2019 Oscar Submissions- The Middle East, Africa & Australia (17 films)

Here are the 17 films from the Middle East, Africa and Australasia.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to see very many of the films (only 5).  

FRONT-RUNNERS

1.     ISRAEL- “Incitement”

2.     SENEGAL- “Atlantique”

Though these are the front-runners from Africa and the Middle East, as of now, I’m not confident either of them makes the shortlist. Each one is a potential dark horse for one committee but not the other. Submitting for only the second time , SENEGAL won the Cannes Jury Prize for “Atlantique”, a ghostly drama about a young woman in Dakar where many young people are seeking to illegally live in Europe. She's engaged to a rich man she doesn't like, and in love with a poor man who leaves her to work in Europe illegally. That's when the ghosts show up and set her mattress on fire.....So, Ada is having a bad week. It’s a critical darling but I didn’t like it….and I suspect mainstream audiences won’t either. It’s only hope is an elite committee “save”…But as the top contender from Africa, it is likely they could get that spot again (Senegal presumably got a “save” for Berlinale Jury Prize winner “Félicité”  two years ago) just for the sake of regional diversity and to ward off future angry tweets from Ava DuVernay. The large committee used to be a big fan of ISRAEL (though they haven’t been nominated since 2011) and “Incitement” is supposed to be a very original political thriller, focused on the Israeli terrorist who murdered Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Seeking to explain the mental motivations of an evil individual, it could follow in the footsteps of “Downfall”, in this case unapologetic assassin Yigal Amir (who has somehow been allowed to meet a wife and father two children while in an Israeli prison). Not sure how voters will respond to a film that tries to get into the head of a murderer…but it worked for “Paradise Now”. It’s on the bubble.

DARK HORSES:

3.     ALGERIA- “Papicha”

4.     IRAN- “Finding Farideh”

5.     MOROCCO- “Adam”

6.     TUNISIA- “Dear Son”

The three Maghrebian countries have each selected an intimate drama from Cannes about the difficulties of life in the modern Arab world. All deal with controversial issues- feminism, jihadism, teenage pregnancy- and all have gotten mostly positive reviews. However, I doubt any of them will have the gravitas to make it to the next round. “Papicha” from ALGERIA has already achieved a minor miracle by making it to the Oscar competition at all. Algerian authorities banned its release at the very last-minute (after it had already been selected to represent the country) but AMPAS proved unusually flexible and allowed the film to compete anyway. Contrary to the pouty, passive aggressive remarks by Nigeria's Genevieve Nnaji, France-based director Mounia Meddour said that “the Oscar committee showed is good faith and was sensitive to the sincerity of our request and for the freedom of expression.”  “Papicha” is a feminist drama set in the violent 1990s, about a group of university women who decide to put on a fashion show despite a civil war in which an Islamist group was killing random women for failing to wear the veil. An ultra-liberal Algerian friend of mine saw the film and claimed it would indeed touch a nerve in 2019 Algeria, where (peaceful) anti-government protesters have been in the streets for months. To my shock and surprise, he agreed it would be dangerous to show in Algeria right now. I haven’t been able to see it yet but Meddour says Algerians are going to see it in Tunisia. Most reviews praise the “girl power” themes but also say the film has flaws. Variety called it “narratively uneven” but it's definitely gunning for Senegal's African "save". 

TUNISIA has selected “Dear Son”, a film about a devoted married couple who pour all their time, money and energy into their introverted 19-year old son Sami.  When he disappears in the middle of the night leaving his parents a chilling farewell note, the couple’s life falls apart. Produced by the Brothers Dardennes, this is an interesting film that sparked a lot of discussion between my friend and I. But Oscar does not like the Brothers Dardennes. And although this film is better than theirs, the very slow beginning and some of the plot ambiguities are likely to turn off enough American viewers to knock this one out of the running. MOROCCO has the best reviews of the three, but has been seen by far fewer people. This story of a homeless and pregnant runaway from a middle-class home who finds solace with a poor, cantankerous widow is an interesting variation on the once-successful “Kolya” (cranky old person + adorable young person) formula. But probably too small to score here. 

As for IRAN, they made a surprise choice by selecting documentary “Finding Farideh” about a Dutch woman who seeks to find her birth parents who gave her up for adoption in Iran 40 years before, around the time of the Iranian Revolution. Though we can’t rule it out entirely, “Honeyland” from Macedonia is the documentary most likely to be “saved” this year....But "Farideh" is supposed to be a wonderful film that makes you laugh and cry.....and perhaps this will give it a boost in the super competitive Best Documentary Feature category.

