Oscar International Feature- the films from the Asia (20 films)

Although this is the largest group of films, I actually don't expect any of the films from Asia to make this year's shortlist. But the tearjerker from Thailand has been charming a lot of viewers so it's possible they'll surprise. 

I've been lucky to see two-thirds of these films so I feel qualified to make the ranking below. More than any other region, the Asian countries have selected films that prominently feature national cultures and traditions. In my opinion, a lot of them are better as cultural studies than as films....but always very interesting viewing. 

Here is a rundown of the 20 films submitted from the Asia-Pacific region:

Number of Countries Participating this year: 20

Number of Films Found Eligible: 19

Number of Countries That Have Participated in the Past: 28

Who’s Missing?: I was shocked to see NEW ZEALAND absent since they had their best-ever chance at an Oscar nomination in this category for Maori epic “Ka Whawhai Tonu” (recently renamed “Struggle Without End” for other English-speaking markets). Not submitting this film was idiotic and a major blow to Pacific cinema in indigenous languages.

AUSTRALIA and BHUTAN publicly launched an open call for submissions. Bhutan confirmed they only received one candidate and determined it wasn’t “eligible”, though it’s unclear whether that meant it wasn’t good enough or that it didn’t meet AMPAS requirements. The Aussies almost always send a film so it’s likely they didn’t receive any entries. And AFGHANISTAN hasn’t had a recognized committee since 2019, prior to the 2021 Taliban invasion.  

The other four absences- FIJI, LAOS, SRI LANKA, and UZBEKISTAN- have only entered once or twice and don’t appear to have active committees. Laos, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan had interesting candidates this year so it’s a shame that their film industries didn't take advantage of this opportunity to compete with the best of global cinema.

FRONTRUNNERS:

 

1.     THAILAND- “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” (Letterboxd: 4.3)

2.     MONGOLIA- “If Only I Could Hibernate” (3.7)

I'm surprised at all the buzz surrounding "How to Make Millions....". It's a lovely little film about a selfish unemployed slacker who decides to move in with his dying grandmother in order to get himself into her will. It's been a box-office hit not only in Thailand but in several countries in East Asia. It's certainly a charming crowdpleaser. But it' s also a fairly predictable film that strongly leans into its soap opera roots. I'd be happy to see Thailand make the shortlist for the first time but "Millions" strikes me as a bit light to make the list. 

If the Oscar system were more fair, "If Only I Could Hibernate" could be a fairly strong contender. People who watch it seem to love it but I think it's too small and low-profile to make the next round. The first Mongolian film at Cannes, this is a heartbreaking drama about a brilliant teenager from an impoverished family, who is forced to choose between pursuing educational opportunities, and taking care of his younger siblings who have essentially been abandoned by their alcoholic, absent mother. You can actually feel the frigid cold of Mongolia watching this movie...but ultimately, as I said, I think it's too small.  But go watch it if you can! 

DARK HORSES:

These three countries are praying for a miracle.

 

3.   CAMBODIA- "Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot" (3.4)

In A Nutshell: Three French journalists are invited to travel to Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge genocide. (This is one of the few films I haven't managed to see.)

Pros:  Director Rithy Panh got a surprise Oscar nomination for a similarly unheralded and relatively unknown film ("Missing Picture") and "Rendez-vous" is a far more conventional and baity film. This is essentially a French majority production, with high-level production values. Both Panh and the Khmer Rouge holocaust are known quantities with Oscar history. 

Cons: Very little buzz. Critical reviews are mostly positive but nobody is saying it's one of the best five foreign films of the year. 

4.    INDIA- "Laapataa Ladies" (4.0)

In A Nutshell: A dramatic comedy of errors about two veiled newlywed brides who accidentally end up switching places.  

Pros: The new Oscar rules mean that movies that more voters see automatically have an advantage to make the Oscar shortlist. "Laapataa Ladies" got Netflix distribution and is better than the Indian film that made the shortlist two years ago. It's a very entertaining film.....Efforts to increase diversity have increased the number of Indian AMPAS voters.....The film starts and finishes well. 

Cons: It's entertaining but it's not a potential Oscar winner....I can see why this was a big hit in India and why it got Netflix distribution but a lot of the film is rather silly and obvious....but a lot of people are going to watch it.....

5.    NEPAL- "Shambhala" (3.5)

In A Nutshell: A gorgeous road movie about a pregnant village woman who goes on an arduous journey through the Himalayan Mountains to search for her missing husband. 

Pros: The film is beautiful and was clearly shot in a harsh and challenging environment. If Oscars were given for "cultural interest", Nepal would probably win. Our heroine Pema is not just on a road trip...there is a mystery at the heart of her journey that I won't describe due to spoilers.  

