German & Polish finalists for Oscar submissions
Tuesday, August 16, 2022 at 5:03PM by Nathaniel R
Four countries have already announced their Oscar submissions thus far but soon the official titles will start pouring in from all over the place. Today we have news from Germany and Poland, both of which have won the category before. Both countries have named a list of finalists for the submission. Those titles are after the jump...
9 GERMAN FINALISTS
All Quiet on the Western Front
- All Quiet on the Western Front by Edward Berger
Based on the classic World War I novel which was already made into a Best Picture winner in 1930. Netflix will distribute - The Forger by Maggie Peren
Louis Hoffman (Dark, Land of Mine) stars as a Jewish man hiding in plain sight in wartime in Germany in the 40s and helping others by forging fake IDs.
Lieber Kurt
- Lieber Kurt by Til Schweiger
Schweiger (Inglourious Basterds, Maybe Maybe Not) also stars as a man grieving his lost son and dealing with both his new girlfriend and his ex wife. - Mostly Minimalistic by Natja Brunckhorst
An opposites attract romantic comedy between a hoarder and a man with few possessions - Nico by Eline Gehring
An old woman begins to train to fight after a racist attack shakes her world
No One's With the Calves
- No One's with the Calves by Sabrina Sarabi
A bored young woman on a farm in a loveless relationship - Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush by Andreas Dresen
A drama about a stubborn mother who seeks to help her son despite indifferent useless authorities - Talking About the Weather by Annika Pinske
A woman trying to balance everything: career, relationships, family - We Might as Well Be Dead by Natalia Sinelnikova
An apartment complex where the tenants become paranoid. This film picked up a cinematography prize at Tribeca.
None of these directors have ever been submitted by Germany before. Berger has the most high profile film since it's a Netflix film and the source material is widely recognized as classic. But one can never assume that high profile = everything when it comes to Oscar submissions. Three of the titles here (Rabiye Kurnaz, No One's With the Calves, and Nico) were nominated for the Best Actress prize at the Lolas (The German Film Awards), with Rabiye Kurnaz vs George Bush as the winner. Prediction: The safe bet is All Quiet but Rabiye Kurnaz and The Forger both sound like real possibilities.
7 POLISH FINALISTS
The Balcony Movie
- The Balcony Movie by Pawel Lozinski
A documentary in which the filmmaker interviews people no the street under his balcony. It's been popular at festivals. - Broad Peak by Leszek Dawid
A mountain climber attempts to complete a journey he began 25 years earlier. Netflix will distribute in the US. - EO by Jerzy Skolimowski
This movie, from the point of view of a donkey, won the jury prize at Cannes. Janus films will distribute in the US. - Fucking Bornholm by Anna Kazejak
Families on vacation together have a crisis because of an altercation between their children - Iluzja by Marta Minorowicz
A woman investigates the disappearance of her daughter, questioning everything
Silent Land
- Silent Land by Aga Woszczynska
A couple on vacation discover problems with their pool and things worsen when they ask for it to be fixed - Woman on the Roof by Anna Jadowska
Inspired by the true story of an elderly woman who robbed a bank
None of these filmmakers have ever been submitted to the Oscars. The highest profile option is EO since it already generated buzz at Cannes. Poland will make its decision by August 26th. Their own Film Awards take place in June each year, so it's an extremely different calendar than the Oscars and none of the film's that were up for prizes at the recent ceremony are in this list as they're too old to be eligible. Prediction: EO with The Balcony Movie as a possible spoiler.
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Reader Comments (5)
I’m really looking forward to EO, but everything I’ve heard about it leads me to believe it’s not the type of film that the committee typically goes for. I’d love them to embrace it, but if Poland does select it as their submission, I could easily see it being this year’s high profile movie that gets snubbed in this category.
On a note unrelated to its Oscar chances, I’m curious to see how much it borrows from Au hasard Balthazar since I see it’s not being touted as a remake but is still openly inspired by it. I’m quite interested in that type of loose remake/riff on an idea, as I feel it’s not an approach taken often enough but is ripe with possibilities for plenty of films.
I've seen THE FORGER. It's a good film, but it does land directly into the Academy's preference for World War 2 dramas (do they still have that?). Last year's German submission, I'M YOUR MAN, felt so daring and different (a sci-fi philosophical comedy), and I hope that last year isn't perceived as a failure (it made the shortlist, but not the nominations) and that they do go with something left-field again. (RABIYE KURNAZ VS GEORGE W BUSH is scripted by Laila Steiler, who wrote GUNDERMANN and CLOUD 9, so that one looks the most interesting to me.)
The Balcony Movie actually won at Polish Film Awards in June (for best documentary).
It would be a fun piece of Oscar trivia if "All Quiet on the Western Front" was nominated (and won). It would be the first Best Picture winner to be remade as an International Film winner.
Look out for Fucking Bornholm. Out of the 20+ films I saw at Karlovy Vary it was the best of the lot - while EO was dissapointing.