MIDDLE OF THE PACK:

7.      PALESTINE- “It Must Be Heaven”

8.      AUSTRALIA- “Buoyancy”
9.      SOUTH AFRICA- “Knuckle City”

10.  SAUDI ARABIA- “The Perfect Candidate”

All four of these films have their fans and three out of four have had multiple successes with Oscar, but I don't think reviews have been kind enough to believe that they really have a chance to advance. But I haven't seen any of them so it's hard to tell. Let's take a look:

AUSTRALIA- Human trafficking drama "Buoyancy" is about a young Cambodian sold into slavery on a Thai fishing vessel. Reviews are good but it's said to be a difficult watch and this sort of hyper-realism/tragedy doesn't always play well ("Lore" didn't managed a shortlist spot, though "The Notebook" did).

PALESTINE- Elia Suleiman is known as the Palestinian Charlie Chaplin and his films are adored by European arthouse critics for their comic look at the difficulties of being Palestinian. "It Must Be Heaven", filmed in France, Canada and the USA, is said to be his most accessible film yet. However, this is not European arthouse....his humor doesn't seem to translate across the Atlantic. I've hated both of the previous films I've seen, and I think his films are likely to go the same way as every Roy Andersson picture- quickly forgotten.

SAUDI ARABIA's feminist "The Perfect Candidate"- about a Saudi woman overcoming the odds to run for local office in the rapidly changing Kingdom- has got to be one of the sentimental favorites. Who wouldn't want to nominate Haifaa al-Mansour, especially after "Wadjda" was snubbed? Unfortunately, critics say "Candidate" isn't quite as good as "Wadjda" and that it's main point of interest is its window in Saudi Arabian life. Still, it's near the top of my list of "2019 Films I Want To See". 


SOUTH AFRICA, tirelessly trying to repeat their "Tsotsi" win, has selected yet another urban drama set in the townships. "Knuckle City" is a grim boxing drama about an aging boxer and South Africa's toxic masculinity culture. No major awards, no buzz, and likely a difficult watch.

VERY UNLIKELY:

11.  LEBANON- “1982”

12.  KENYA- “Subira”
13.  ETHIOPIA- “Running Against the Wind”

14.  GHANA- “Azali”

Let's start with the three obscure African titles. First of all, I'm so happy to see countries like Ethiopia, Kenya and (for the first time!) Ghana competing in this category. I can't wait to see these films. "Subira" from KENYA is a Swahili-language film shot over the course of four years so you really see Subira, a young Muslim woman, grow up on screen. A tomboy who enjoys swimming, Subira is eventually forced by her family to conform to a strict religious upbringing and early marriage. Directed by German helmer Jan Philippe Weyl, ETHIOPIA is represented by "Running Against the Wind", about two brothers who grow up together. One finds success, the other remains in his impoverished village, until they meet up again as adults. The most obscure film on the Oscar list, I can't even find a trailer online. Although they had a committee approved in 2017, GHANA took three years to make their Oscar debut with "Azali", a human trafficking drama about a greedy family that forces their teenage daughter to go work in the capital. She is exploited and forced into prostitution, and desperately tries to find her way back home. All these films are low-budget works of love. I think they will all make a positive impression, but don't have a chance of making the top tier. 

LEBANON is hoping to make it three in a row with "1982", after receiving its first two Oscar nominations ever for "The Insult" and "Capernaum". That's unlikely to happen with "1982" (Toronto), about the lives of ordinary schoolchildren during the First Lebanon War between Israel & Lebanon. Reviews have been okay, but the trailer looks boring and nobody seems terribly impressed by it. 

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:

15.  TURKEY- “Commitment: Asli”

16.  EGYPT- “Poisonous Roses”

17.  NIGERIA- “Lionheart”

So, yes, I know that NIGERIA has been disqualified because they sent an English-language film. And, yes, I know Ava DuVernay is very upset about this, because she doesn’t understand what "non-English dialogue " means. But even if Nigeria hadn’t been disqualified, I would rank “Lionheart” dead last. It’s not a bad film….and it’s certainly not the worst film on the list. But it is a formulaic, lightweight and mostly forgettable sit-com of a movie. And while a pleasant sit-com may be fun to watch, it’s not getting an Oscar. And, yes, it is almost entirely in English and deserved to be disqualified. 

“Commitment: Asli” got a last-minute release to represent TURKEY, and is supposed to be the first film in a “Commenitment” trilogy by arthouse director Semih Kaplanoğlu. Let me explain the plot to you. It’s about a married career woman who hires a young woman to take care of her newborn baby. She gets jealous of the young woman…..and….well….for 2 ½ hours, that’s about it. Of the 42 films I’ve seen, this is the only one where I suspect I fell asleep a few times. For me, it was simply not a very interesting story and it should have been edited into a 30-minute short film. Perhaps someone with parenting experience who enjoys watching a baby monitor will like it . Unlike the overlong “Asli”, the spare 70-minute “Poisonous Roses” from EGYPT is the shortest film in the Foreign Oscar competition. It’s a grim drama about an impoverished family- mother, son and daughter- and their lives in a Cairo slum. The daughter is seemingly obsessed with her brother, who mostly ignores her and dreams of working abroad. It’s interesting “poverty porn”, but it’s confusing and low-budget and won’t have a chance here.