Cons: Like the journey of Pema herself, the film sometimes meanders and gets lost....Some critics say it's overlong (not an unreasonable criticism). The film veers into Buddhist mysticism that may baffle (or bore?) some Western reviewers.  

MIDDLE OF THE PACK:

6.  MALAYSIA- "Abang Adik" (3.6)

7.   JAPAN- "Cloud" (3.4)

8.   PAKISTAN- "The Glassworker" (3.5)

9.   HONG KONG- "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In" (3.7)

10.  KAZAKHSTAN- "Bauryna Salu" (3.5)

I've seen four out of the five films in this group....all except JAPAN. "Cloud" - a horror-thriller from prolific genre auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa - was a surprising choice for Japan. This isn't a genre that Oscar usually goes for, and "Cloud" was selected before the film was released commercially and got somewhat mixed reviews. For the record, it's about an Internet seller (think "Japanese eBay"....) whose life is put at risk.

HONG KONG's "Twlight of the Warriors: Walled In" is a bonkers all-star triad action movie set in a gangland tenement. Hong Kong sends these movies a lot and none of them have ever appealed to Oscar, including "Infernal Affairs", generally considered the best of its genre. If there was an Oscar for stuntmen, "Walled In" would win hands down. I hate action movies but there are some incredibly exciting scenes and shocking stuntwork. And, in fact, action scenes take up quite a bit of the film's running time....I liked the film. But other than the stuntwork, this is a formulaic mafia movie.  

"Bauryna Salu", from KAZAKHSTAN, is a film about an ancient Kazakh tradition (the titular Bauryna Salu) whereby a family with more than one son will send one to rural relatives who have none. 12-year old Yersultan basically grows up as his grandmother's farmhand and servant in the countryside but dreams of living with his parents. When his grandmother dies and he returns to his parents, he discovers he is basically a stranger. This is a very slow film that I don't think Oscar voters will like, but it's a fascinating window into traditional Kazakh culture and ends with a bang....and endings are important to me! 

MALAYSIA made history by choosing a Chinese-language film....which previously were not considered "Malaysian" even if all the actors and filmmakers were born and raised there. "Abang Adik" is a melodrama about two hard-working 20-something brothers (one of whom is deaf) who have no legal status in Malaysia because they cannot prove their absent fathers were Malaysian. The film is available on Netflix and has quite a lot of fans...but like so many of the Asian films, I think it was a little melodramatic to qualify here. But this was a great choice for Malaysia. 

Last, we have "The Glassworker", the anime nominee from PAKISTAN. A lot of people refer to "Glassworker" as Pakistan's attempt to channel Studio Ghibli. Japan was absolutely the inspiration for the movie...but it's a lot more Satoshi Kon, than Hayao Miyazaki. "The Glassworker" is set in an imaginary country at war with clear references and parallels to British-ruled Pakistan...but it's mostly about a father (the glassworker), his apprentice son, and the beautiful local girl the son is in love with. It's a charming labor of love which is at its best when showing the horrors of war and the beauty of music....and I liked it. But some critics find it slow or dull, and Latvia will overshadow it as the only animated film with a chance to advance. If you have a VPN, you can watch it for free (in English, not in Urdu) on SBS Australia. 

HIGHLY UNLIKELY

  

11.   TAIWAN- "Old Fox" (3.6)

12.   SOUTH KOREA- "12.12: The Day" (3.7)

13.   SINGAPORE- "La Luna" (3.6)

14.  KYRGYZSTAN- "Paradise at Mother's Feet" (approx. 3.4)

15.   INDONESIA- "Women from Rote Island" (3.2)

Not much to say about this group....but when you're ranked #11-15 in a weak Asian group, you're not going to make the shortlist. I saw the three films from Korea, Singapore and Taiwan. I really enjoyed "La Luna" from SINGAPORE, a comedy about a progressive feminist who moves to a conservative Muslim village after inheriting a house there....causing a scandal when she turns it into a lingerie shop. It's highly entertaining and dramatic, and is available on Netflix...but it's strictly a commercial effort. I despised "12.12: The Day", a plodding action thriller from SOUTH KOREA that I had trouble getting all the way through. The film, based on the real-life declaration of martial law in South Korea in 1979, consists mostly of Korean politicians and military officers shouting each other's names for two hours. I'm sure it's a compelling story for Korean audiences but I've lived in Korea, I was familiar with the 1979 incident and I was still confused half the time. I hated it though it admittedly has some good reviews. TAIWAN sent "Old Fox", a quiet little drama set in the 1980s, about a single father, his son and the neighborhood's cruel "boss" ("Old Fox") who takes the boy under his wing. It's a good movie but fairly forgettable. 

