25 Italian Finalists for Oscar Submission

by Nathaniel R

Italy doesn't really make it easy for their selection committee! Most countries pick a handful of finalists (if they have a finalist list at all) before making their Oscar selection. Even France, which makes lots of movies each year, narrows it down to just three or four before the choice is made. But Italy has a list of 25 (gulp) titles to decide between for their Oscar submission which they'll announce on November 24th. Italy is a powerhouse with Oscar as the #2 most often nominated country (behind only France) and the #1 most winning country (ahead of France). The 25 titles they're looking at are after the jump if you're interested...

• 18 Presents Francesco Amato
  This sentimental true story drama is currently streaming on Netflix
• Aspromonte: Land of the Forgotten Mimmo Calopresti
  1950s set drama about a village without a road. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi and Marco Leonardi star
• Bar Giuseppe Giulio Base
  Drama starring Ivano Marescotti

• The Goddess of Fortune Ferzan Ozpetek
  Gay drama which won Best Actor x 2 at the Golden Ciak Awards and Best Actress from both the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists and the David di Donatello Awards. Ozpetek has been making gay Italian movies for two decades now so it'd be nice if they submitted him one of these years. 
• Il delitto Mattarella Aurelio Grimaldi
  A crime drama
• Bad Tales Damiano & Fabio D’innocenzo
  Suburban drama which won Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists. Elio Germano is among the stars
  
• Rose Island Sydney Sibilia
  An engineer builds himself an island and declares it its own nation in this dramedy. Busy Elio Germano stars
• Citizens of the World Gianni Di Gregorio
  A comedy about senior citizens leaving Rome to live abroad
• Thou Shalt Not Hate Mauro Mancini
  Drama about the son of a Holocaust survivor. Allesandro Gassman, who is the son of major Italian film star Vittorio Gassman headlines. 
• Notturno Gianfranco Rosi
  Documentary about the Middle East. Previously reviewed here. Rosi was previously submitted for his documentary Fire at Sea in 2016

• Padrenostro Claudio Noce
  Pierfrancesco Favino won Best Actor in Venice for this drama. Capsule review from Venice. 
• Picciridda con i piedi nella sabbia Paolo Licata
  Female focused drama
• Pinocchio Matteo Garrone
  Another live action adaptation of the fairy tale. This time from the director of Dogman and Gomorrah, both of which were submitted to the Oscars. He won Best Director from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Critics for this. This was also the only title from last year's Best Film nominees at the Donatello Awards (Italy's Oscars) to be eligible for submission this year (the others were considered last season including Martin Eden and the eventual submission The Traitor) 
• The Predators Pietro Castellitto
  A comedy about conflicts in Rome

• The Macaluso Sisters Emma Dante
  One of five sisters dies, turning the lives of the other four upside down in this drama
• The Stonebreakers Gianluca & Massimiliano De Serio
  A drama about a widower who made his son a foolish promise about his mom coming back to life
• Out of My League Alice Filippi
  A romantic comedy
• The Shift Alessandro Tonda
  A drama about a terrorist attack at a school
• Tornare Cristina Comencini
  Drama from the director of Don't Tell, an Oscar nominee in 2005
• Trash Francesco Dafano & Luca Della Grotta
  An animated comedy about garbage (Forky would love it)
• All My Crazy Love Gabriele Salvatores
  A family drama with Valeria Golino. Salvatores was submitted once before in 2003 with I'm Not Scared

• Into the Labyrinth Donato Carrisi
  A horror film about a kidnapped girl who resurfaces
• The Truth About La dolce vita di Giuseppe Pedersoli
  A documentary on Federico Fellini's classic
• The Life Ahead Edoardo Ponti
  This is the highest profile title since it features the comeback of Sophia Loren. It's currently streaming on Netflix and we've already discussed it on the podcast and reviewed it, too.
• Hidden Away Giorgio Diritti
  A biopic about a loner artist starring Elio Germano who won Best Actor at Berlinale for this.

