The Film Experience

by Nathaniel R

We're now up to 31 Oscar submissions so, a third of our way to the finish line. Here are the new announcements since the last post.

The Cakemaker- Israel
A gay drama about a man who becomes friends with his dead lover's wife (who didn't know they were involved). It just won the Ophir for Best Picture (along with Best Director, Actress, and more). This had a theatrical release in the US over the summer. Have y'all seen it?
Gutland - Luxembourg
We recently mentioned that this noir starring Frederic Lau (Victoria) and Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) is streaming on Amazon Prime. But when we mentioned it we had no idea it would be Oscar submitted.
The Resistant Banker - The Netherlands
WW II drama about a Dutch banker funding the resistance under the noses of Nazis. That sounds right up the ally of how Oscar used to play the Foreign Film category but times have changed. Will it be good enough to appeal to their WW II drama-loving previous natures?
Offenders - Serbia
A thriller about university students out to test a theory that human nature inevitably leads to anarchy.
Burning -South Korea
The Cannes hit which gets a US release in early November. Oscar is notoriously resistant to Asian cinema which is a total shame since this one has received rave reviews and its South Korea's third time choosing a Lee Chang-dong picture and he's such a talented filmmaker but Oscar has yet to recognize that. Or South Korea in general despite their awesome cinema.
Champions - Spain
A film about a team of disabled athletes starring real disabled people. It's apparently a huge crowd-pleasing hit in Spain