvOICyIvVpmINYKg37FCGEtzD-AQOHp3siSpIWsjK2rpk7j_N97aDpFp1LJhU5Q7Ky7XA4BNm209GKUgSENXTwYvTPSpCG8sJxhWVU7VwfuGpKAq2UuqqvRkFnao7lMK9tgwouyx49ZQOrh3XM1gwAe3VIDCp0C8A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjol2tBdkAaL8D_50n9l4Ii2SH0QjvOICyIvVpmINYKg37FCGEtzD-AQOHp3siSpIWsjK2rpk7j_N97aDpFp1LJhU5Q7Ky7XA4BNm209GKUgSENXTwYvTPSpCG8sJxhWVU7VwfuGpKAq2UuqqvRkFnao7lMK9tgwouyx49ZQOrh3XM1gwAe3VIDCp0C8A=w133-h200" width="133" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Flag_of_Somalia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Somalia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Flag_of_Somalia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Somalia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Flag_of_Somalia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Somalia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SOMALIA- “Ayaanle”
</b>A committee in
exile formed last year to send the excellent “Gravedigger’s Wife” to the
Oscars. Due to Somalia’s security situation, the film was actually made in
Djibouti with a cast of Somali émigrés. This year, they could send “Ayaanle”, a
Kenyan thriller made by Nairobi-based Somalian director Ahmed Farah and
starring Barkhad Abdirahman, an ethnic Somali from Kenya who has appeared in
small roles in films like “Captain Phillips”. It’s probably a majority Kenyan
production (so Kenya could also send it) and it has quite a lot of English….So,
not sure if it will be eligible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhHrGleN4YxO2TQyNYD29XXbahm2H7uu1dedSv8EgXCDmbeVaKPUb8XcEchpC1g97LqosLOSgclTZR6G_QZ91-cNw_FqCdbywHcyvtY2RSNsqxAnoxnDhHOnXFP5ht0w78qC_SGzUVnJA391lWhJcr_B5wyY7HAJyGCNWp-G1HXWxq4i-ESqCZ05bOWg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1707" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhhHrGleN4YxO2TQyNYD29XXbahm2H7uu1dedSv8EgXCDmbeVaKPUb8XcEchpC1g97LqosLOSgclTZR6G_QZ91-cNw_FqCdbywHcyvtY2RSNsqxAnoxnDhHOnXFP5ht0w78qC_SGzUVnJA391lWhJcr_B5wyY7HAJyGCNWp-G1HXWxq4i-ESqCZ05bOWg=w132-h175" width="132" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="267" data-file-width="400" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/23px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/35px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Flag_of_South_Africa.svg/45px-Flag_of_South_Africa.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span face="sans-serif" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SOUTH AFRICA- "Good Madam" </b>I honestly have no idea what South
Africa will send this year. The winner of Best South African Film at the Durban
Film Festival- period drama “1960”- is in English. The trailers for contenders like
“Two Thirds of a Man” (Durban), “You’re My Favorite Place” (also Durban;
directed by Jahmil XT Qubeka, who repped South Africa in 2018 and 2019) and “Indemnity”
are roughly half in English so I have no idea if they’re eligible. 2021
releases “Good Madam” (Toronto) and “Hotel on the Koppies” (Rotterdam) seem to
meet the language requirement but I can’t find their release dates anywhere, so again I'm not sure if they're eligible. Lesbian drama “Valley of A Thousand
Hills” (in Zulu) is an option that could potentially follow in the steps of the
shortlisted “The Wound”. I have a feeling South Africa is going to pick
something surprising that I’ve never heard of- perhaps a late 2022 release. But
for now, I’m predicting horror-drama “Good Madam” (primarily in Xhosa), about a black woman working as a caretaker for an elderly white lady in what may or may
