With the deadline for Best Foreign Language Film submissions upon us, indieWIRE’s Peter Knegt is taking stock of the possible injustices that already have taken place in the race … and at this early stage, the Academy isn’t even responsible. (Well, unless we count the problems of the one-film-per-country system, not to mention leaving the countries to choose their own contenders, but that’s another conversation.)
For better or worse — it’s terribly hard to say without having seen all the films in question — several countries have surprised pundits and filmgoers alike by picking lower-profile candidates and critical and/or public favorites.
We’ve already discussed what is probably the most ill-received submission so far, as Italy selected Giuseppe Tornatore’s critically panned period saga “Baaria” over the film most presumed was a shoo-in to represent the country, Marco Bellocchio’s Cannes-lauded Mussolini biopic “Vincere.”
Response to the selection has been so overwhelmingly negative — with accusations of political maneuvring flying about — one has to wonder how much it will impact on the Tornatore film’s chances.
Others are still smarting over the Spanish selectors’ bypassing of Pedro Almodovar’s “Broken Embraces,” though I admit I feel less strongly about that than some. Fernando Trueba’s “The Dancer and the Thief” (the official submission) could well be a lesser film than Almodovar’s, but “Broken Embraces” remains a minor work from a great director. The fact that it’s the year’s most high-profile Spanish release shouldn’t entitle it to the position, especially when the director has already struck Academy gold with far richer films.
Meanwhile, I’ll have an opinion tomorrow as to whether Israel made the right choice in picking “Ajami” over Venice Golden Lion winner “Lebanon” — but either way, I think many people were wildly overestimating the latter film’s Oscar chances in the first place. Admittedly, I’m not besotted with “Lebanon,” but it’s an oppressive, minor-key work that I don’t think would have been much to the Academy’s taste … and we know that voters place far less stock in major festival prizes than we do.
One rather surprising (to me, at least) submission that Knegt doesn’t mention is Chile’s choice of true-life political drama “Dawson, Island 10” ahead of the richly textured character study “The Maid,” which scooped a brace of major awards at Sundance in January.
For all I know, it may be a fair choice (I haven’t seen the former film, though I’ve already stated my enthusiasm for the latter), but I figured the endorsement of a major American institution like Sundance would have given “The Maid” a leg up in the race. (Finally, I’ll be very surprised if Austria’s pick of “For a Moment Freedom” turns out to be better film than Venice critics’ darling “Lourdes.”)
Meanwhile, as I did with the Italian submission the other day, Knegt questions whether there’s some tactical savvy behind these upsets. Are the selectors simply taking the Academy’s middlebrow tendencies into account?
Perhaps foreign committees are facing a growing cynicism in the Academy’s voting tendencies after these past two years of snubbing more challenging and important works in favor of films like “Departures.” France took a gamble in 2007 when they submitted “Persepolis” – an animated adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel – over more obvious choice for Oscar, Olivier Dahan’s Edith Piaf bio-pic “La Vie en rose.” “Persepolis” was snubbed, “Vie” ended up winning best actress for Marion Cotillard. Maybe Anica, the Italian motion picture association that chose “Baaria” over “Vincere,” genuinely believed they’d have a better shot at a nod with something less demanding.
There’s something to that, I think. Or maybe they genuinely think they’re choosing superior films. There’s no account for tastes … just ask the Academy.
Comments
8 responses to “The foreign films that got away”
I wish there were an awards ceremony for all non-english speaking films similar to the Oscars.
No ridiculous restrictions (like only 1 entry per country..etc). The awards ceremony could have all the same categories as the Oscars. I would definitely watch something like that with great interest.
….And “Viola di Mare”, and “Lo Spazio Bianco” … those are beautiful and/or interesting movies.
How can Italy choose just one movie?
Last year was the same (gomorra, il divo, giovanna’s father, la ragazza del lago)
And Japan? How often Japan had 2 or 3 oscar-worthy movies?
Sadly, it’s true: Baaria IS less demanding, and Tornatore made not a parody..but maybe a ‘sugar-coated’ version of himself .
You have to be careful when second-guessing various countries’ choices for foreign-language submission. There’s plenty of dirty politics involved, but some are actually quite elegant and DON’T involve the second-guessing about which film is most likely to win (“Oscar loves movies in which a big-eyed urchin melts the heart of a crotchety old misanthrope,” etc.).
Consider Israel. Why did they pick AJAMI over LEBANON, you and Knegt wonder? Simple. AJAMI won the Israeli Film Academy’s Ophir Award, and that’s the film they submit for Oscar consideration. Ideally, that’s the way it should be with every country (the pic that wins their top prize goes on to compete in the “Oscar foreign language Olympics”), though there’s clearly the issue that Americans don’t necessarily value the same qualities in foreign cinema that natives do.
What I’d really like to see, and I know this will never happen, is for the members of the foreign film committee to be allowed a write in vote that has nothing to do with the country of the film. That way movies that can’t be claimed by any country could be considered. And movies that were passed over by their countries for whatever reason, including political (because we know China, for instance, always submits its best film regardless of politics) could still have a shot.
All these (apparent) dud choices will hopefully make it easier for something truly excellent like “Samson & Delilah” to make it into the final five.
I honestly think that the Philippines’ entry is something worth looking into. I have watched “Ded Na Si Lolo” and it is okay at best. The Philippine Committee for Selection is very biased, and it is all politicking, same with our government if I should say so myself. I envy countries like France and Italy which always pick what they think might actually have a chance at the nod. I’m pretty sure other countries have their fair share of the stuff, but I think politics should get out of the way of art. On another note, I really am disappointed that Austria didn’t pick “Lourdes”, when last year they had “Revanche”, which was awesome to say the least.
Incidentally, having just walked out of “Ajami,” I can wholeheartedly say that Israel made the right choice.
I still don’t get “Revanche.” Everyone I know who’s seen it adores it, but it did nothing for me — “Paul Haggis-level melodrama with arthouse trappings” was my first note. Maybe it caught me on a bad day.
I completely agree with you about “Broken Embraces” I saw it this week and there has to be many better films from Spain to submit.