I haven't seen the other two. The film from KYRGYZSTAN is a religious drama that was a surprise box-office smash in the region, and follows a mentally disabled man and his elderly mother on a cross-country journey to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. I've heard good and bad reviews from Western reviewers; some say it's moving, other say it's boring....but ultimately it's probably too culturally alien and Islamic to get the votes it needs. "Women from Rote Island" was the surprise winner at the Indonesian Film Awards but this drama about misogyny and sexual assault in a remote island community is said to be a grueling and difficult watch....and reviews have been weaker than most films in this group.  

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:

  

 

16.  PHILIPPINES- "And So It Begins" (3.2)

17.   BANGLADESH- "The Wrestler" (approx. 3.2)

18.  TAJIKISTAN- "Melody" (approx. 3.1)

19.  CHINA- "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" (approx. 3.9)

20.  VIETNAM- "Peach Blossom, Pho & Piano" (approx. 2.7)

CHINA and the PHILIPPINES chose documentaries that will mostly be of interest to local viewers. The Chinese film (which was disqualified) is about an obscure 1942 incident during WWII when Chinese fishermen rescued a number of British POWs when the Japanese ship transporting them was sunk by Allied torpedoes. Variety called it "lumbering". The documentary from the Philippines, about the opposition's unsuccessful effort to win the 2022 presidential elections, has much better reviews. And U.S. audiences will certainly recognize (perhaps too much so) the pervasive disinformation and dirty tricks that the populist party uses against the more progressive party. But I predict this is a film that will appeal chiefly to the Filipinos. Full disclosure, I haven't seen either, nor have I seen the film from VIETNAM. "Peach Blossom, Pho & Piano" is a Vietnam War film made by the state film studio. Reviews simply aren't very good at all. Set in the 1940s and apparently some kind of romance (?), it ranks at the very bottom of the rankings for most ratings aggregators. 

I'm so happy that countries like BANGLADESH and TAJIKISTAN enter this competition. While these two films- "Melody" and "The Wrestler" - won't make the shortlist, I enjoyed these two very cultural interesting films. "Melody" is the first film to compete for Tajikistan in two decades. It's a majority Iranian production so I was surprised it was allowed to enter....and it's about a teacher at a school for sick children who travels to the countryside to record bird sounds to fulfill a child's wish. It is beautifully filmed but ultimately slight and forgettable. "The Wrestler", from Bangladesh, focuses its first half on the Bangladeshi sport of boli khela, a form of wrestling, in a small village. And the first half works well. The second half becomes more mysterious and ghostly (shades of "Uncle Boonmee"?) and works less well. But it certainly was an interesting little film. Both of these films are so obscure that even if they were up to the level of the other films, they still wouldn't be able to qualify for the shortlist.  

FUN FACTS:

Genres:       We have two documentaries (China and Philippines) and one animated film (Pakistan), plus one action movie (Hong Kong), two thrillers (Japan and Korea), and two comedies (India and Singapore). The other twelve are dramas.

I’ve Already Seen: I’ve seen twelve of the twenty films- Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Singapore, Taiwan, Tajikistan and Thailand

Film I’m Most Excited To See: Definitely Rithy Panh’s “Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot” from Cambodia.  

Number I Predicted Correctly: Ouch, only five…..Cambodia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand, though Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal weren’t at all surprising. Two countries (Kazakhstan and Tajikistan) sent films that appeared to be eligible last year.

Big Four Festivals: 

·        Berlin-        Nepal

·        Cannes-     Cambodia, Hong Kong, Mongolia

·        Sundance-  Philippines

·        Venice-       Japan

None of these won any awards.

Women Directors- Only 3 films had female directors….the smallest number of any of the five regions- Ramona Diaz (Philippines), Zoljargal Purevdash (Mongolia) and Kiran Rao (India).

Oldest and Youngest Directors- 71-year old Fang Li from China was disqualified so the senior director in this group is 70-year old Phi Tiến Sơn from Vietnam.

Pat Boonnitipat (Thailand), Zoljargal Purevdash (Mongolia) and Usman Riaz (Pakistan) were all born within months of each other in 1990. They are all 34.

Languages – It’s a diverse group. Three films are in Chinese- Taiwan (in Mandarin and Hokkien), Hong Kong (Cantonese) and Malaysia (Mandarin and Cantonese). The film from China was disqualified for being mostly in English.