not be a haunted house.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig7d_4oujzalyzFlwQ6H8mVBAm7lp9MDMI6pdDvE1sASxv-Z9WoFVQcFh2paGafurDjZkH-D534QnPOqG7-w6uS3Sfllmm0J2L0dmtVam5lJ09_0RJ8uO277dPcAfTo1QFYngJW9IMp0hvQBYVroEYi4XNsfeiUriw1lpENv5OOWbJVFx5rS-8cynhLg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="432" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEig7d_4oujzalyzFlwQ6H8mVBAm7lp9MDMI6pdDvE1sASxv-Z9WoFVQcFh2paGafurDjZkH-D534QnPOqG7-w6uS3Sfllmm0J2L0dmtVam5lJ09_0RJ8uO277dPcAfTo1QFYngJW9IMp0hvQBYVroEYi4XNsfeiUriw1lpENv5OOWbJVFx5rS-8cynhLg=w150-h200" width="150" /></a></b></div><b><br /></b><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="12" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/23px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/35px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/01/Flag_of_Sudan.svg/46px-Flag_of_Sudan.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SUDAN- “The Dam” </b>Sudan made an acclaimed debut in 2020
with “You Will Die at 20”…I’m still trying to figure out the ending. This year,
they could potentially submit “The Dam”, which competed for the Camera d’Or at
the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. However, the film’s pro-revolution credentials
(Sudan’s democratic revolution was overthrown in a counter-revolution in
October 2021) and the fact that the director is Lebanese and the writers are French
could pose insurmountable obstacles.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA-_ZGMg2NfXiMGoCBlHjFdu6wNyHAcXymOjElMhuZmFGCaHCPnMRgxfJArHYF4cd7pJZHpWT6saz885rArAH0LbbHzVY6S0OgsCgJPJctsRXckePfg5SH62MoN6-Oc1UMjPeklscc7-u0ytZt_njyA8XJfi9IPQ8w6PGt7BL2oOlkoiczI4SDdyn_Qg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiA-_ZGMg2NfXiMGoCBlHjFdu6wNyHAcXymOjElMhuZmFGCaHCPnMRgxfJArHYF4cd7pJZHpWT6saz885rArAH0LbbHzVY6S0OgsCgJPJctsRXckePfg5SH62MoN6-Oc1UMjPeklscc7-u0ytZt_njyA8XJfi9IPQ8w6PGt7BL2oOlkoiczI4SDdyn_Qg=w145-h200" width="145" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Flag_of_Syria.svg/23px-Flag_of_Syria.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Flag_of_Syria.svg/35px-Flag_of_Syria.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/53/Flag_of_Syria.svg/45px-Flag_of_Syria.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>SYRIA- “Nezouh” </b>Syria submitted a film just once in 2017, when they
sent a documentary selected by an opposition-backed committee in exile.
This is the last year they can submit without getting re-approved by
AMPAS. They do have a really intriguing film premiering at Venice this year-
“Nezouh”- about a family trying to make the heartbreaking decision whether to stay in Syria during the war, or flee as refugees. There’s also “Our Memory Belongs
to Us”, a documentary about three activists in France who reunite ten years
after fleeing Syria.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFYs1vfuL8k9xbLAL9kmHhOEmz-Mk6xD0Xv5S-epiIuw7t1Js7z3QenDjOvHzaM4_QntG0CBw7WbK78SEMbKjlGtzKFfItqnbPR36DOlArsZ2omYQEuQg7C3jZ8MvhaHlf4-zK7sYO2fhR80WIyJzRZqxp7GWV1TXATa3ma8NwDeGWg6gwQZxBGDMYVw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjFYs1vfuL8k9xbLAL9kmHhOEmz-Mk6xD0Xv5S-epiIuw7t1Js7z3QenDjOvHzaM4_QntG0CBw7WbK78SEMbKjlGtzKFfItqnbPR36DOlArsZ2omYQEuQg7C3jZ8MvhaHlf4-zK7sYO2fhR80WIyJzRZqxp7GWV1TXATa3ma8NwDeGWg6gwQZxBGDMYVw=w142-h200" width="142" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tanzania.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tanzania.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tanzania.svg/35px-Flag_of_Tanzania.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Flag_of_Tanzania.svg/45px-Flag_of_Tanzania.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>TANZANIA- “Tug of
War”</b> Tanzania
submitted a film over twenty years ago in 2001 but never entered again. This
year, they have their best opportunity in two decades to send a film. The
Swahili-language “Tug of War”, about the forbidden romance between a