Now the statistics:

Number of countries who have participated in the past: 31……18 from Africa, 11 from the Middle East plus Australia and New Zealand.

Number of countries participating this year:  17, plus Burkina Faso which unsuccessfully tried to submit an entry.  

Number of debuts: 2- Nigeria (disqualified) and Ghana

Number of countries opting out:  Technically 13….But the only regular contributors to be absent are IRAQ and NEW ZEALAND. Both of them have submitted five of the past six years, so I was very surprised to see them missing. This is especially true for New Zealand, which had seemed very proud of “Vai” an omnibus film of eight South Pacific films made by women. It premiered in a Berlinale sidebar, and is likely the only time people in Hollywood would ever see places like Niue and the Solomon Islands on screen. Almost all the directors are NZ citizens or NZ-based and this was a real missed opportunity by the NZ Film Commission. L

Number I predicted correctly: Only 5- Australia, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, mostly because many of the countries (like Ethiopia, Lebanon and Turkey) chose last-minute releases that I’d never even heard of.

Already Seen: 5. These films have been almost impossible to find. I’ve only seen the nominees from Egypt, Nigeria (DQ), Senegal, Tunisia and Turkey.

Film I'm most looking forward to seeing: Definitely “The Perfect Candidate”, a peek into the life of women in Saudi Arabia.

Number of Female Directors:  7! That’s over 40%! Ravneet Sippy Chadha (Kenya), Mati Diop (Senegal), Haifaa al-Mansour (Saudi Arabia), Mounia Meddour (Algeria), Azadeh Moussavi (Iran), Genevieve Nnaji (Nigeria) and Maryam Touzani (Tunisia)

Oldest and Youngest Directors: Probably 59-year old Elia Suleiman (Palestine) and 29-year old Kourosh Ataee (Iran)

Number of Foreign Languages Represented:  Lots of multi-lingual films here, but it seems that we have 5 in Arabic and one each in Akan, Amharic, Hebrew, Swahili, Turkish, Wolof and Xhosa and (because Nigeria doesn’t want to follow the rules) English. Five are roughly bilingual: Persian/Dutch (Iran), French/Arabic (Algeria), Thai/Khmer (Australia) while Palestine’s odd entry is in a mix of Arabic, English and Spanish.

Number of countries with a realistic chance at making the shortlist: Maybe four? 

Buzziest film:  “Atlantique” from Senegal

Oscar History: Four of these directors have been here before, including South Africa’s Jahmil X.T. Qubeka, one of the few directors in recent history to represent his country two years in a row (“Sew the Winter to My Skin” repped SA last year). The others are Elia Suleiman (“Divine Intervention”, 2003), Semih Kaplanoğlu (“Honey”, 2010) and Haifaa al-Mansour (“Wadjda”, 2013).

Controversies and Changes: Well, everyone is focused on the (totally justified) disqualification of Nigeria’s “Lionheart”. While Genevieve Nnaji and Ava DuVernay have ignorantly complained and made thinly veiled allegations of racism, the fact is that they didn’t read the one rule that has remained unchanged for decades- that films have to be in a language other than English.

More upsetting (but not widely reported) was the failure to accept the first submission from BURKINA FASO in thirty years, the self-declared home of African arthouse cinema. Writer-director Apolline Traore tried unsuccessfully to enter “Desrances”, which followed all the rules but unfortunately Burkina Faso did not have a recognized Oscar selection committee. It’s a shame that Ava duVernay used her celebrity to come to the defense of a ridiculously unqualified Nigerian film, when two other talented female filmmakers of color (Burkina Faso and Afghanistan) whose films met Oscar rules were disqualified on technicalities.

Most Notable Omissions: As mentioned before, the most shocking omission this year is “Vai” from New Zealand. Also absent: “The Burial of Kojo” (Ghana),  “Castle of Dreams” (Iran), “Screwdriver” (Palestine), “Amra and the Second Marriage” (Saudi Arabia), “Moffie” and “The Harvesters” (South Africa), “A Tale of Three Sisters” and “Sibel” (Turkey).

Familiar Faces: The biggest international star is Gael Garcia Bernal (“It Must Be Heaven”) but you’re also likely to recognize Nadine Labaki (“1982”) and Lubna Azabal (“Adam”).

Last year's race:   I saw 12 of the 17 films submitted last year, including my favorite film from last year’s competition- “Beauty and the Dogs” from Tunisia.  Also deserving of a nomination was “10 Days Before the Wedding” from Yemen, whose backstory was as good as the film itself. I also saw Algeria (B-), Egypt (B), Iran (B+), Iraq (B), Israel (A-), Kenya (B+), Lebanon (A-), Malawi (B), New Zealand (D) and Palestine (C).