The other sixteen films were in Bengali, Filipino, French (Cambodia), Hindi, Japanese, Kazakh, Korean, Kyrgyz, Malay (Singapore), Mongolian, Persian (Tajikistan), Thai, Tibetan (Nepal), Urdu, Vietnamese and the obscure Rote language of western Indonesia. While the Kyrgyz film is mostly in Kyrgyz, the road movie boasts dialogue in seven regional languages.

How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- Hmm…Not many….Two or three?   

Most Likely to Get Nominated/Shortlisted for the First Time- Thailand

Buzziest Films: “How to Make Millions” from Thailand, which has been a pan-Asian box-office smash

Letterboxd Ratings (as of December 2^nd, 2024):      Best: Thailand (4.3)….Worst: Vietnam (approximately 2.7)

Dumbest Decision:  Other than China sending an English-language film and New Zealand failing to enter?

The Asian countries often make poor choices, but it was India and Japan who failed to choose strongly favored potential Oscar nominees. the Film Federation of India wins this year's "Dumb" award.

Controversies and Changes: As mentioned before, CHINA was disqualified for sending a documentary that was mostly in English. While that was China’s fault, AMPAS didn’t allow them to send a replacement which seems unfair.

Less well-known is that MONGOLIA almost missed out this year when Mongolia’s selection committee foolishly announced that they would not be entering the competition after receiving only one submission- the critically acclaimed “If Only I Could Hibernate”, which was the first Mongolian film to compete at Cannes Un Certain Regard. There was no explanation given, but it was rumored that the committee felt the film did not show Mongolia in a positive light. The director called foul and launched a social media campaign to publicize the decision, forcing the committee to recant.

“Bauryna Salu” (from KAZAKHSTAN) and “Melody” (from TAJIKISTAN) tried to compete last year so I was surprised to see them on this year’s list. “Bauryna Salu” actually received two votes from the Kazakh selection committee in 2023 which decided to send nothing….they changed their release date and got chosen this year. “Melody” was submitted by an authorized selection committee last year and was allowed to re-enter this year.

Oscar History: Cambodia’s Rithy Panh is the only previous Oscar nominee competing this year. He got a surprise nomination for “The Missing Picture” in 2014.

Rithy Panh and Nepal’s Min Bahadur Bham are the only directors who have been selected before. Panh is here for the fourth time (after “Rice People”, “The Missing Picture” and “Graves Without a Name”) while Bham was submitted for “The Black Hen” in 2016.

Of the 19 eligible countries, three have won the Oscar (Japan, Korea, Taiwan), six others have been nominated (Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Vietnam), and one shortlisted (Pakistan). The other nine are waiting for their first trip to the second round.

Most Notable Omissions: 

  

The two shock omissions were Cannes Grand Prix winner ”All We Imagine as Light” (India) and Venice Grand Prix winner “Evil Does Not Exist” (Japan). Although I’m not excited to see “All We Imagine as Light”, it has been sweeping international critics nominations and would probably have easily gotten India a nomination. But the Indian selection committee implied it was not even seriously considered and that the lightweight crowdpleaser “Laapataa Ladies” was far superior. The Indian Academy was clearly jealous of the director of “All We Imagine”, who has clashed with the Indian government and who was shortlisted by France. As for Oscar winner Ryusuke Hamaguchi, I think the Japanese were trying to spread the wealth. Over the past two decades, they’ve almost never selected a director twice (just Yoji Yamada for “Nagasaki”…probably the worst-ever Japanese submission) and this seems to be an unofficial policy. So, they may feel that Hamaguchi got his Oscar and that a never-selected director like Kiyoshi Kurosawa deserved an opportunity.

“Black Dog” (Cannes Un Certain Regard) should also probably be representing China but the Chinese Academy simply doesn’t send quality movies anymore.

Also absent: “Aattam” (India), “All Shall Be Well” (Hong Kong), “Andragogy” (Indonesia), “Big” (Taiwan), “Bride Kidnapping” (Kyrgyzstan), “Exhuma” (Korea), “Road to a Village” (Nepal), “Gomburza” (Philippines), and “Time Still Turns the Pages” (Hong Kong)

Most Famous Face: The Hong Kong entry “Twilight of the Warriors” was an all-star endeavour featuring a who’s who of Hong Kong movie stars, including Aaron Kwok, Louis Koo and Sammo Hung. Irène Jacob, who gained fame and a Cannes Best Actress award for her work with Krzysztof Kieslowski in the 90s, stars in the Cambodian entry.