revolutionary young man and a Tanzanian-Indian girl fleeing an unwanted marriage, played
at Seattle (winning two awards), Palm Springs and Toronto, which is huge for a
Tanzanian film. Most importantly, it won the two major Best Picture awards at the
Zanzibar International Film Festival, the most important film festival in East
Africa. Here’s hoping they return. </p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieTvQZG8tKQe7CybEkaQwyNNiqzNSScu3LncAj3rklH1j8NkaxNiOoArxobOCTMXYnxC6V4UoGbwblSqNIdWtEgdi931EEBsYdP4fcqKBRMjwjdrH0gNSeKydM_pVIpGy77yvT6YNO9aZt-2B92dKWljrGeCvEAp-wq7oZbuPblY9F0cDNeZiaDr1iLg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1330" data-original-width="1000" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEieTvQZG8tKQe7CybEkaQwyNNiqzNSScu3LncAj3rklH1j8NkaxNiOoArxobOCTMXYnxC6V4UoGbwblSqNIdWtEgdi931EEBsYdP4fcqKBRMjwjdrH0gNSeKydM_pVIpGy77yvT6YNO9aZt-2B92dKWljrGeCvEAp-wq7oZbuPblY9F0cDNeZiaDr1iLg" width="113" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="800" data-file-width="1200" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/23px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/35px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/Flag_of_Tunisia.svg/45px-Flag_of_Tunisia.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>TUNISIA- “Harka” </b>Tunisia had three films prominently
featured at Cannes this year- crime thriller “Ashkal” and rural drama “Under
the Fig Trees” were in Director’s
Fortnight, while “Harka” won one of the two acting awards (alongside Vicky
Krieps) in Un Certain Regard. They also have two carryovers from last year-
“Streams” (Locarno) and “Insurrection” (Carthage, their national film
festival). It’s tough to predict because the two 2021 films have both been
released in Tunisian cinemas, while the three 2022 Cannes titles haven’t. According
to this year’s rules, they could qualify with a release in France (or somewhere
else) but they aren’t scheduled to do so until after this year’s November 30
deadline. I’m predicting “Harka”, about
a young man disillusioned by the Arab Spring forced to take care of his sisters
after his father’s death, but that depends whether it can get a qualifying
release and w. If not, it will probably be “Insurrection”. Dark horse: Ridha Behi
(“Satin Rouge”) has a new film with Claudia Cardinale- “Island of Forgiveness”,
currently in post-production.</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikSq4QPZqARLlh_sN-_t9LDZ8xODdbvxHu1-vk3hzdxR46CL4GzhSDCprFzQKlV9DwZwlTV3hy626shOyNsLRHnw3Xi-S7QyXVMWmVnrkrqU_Z5qmSyq6INgDV4pSaINr2iyZam9p4ehpFvdsoz_FGYWgh06ZbMrPer1OUAUNKzyGSzqmtRpYqioksVQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="188" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikSq4QPZqARLlh_sN-_t9LDZ8xODdbvxHu1-vk3hzdxR46CL4GzhSDCprFzQKlV9DwZwlTV3hy626shOyNsLRHnw3Xi-S7QyXVMWmVnrkrqU_Z5qmSyq6INgDV4pSaINr2iyZam9p4ehpFvdsoz_FGYWgh06ZbMrPer1OUAUNKzyGSzqmtRpYqioksVQ=w140-h200" width="140" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/23px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/35px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/45px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>TURKEY- “Bandirma Missile Club” </b>In the past twelve years, Turkey has picked three films by Semih
Kaplanoğlu (I fell asleep during two and didn’t see the third) and three 3-hour
ordeals by Nuri Bilge Ceylan. But both these directors have their next films
coming out in 2023, so Turkey will be forced to pick something else. It’s a
wide open race with the Turkish winners of the country’s three main festivals- “Anatolian
Leopard” (Ankara), “Brother’s Keeper” (Antalya) and “The List of Those Who Love
Me” (Istanbul) facing off against two new films by previously selected