Comments

[PP]

International friends, even if it will not be selected, please watch "The Macaluso Sisters". It's a masterpiece!

Anyway my hope is for "Bad Tales" that won also Best Screenplay in Berlin

[Stefano]

This has been such a weak year for our cinema (weaker than usual, anyway), and a lot of these titles have been totally ignored by Italian audience (and not particularly critically-lauded). I hope they won't chose the dreadful The Life Ahead just because of Sophia Loren and the Netflix bandwagon. The most likely contenders would be Bad Tales, even if it's quite bleak and depressing (nowehere near the Academy's taste) or Venice contender The Macaluso Sisters. I don't see any other title with serious chances to get in sight of an Oscar nomination (some of these films have even been critically panned in Italy), and I wouldn't neither be so confident about Bad Tales or The Macaluso Sisters.

[Kris]

I've only seen "Bad tales" and "Pinocchio" so far out of all of these. Have to say, I was surprised how good Pinocchio was, although there have been so many versions both at the movies and on tv, but his one was really worth the remake and the watch.
Bad tales has some good bits and the whole negative atmosphere was kind of stylish... but at the end of the film and thinking about the academy's taste, it was maybe a tad bit just too depressing and will be too weird for the academy voters. Although I personally think it was worth the watch too.
Will be seeing Macaluso sisters this week at out local film festival and for sure, have to see on Netflix Sophia's come back in her son's movie...
Seems quite open race though... wonder if they want to submit a remake.. And the first adaptation of the book was successful already with oscars, but Sophia is an icon, that can capture the needed attention...
So far I've only seen Czech, Estonian, German and Swedish entries and I doubt any of those will make it to even half finals. If, then Czech movie was far better, that the other 3. Hopefully Denmark will submit Another round (enjoyed it!), that one at least has a chance to make it to TOP10. I don't understand, why Germany didn't select Berlin, Alexanderplatz.. I mean, there was a little bit of english, but mostly it was in German... (even Undine was better than the one they selected, but I don't believe Undine would have had a chance to get nominated either).

[PP]

@Stefano: In realtà penso che da qualche anno in realtà abbiamo finalmente ricominciato a fare ottimi film. Se poi parliamo di debolezza come risposta del pubblico italiano al nostro cinema allora son d'accordo.

[PP]

@Nathaniel R: Salvatores also won once with Mediterraneo

[Peggy Sue]

I haven't seen it but Germano's transformation in Hidden Away (bad title) looks amazing.

[Jonathan]

I've only seen PADRENOSTRO so far but I really liked it. Great coming-of-age flick with sociopolitical resonance.

[Travis C]

Have seen THE GODDESS OF FORTUNE, BAD TALES and PINOCCHIO. Of those three, I love TGOF, but I am not sure if they will pick a family drama as a good bet for a nomination (as charming, moving and well-directed as it is).

Agree with Kris on BT not being selected (too dark). Maybe PINOCCHIO for brand recognition. Both are films worthy of selection..

[Boy from Bari]

In Italy we have weird rules for the Oscars: these are 25 self-nominations!
Only two or three movies are the real contenders.

[PP]

@Boy from Bari: yes, but most of them are good movies and that's a good way to adv. them

[Ian]

Is "The Life Ahead" not the frontrunner and most high-profile? Like, why 25?

[NATHANIEL R]

Boy from Bari -- which would you say are the real contenders?

[PP]

@Nathanier R: I think that we can assume that the biggest contenders are The Life Ahead, Hidden Away, Bad Tales, Pinocchio and maybe The Goddess of Fortune

[Abe]

I'm surprised that The Best Years isn't on this list. It was screened as part of the HFPA Foreign Language Film Series along with a number of films that have been announced as other countries' submissions. I know the HFPA consideration list often includes films that aren't Oscar-eligible, but I would have expected it to be one of the 25 possibilities. It's also entertaining, which is a plus!