Last Year’s Race: I saw 17 of the 19 films sent by the Asia-Pacific countries last year, many of which were very, very good. I’d highly recommend “Halkara” (A-), “The Missing” (A-), “City of Wind” (A-), “This is What I Remember” (A-), “The Monk & the Gun” (B+), “Shayda” (B+) and “The Breaking Ice” (B+).

“Concrete Utopia” (B) and “Tiger Stripes” (B) were also good. I also saw “Autobiography” (B), “Not Friends” (B), “In Flames” (B), “Marry My Dead Body” (B-), “A Light Never Goes Out” (C+), “Glorious Ashes” (C+), Oscar nominee “Perfect Days” (C) and “The Wandering Earth II” (F).

I couldn’t manage to see the films from Bangladesh and India.

Oscar International Feature- the films from the Americas (17 films)

So this year, I’ve been fortunate to see almost half the submitted films in this category (47 out of 89), which is a record for me before the shortlist. Getting more screeners means taking more time to watch them so I'm admittedly running a bit behind....

Today, I’ll be doing a rundown of the 17 films submitted from the countries of North and South America, including the two which appear to have been disqualified.

Over the past five years, films from the Americas only earned a single Oscar nomination ( “Argentina 1985”) but they’ll definitely get a nomination this year, with two frontrunners for the shortlist, including Brazil which has the best reviews of any International film this year. It's the only film with a chance to win the Oscar away from French frontrunner “Emilia Perez”.

Here is a rundown of the 17 films submitted from the Americas:

Number of Countries Participating this year: 17

Number of Films Found Eligible: 15

Number of Countries That Have Participated in the Past: 22

Who’s Missing?: Of the five missing countries, only CUBA was slightly surprising. Cuba only sends films to the Oscars roughly half the time but they did hold an open competition for the Goyas, selecting “Wild Woman” over two other films. I have no idea why they didn’t just send the same film (which looks great) to the Oscars.

PUERTO RICO was officially banned from the Oscars by AMPAS in 2010 (ridiculous!) and are no longer invited to send films. The other three countries didn’t seem to have any viable contenders. HONDURAS and SURINAME last sent films in 2020 and NICARAGUA in 2010.

FRONTRUNNERS:

1.    BRAZIL- “I’m Still Here” (4.4)

2.    CANADA- “Universal Language” (3.8)

First of all, “I’m Still Here” (from BRAZIL) is the closest thing to a lock this year. It has everything going for it...It's gotten wonderful reviews, festival play and has been a hit with both critics and audiences. It's by a respected international director who has worked in Hollywood. More importantly, it has serious buzz and got a limited U.S. release in New York and Angeles. And while it's probably not a serious contender for Best Picture or Best Actress, it is being talked about. So Oscar voters in this category will definitely be watching this film which is the main thing that matters. For those of you who don't know, "I'm Still Here" is the true story of a woman who becomes a political activist after the Brazilian military dictatorship arrests her husband....who is never seen again. While I haven't seen it yet, it's said to be devastating and emotionally uplifting and presses all the right buttons. It's in (and I think it has the ability to beat "Emilia", which is not doing well with critics at the moment). 

I also believe that we'll see CANADA on the December 17th shortlist. "Universal Language" is a weird little film set in an alternate universe Winnipeg (the capital of the Anglophone province of Manitoba in real-life) where the city is almost entirely Persian-speaking. Telling a series of seemingly unrelated little stories, "Universal Language" is a quirky film that has (quite naturally) been compared to Iranian cinema despite having a white Anglophone director (from Winnipeg, of course). The film will be released in U.S. cinemas in early 2025 which will help the film make the Top 5 if and only if it makes the shortlist. I think enough people are buzzing about it to get it there. Between 2006-2012, Canada got four Oscar nominations and two shortlist spots but they've only managed a single mention since then ("Juste la fin du monde", Xavier Dolan's weakest effort....). I think "Language" will help them end their Oscar drought. 

DARK HORSES:

These three countries will be praying for a miracle.

3.    CHILE- “In Her Place” (El lugar de la otra) (3.2)

In A Nutshell: A shy secretary begins to secretly spend time in the luxury apartment of a murder suspect.  

Pros: The backing of Netflix and the name recognition of two-time Oscar nominee Maite Alberdi. "In Her Place" is a beautifully made period drama that gently explores gender dynamics, tabloid media and women's empowerment. But the improbable murder case in the background (which, shockingly, is based on a true story) is much more interesting than the story of Mercedes, our sweet but unassuming heroine. 

Cons: Reviews have been positive but mostly unenthusiastic. It's good but certainly not one of the 15 best films on the list but there's always one high-profile film on the shortlist that seems to get there via name recognition and not reviews ("Sujo" will also be fighting for that slot, though less people have probably seen that one). 