directors- “Godspeed” and “A“Dumlupinar”- a regional box-office smash (“Bergen”),
a festival darling (“Burning Days”, Cannes Un Certain Regard), two buzzy
upcoming releases (“Heartsong” on Netflix, and “Bandirma Missile Club”) and two
films that just have good reviews (“Between Two Dawns” and “A Night in Four
Parts”). That’s eleven potential candidates! The Turkish Academy tends to waver
between grim, auteur arthouse (Ceylan and Kaplanoğlu, but also “Sivas”, “Cold
of Kalandar” and “Where the Fire Burns”….so 9 of the past 12 years) and “pull
at your heartstrings” sentimental box-office hits (“Ayla” and “Miracle in Cell
#7”). Only once have they deviated from this formula when they picked a
splashy, historical costume drama in 2013. Most people are predicting box-office
smash biopic “Bergen”, about a famed Turkish singer, Cannes drama “Burning Days”,
or “Anatolian Leopard” (Toronto 2021), about intrigue at a local zoo. And all
of them are possible. But the popular “Bergen” is not at all what Turkey sends;
reviews for “Leopard” aren’t completely positive, and “Burning Days”, which was
nominated for the Queer Palm, may have uncomfortable political parallels with
the Turkish dictatorship. If they want a nomination, they should send “Brother’s
Keeper” (Berlin 2021), easily the most acclaimed Turkish film of the year, but I
can’t see this Academy sending a film that’s half in Kurdish. I’m predicting
they send the upcoming “Bandirma Missile Club”, a true story about a Turkish high-school
club that produced rockets that competed with the latest U.S. and Soviet technology
of the time. Not the smartest choice, but it’s my prediction. I have “Burning
Days” (Cannes), about political corruption seeking to influence a murder investigation,
in second place, “Between Two Dawns”, a moral dilemma drama, in third, submarine
thriller “Dumlupinar” in fourth, “A Night in Four Parts” in fifth and critical favorite
“Brother’s Keeper” in sixth. I’m really curious how this one will turn out!</p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF7Xk_GoFSSLWJMhhq9tpZufyNdiMEUWaU0fk_zzzoGwfOrxm765zTUDUQ4h9-TwQUsk4VOBgxfIWacVk3yKNYE9qEA0tG6RTSagBGnvxdGTaTcrK8Aw-yqoTW-C01VZL4sHj26VLG4FnOQe9OyAOYsXf7D-w-nZe4i_rDmYMl4GxUBCjr9Uu2XBkEBw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiF7Xk_GoFSSLWJMhhq9tpZufyNdiMEUWaU0fk_zzzoGwfOrxm765zTUDUQ4h9-TwQUsk4VOBgxfIWacVk3yKNYE9qEA0tG6RTSagBGnvxdGTaTcrK8Aw-yqoTW-C01VZL4sHj26VLG4FnOQe9OyAOYsXf7D-w-nZe4i_rDmYMl4GxUBCjr9Uu2XBkEBw" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="flagicon" style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><img alt="" class="thumbborder" data-file-height="600" data-file-width="900" decoding="async" height="15" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/23px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/35px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Flag_of_Yemen.svg/45px-Flag_of_Yemen.svg.png 2x" style="border: 1px solid rgb(234, 236, 240); vertical-align: middle;" width="23" /></span><span style="background-color: #f8f9fa; color: #202122; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span><b>YEMEN- “The Burdened” </b>War-torn Yemen has sent movies to the Oscars twice,
most recently with comedy-drama “10 Days Before the Wedding”, one of the most
delightful submissions I’ve seen in recent memory. Director Amr Gamal is in
post-production with his second film- abortion drama “The Burdened”- which won
a special grant in Karlovy Vary last month. I don’t think it will be released
in time (all Yemeni cinemas are closed and they had to screen his last
film in makeshift wedding halls) but it will probably be Yemen’s next
submission. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">POSSIBLE DEBUTS:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGUDCqFkTzR3tix5UxEOsg0qKjjPx1zNGTO_FKS_qkA9qUflvg4sqMZUtCSJi0EPKSQzKe83ob7XVSFnuC4Raac06wQGeZEI-e-r3T_r6mZP-7bUbCFXDefDbvT9yHGue3L2qmQ8M8OEAoCE25U3x9dSjHWWoLNjhyLnbJ9k51LRpxpThS-J6IxeWYqQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGUDCqFkTzR3tix5UxEOsg0qKjjPx1zNGTO_FKS_qkA9qUflvg4sqMZUtCSJi0EPKSQzKe83ob7XVSFnuC4Raac06wQGeZEI-e-r3T_r6mZP-7bUbCFXDefDbvT9yHGue3L2qmQ8M8OEAoCE25U3x9dSjHWWoLNjhyLnbJ9k51LRpxpThS-J6IxeWYqQ=w225-h149" width="225" /> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzwrMFs-kWlBIAL1dMs1JVqKZC-a2oMWiot6vQ9ppptYUmQXBiEenddKRl7ET2qCRov8HsCwAcfKzzAYgumnIL6wYsqnwyBSd25usZq0AtUsADT_kIEnPvWnmJkXDO_z6uosWRwXhC7wDS7QDmGtctt5xzRWB3QrjQgz4AcySrDXHlT_VGWRShnWo-sw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="218" data-original-width="290" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzwrMFs-kWlBIAL1dMs1JVqKZC-a2oMWiot6vQ9ppptYUmQXBiEenddKRl7ET2qCRov8HsCwAcfKzzAYgumnIL6wYsqnwyBSd25usZq0AtUsADT_kIEnPvWnmJkXDO_z6uosWRwXhC7wDS7QDmGtctt5xzRWB3QrjQgz4AcySrDXHlT_VGWRShnWo-sw=w200-h150" width="200" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKxLHpxV8HYa4p6iN20K-QU_BwHHyVHuNpCz2wBavwLeOW2bmk49XDkE3b40LJ-nmsjZCCsFMyeYSwJEPesb4HQthnCElNA_kcwEthVSEMN9Vh3FYxLVQr4XZHc424HKT6NvpTH4c8Obcpzg0_xPTO5PV1IgZcnjLiOX21v_jFpF13QpB56_eWDcZ61w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="566" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKxLHpxV8HYa4p6iN20K-QU_BwHHyVHuNpCz2wBavwLeOW2bmk49XDkE3b40LJ-nmsjZCCsFMyeYSwJEPesb4HQthnCElNA_kcwEthVSEMN9Vh3FYxLVQr4XZHc424HKT6NvpTH4c8Obcpzg0_xPTO5PV1IgZcnjLiOX21v_jFpF13QpB56_eWDcZ61w" width="106" /></a><br /><br /></b></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>Four other countries in the region- Namibia (2021), Rwanda
(2016), Uganda (2019) and the United Arab Emirates (2017)- have gotten official
approval from AMPAS to send films to the Oscars, but haven’t sent any. <b>RWANDA </b>is the most likely debutante
this year, with “Father’s Day”, telling three interconnected stories, playing
at Berlin Encounters. “Neptune Frost”, a queer musical, played at Cannes last
year but that hardly seems likely. <b>UGANDA </b>is the largest African country
(by population) that has never entered the race and I think they may send
“Tembele” (the trailer looks really good!), a thriller about a garbage man who
loses his son, which just won Best Director at the national Film Festival. Not
sure if it’s English though. I’ve heard that the <b>UAE </b>selection committee is
defunct and not meeting anymore; they had a major action film last year (“The
Ambush”) and didn’t send it; this year I just know about “Dalma”, about a woman
who angers her whole community through her business ambition. I don’t know that
<b>NAMIBIA</b> has anything eligible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>ANGOLA </b>is most likely to form a committee for the first time; they have not one but <b>two </b>films at Locarno (?!)- “Tommy Guns” and “Our
Lady of the Chinese Shop”. “Tommy Guns”, which has an Angola-born Portuguese
director, is appearing in the more prestigious International Competition
section, so that could be Angola’s first-ever submission. <b>ZAMBIA’s
</b>“Maria Kristu: The Buumba Story”,
about how religion contributes to the marginalization of women and girls, has
played at a lot of African film festivals…The trailer is about 60% in Bemba and
40% in English. I heard that the <b>CENTRAL
AFRICAN REPUBLIC </b>unsuccessfully<b> </b>tried to submit “Oka!” in 2011, so maybe they’ll try again with Berlinale
documentary “We Students!”. Less likely “Biye Retour” from tiny <b>MAURITIUS.</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>dzong2http://www.blogger.com/profile/03679143338955036334noreply@blogger.com2