4.   GUATEMALA- “Rita” (Letterboxd: 3.4)

In A Nutshell: A 12-year old runaway girl is sent to an orphanage that more closely resembles a prison, replete with ghosts, gangs and corruption. 

Pros: This is a visually stunning film by a previously shortlisted director, with strong performances and a shocking finale. 

Cons: It's a tough film to watch. Jayro Bustamente's "La Llorona" was a smaller-scale film, but it had a lot more buzz surrounding it than the low-profile "Rita". The supernatural/horror elements are the strongest aspects of the film....yet those are exactly the elements that Oscar voters don't usually go for.  

5.   MEXICO- “Sujo” (3.5)

In A Nutshell: A boy grows up with his single mother in Mexico's Michoacan state, surrounded by drug cartel-related violence, before fleeing to the city where he dreams of going to school 

Pros: Mexico has strong support among Oscar voters; they've been shortlisted five of the past six years (sadly, the only film that wasn't shortlisted- "The Chambermaid" - was my favorite film of the six) and "Sujo" has fairly good reviews. 

Cons: I didn't really like "Sujo" though I can't really put my finger on why. Lots of Mexican drug cartel cliches?....White savior complex?....Annoying ending? 

MIDDLE OF THE PACK:

6.   COSTA RICA- “Memories of a Burning Body” (Memorias de un cuerpo que arde) (3.9)

7.   ARGENTINA- "El jockey” (3.5)

8.   PERU- “Yana Wara” (3.8)

9.   BOLIVIA- “Mano propia” (approx. 3.5)

Let's start with the two films I've seen- COSTA RICA and PERU. "Memories of a Burning Body" is an an original and daringly feminist film featuring a series of actors re-enacting scenes narrated by a series of real-life (and unseen) elderly Costa Rican women narrators who talk about their experiences growing up in conservative families, discovering sex, masturbation and cheating husbands, and achieving personal fulfillment in old age. The actors on screen merge this in a loose but fairly clear narrative, with a minimum of dialogue. This is a film with an odd structure that won't appeal to everyone but it should make Costa Rica proud. For me, it was a tremendously educational experience even if I didn't absolutely love watching the film. It's a film that makes you think about the grandmothers and other women in your life, and it may have had a chance if it came from a bigger country. 

"Yana Wara", from PERU, has a tremendously sad backstory. 34-year old indigenous filmmaker Oscar Catacora died at the age of 34 after suffering a medical emergency in the remote rural area where he was making the film. His uncle finished the film after his death. "Yana Wara" is a B+W Aymara folktale about a mute young girl murdered by her grandfather. While on trial in his indigenous community, the grandfather explains the family's tragedy and why he killed his beloved granddaughter. This is an anthropologically important film exploring folklore and misogyny....but it's also extremely old-fashioned in its filmmaking. I would have guessed it was made in the 1950s, and not just because it's in Black and White. I don't think it will appeal to this committee but it's a strong additional to Latin American indigenous cinema. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see the films from ARGENTINA or BOLIVIA, and I don't know too much about them.....although they look right up my alley. ARGENTINA has sent dark comedy-thriller "El jockey" that most reviews indicate isn't for everyone...but that definitely has its fans. BOLIVIA's "Mano propia" is about the politically charged issue of lynchings and vigilante justice, told from three different points of view. These are two films that I've avoided reading much about because I'm looking forward to seeing them myself without knowing too much of their stories. 

HIGHLY UNLIKELY: 

10.  VENEZUELA- "Back to Life" (Vuelve a la vida) (approx. 3.4)

11.   ECUADOR- "Behind the Mist" (Al otro lado de la niebla) (approx. 3.3)

12.   COLOMBIA- “La suprema” (3.5)

I've seen all three of the films in this group. Based on a true story, "Back to Life" from VENEZUELA is a great comedy-drama that starts off as a teen comedy before quickly changing tack and becoming a riveting medical drama. I was fortunate enough to see a screening with the two directors who based the film on their own lives, when the older of the two fun-loving, wealthy teenaged brothers was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. This is a deserving film though I'm not certain that enough voters will make it past the more comic first third of the film. While it occasionally strays into telenovela territory, this is a tremendously inspiring film. 

ECUADOR's Himalayan documentary "Behind the Mist" is also inspiring for different reasons....and unless you're a mountain climber somewhat less relatable. "Behind the Mist" follows Sebastian Cordero- probably the country's most famous film director - on a climbing expedition through Nepal with 65-year old Ivan Vallejo, the first Ecuadorian to climb Mount Everest. The film made me want to visit Nepal....and never ever go mountain climbing. Also very well done, though I can't remember too much about it. 

COLOMBIA has sent lightweight village drama "La Suprema", about an Afro-Colombian village girl from a community so remote it was literally erased from national maps, who aspires to be a champion boxer. After learning that her estranged uncle will compete in a national championship, she and her impoverished community launch a desperate attempt to get a television to watch the match on TV. This is a rather slight film that sometimes works as a comedy of errors but which is fairly amateurish and predictable in its storytelling. I found the main character somewhat irritating.  

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR:

13.    DOMINICAN REPUBLIC- “Aire: Just Breathe” (approx. 2.6)

14.  URUGUAY- “The Door is There” (Hay una puerta ahí) (approx. 3.9)

15.   PARAGUAY- “The Last” (Los ultimos) (approx. 3.4)

16.   PANAMA- “Wake Up Mom” (Despierta mama) (approx. 2.8)

17.   HAITI- “Kidnapping Inc.” (3.3)

As always, I want to say that I’m happy these countries took the time to enter the race…I love seeing all the films. While HAITI and URUGUAY were disqualified, they were not likely to get very far anyway. “The Door is There” is a documentary largely consisting of Zoom calls between a terminally ill Uruguayan man in Montevideo and a Spanish doctor during the pandemic. The man is seeking authorization to end his life. It’s a fascinating philosophical exercise between two wonderfully intelligent men (of course, I immediately sided with the Uruguayan) but it only moderately works as a film. Haiti’s “Kidnapping Inc.” is an action-comedy-thriller that was made against all odds amidst civil unrest in Haiti (and in which actual crew members were allegedly kidnapped) but I’ve heard it’s entertaining but messy. However, I’m excited to see it.

Like Uruguay, the documentary from PARAGUAY works more as a philosophical treatise than a film. It follows two aging environmentalists- one German, one Paraguayan- on a road trip around areas of Paraguay devastated by fires and other natural disasters, who discuss their views on socialism and lament the lack of adequate environmental protection.

I haven’t seen the films from the DOMINICAN REPUBLIC and PANAMA but they don’t have very good reviews, with “Aire” ranked dead last in user ratings on both IMDB and Letterboxd…not exactly a good sign. “Aire”, a rare sci-fi film from the Caribbean, is about a biologist trying to save humanity from extinction in a post-apocalyptic 22^nd century. I’ve heard it’s somewhat dull. “Despierta Mama” is a thriller about a missing child, that most reviewers seem to liken to a telenovela. I look forward to seeing both films to judge for myself! 

FUN FACTS:

Genres:       We have three very philosophical documentaries this year (Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay) plus one drama that feels like a philosophical documentary (Costa Rica). We also have two comedy-dramas (Canada and Venezuela), three thrillers (Bolivia, Haiti and Panama), one fantasy-drama (Guatemala), and five straight dramas (Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) plus the genre-bending “El jockey” from Argentina which is supposedly a little bit of everything.

I’ve Already Seen: I’ve been fortunate enough to see more than half the films this year….10 out of 17- Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela….but unfortunately not the two frontrunners.

Film I’m Most Excited To See: Definitely “Mano Propia” from BOLIVIA. The Bolivians almost always send a film that exceeds expectations…and “Mano Propia” looks like a dynamic and exciting thriller.

Number I Predicted Correctly: 11- Wow! I only missed Mexico (“Sujo” was my second choice), Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Panama (I got them wrong but wasn’t at all surprised) plus Uruguay and Venezuela which picked films completely off my radar. The film I picked for Uruguay (“Don’t You Let Me Go”) is likely to be selected next year.

Big Four Festivals: 

·        Berlin-        Costa Rica (Panorama, Audience Award)

·        Cannes-     Canada (Director’s Fortnight, Audience Award)

·        Sundance-  Mexico (World Cinema, Best Film), Haiti

·        Venice-       Argentina and Brazil (Best Screenplay)

Women Directors- 5 films had female directors: Maite Alberdi (Chile), Arianne Benedetti (Panama), Antonella Sudasassi (Costa Rica), Leticia Tonos (Dominican Republic) and the directing team of Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez (Mexico).

Oldest and Youngest Directors- 68-year old Walter Salles (Brazil) is the senior director from the region this year. 35-year old Astrid Romero (Mexico) is the youngest.

Languages – Spanish-language films, as always dominate this group, with 13 out of the 17 entries. We also have one film each in Aymara (Peru), Haitian Creole (Haiti), Persian (Canada) and Portuguese (Brazil).

How Many Have a Chance at the Shortlist?- Quite a few….Maybe seven?  

Most Likely to Get Nominated/Shortlisted for the First Time- Costa Rica…though that seems unlikely.

Buzziest Films: “I’m Still Here”, which is considered by many to be “Emilia Perez”’s biggest competition. 

Letterboxd Ratings (as of November 17^th, 2024):      Best: Brazil (4.4), which has the highest Letterboxd score of any country this year… Worst: Not sure but it appears to be “Aire” from the Dominican Republic  (approximately 2.6)

Dumbest Decision:  Most countries made smart decisions this year considering what they had eligible; I wouldn’t say anybody was “dumb”. But the Dominican Republic had a strong film year and probably could have made a stronger choice.

Controversies and Changes: VENEZUELA initially announced documentary “Children of Las Brisas” but the filmmakers withdrew the film (it wasn’t disqualified by AMPAS as has been reported) since it was available for streaming prior to its cinematic release. It was quickly replaced by “Vuelve a la Vida”.

HAITI and URUGUAY appear to have been disqualified. I’ve heard that Haiti sent “Kidnapping Inc.” without getting their national selection committee approved by AMPAS, per the rules. I’ve no idea what happened to Uruguay.

Oscar History: We have two previous Oscar nominees- Walter Salles (Best Foreign Language Film for “Central Station”) and Maite Alberdi (Best Documentary Feature for “Eternal Memory” and “The Mole Agent”)

And would you believe that two-thirds (10 out of 15) of the eligible filmmakers have been submitted in this category before?

Leticia Tonos (Dominican Republic) and Walter Salles are here for the fourth time. Although the Dominican Republic only began submitting films in 2011, Tonos was selected for “Love Child”, “Cristo Rey” and “A State of Madness”. Salles is most famous for “Central Station” (1998) but was also submitted in 1991 (“Exposure”) and 2001 (“Behind the Sun”).

Sebastian Cordero and Jayro Bustamente are representing Ecuador and Guatemala for the third time.  Cordero was previously in the race with “Cronicas” (2004) and “Sin muertos no hay carnaval” (2016) while Bustamente was represented by “Ixcanul” (2015) and the shortlisted “La Llorona” (2020)….although his best film “Temblores” wasn’t submitted at all.

Also: Maite Alberdi (“The Mole Agent”, 2020, which was shortlisted), Arianne Benedetti (“Beyond Brotherhood”, 2017), the late Oscar Catacora (“Winaypacha”, 2018), Luis Ortega (“El Angel”, 2018), Gory Patino (“The Goalkeeper”, 2018), and Antonella Sudasassi (“The Awakening of the Ants”, 2019)

Of the 15 eligible countries, four have won the Oscar (Argentina, Canada, Chile and Mexico), three others have been nominated (Brazil, Colombia and Peru), and three others shortlisted (Guatemala, Panama, and Venezuela). The other five are waiting for their first trip to the second round.

Most Notable Omissions: 

Most countries went with their expected films and the year’s notable omission was Mexican Netflix drama “Pedro Paramo” by four-time Oscar nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto….It was an early favorite that hoped to follow in the footsteps of other successful Netflix dramas before opening to mediocre reviews at TIFF 2024. “Skin in Spring” (Berlin) from Colombia and “Simon of the Mountain” (Cannes) from Argentina also had hoped to be here.

Also out of the running: “Hotel Destino”, and “Bittersweet Rain” were on Brazil’s shortlist but had no chance against “I’m Still Here”, “Kanaval” (Canada), “Maybe It’s True What They Say About Us” (Chile), “Malta” (Colombia), and “Freddy”, which won Best Picture at the National Film Awards in the Dominican Republic.

Most Famous Face: There are quite a few internationally famous actors in this year’s batch, most notably Nahuel Perez Biscayart (“El jockey”), Oscar nominee Fernando Montenegro and Selton Mello (“I’m Still Here”) and Paz Vega (“Aire: Just Breathe”).

Last Year’s Race: I saw 10 of the 15 films submitted last year. My favorite was the subtle and sadly overlooked tragicomedy from Peru “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” (A-). And although it was a difficult film to watch, I thought “I Have Electric Dreams” (B+) was also very good. I also saw “Rojek” (B+), “The Settlers” (B+), “El visitante” (B), “El varon” (B), “The Delinquents” (B-…..way to blow the ending!), “Family Album” (B-) and “Tito, Margot & Me” (C). I also seem to be the only person who disliked the dreadfully dull “Totem” (C+), the only film from the region to make the shortlist last year. I failed to see the entries from Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Paraguay and Venezuela….but would love to see “Cuarencena” if anyone knows where I can buy it with English subtitles!