International Feature Race - Part 3: A Dozen Movie Stars

by Nathaniel R

Voting on the finalist list for the Oscar categories that use that system (including Best International Feature Film) concluded last week with the finalist lists to be announced on December 21st. As a final part of our general trivia overview (pt 1 stats & genres / pt 2 directors) we thought we'd look at the famous faces gracing the international contenders this year. Here are eleven of the most familiar movie stars in the mix that Academy voters (and you) might recognize from their own history of awardage not to mention previous classics. We'll take these famous actors alphabetically starting with a multilingual Spanish-German star and ending with a Chinese beauty, both of whom came to fame in the Aughts when they were fresh-faced twentysomethings...

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Best International Film Reviews: Lebanon, Montenegro, and Morocco

by Cláudio Alves

We're just a few days away from the Academy's announcement of the shortlists in various categories, including Best International Film. And yet, our travels through the 93 submissions for the 95th Academy Awards continue unabated. This time, let's look toward the Mediterranean, a great sea whose coastline encompasses three continents. Sadly, only one of those is guaranteed representation in the shortlist, AMPAS' European bias forever hurting whatever diversifying objectives the institution might have. Here, however, such biases will be put aside, with one film from each continent composing this Mediterranean face-off. Consider a Lebanese memory box, a Montenegrin elegy, and a Moroccan caftan…

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Best International Film Reviews: China, India, and Japan

by Cláudio Alves

For many, this year's Best International Film race will forever be remembered with an added asterisk, a reminder that the outcome would have been different had India submitted RRR instead of Last Film Show. This is not a commentary on artistic quality, merely award prognostication. The action blockbuster keeps racking up honors, while the country's official submission remains under-discussed. If neither succeeds, it will continue a sad Oscar trend. As one of the world's leading film industries, it's notable how little India has factored in these awards' history, indicating AMPAS' biases as well as India's own sometimes surprising submission choices.

While considering India's fate, let's also peruse the titles selected by Asia's other major film-producing nations… 

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Interview: The stars of "Girl Picture" on their international breakout

by Nathaniel R

Linnea, Ammu, and Eleonora the stars of "GIRL PICTURE"

The Academy will release the names of 15 finalists for Best International Feature Film on December 21st. One film we hope to see on that list if Finland's absolutely wonderful Girl Picture. But even if the Academy passes it by (they've often been a little indifferent to films about teenagers) we're certain it will stand the test of the time as one of the best youth films of the 2020s. We urge you all to see it if you haven't yet as it's readily available for rental on various platforms. We've been singing its praises to everyone who would listen since Sundance nearly a year ago when it won the World Cinema Audience Award.

Ben interviewed the director Alli this summer when the movie was released Recently as a kind of sequel, I sat down with the three leading actresses who bring this great movie and their characters so much emotion, humor, and authenticity...

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"Close" gains Oscar momentum

by Nathaniel R

A few nights back I had the pleasure to attend a screening and reception for Close, Belgium's Oscar submission hosting by legendary indie producer Christine Vachon. Vachon joked that when people mistook her for the producer of Close, since she was hosting the event, she didn't actually want to correct them. "I wish I had produced this!" 

The film, which is stronger overall and certainly less divisive than Dhont's debut, the trans drama Girl (2018), has been a major hit on the festival circuit. It's about the intimate friendship between two 13 year-old boys. We first meet them in summertime bliss but a return to school, followed by stares and mild teasing from other kids, makes them self-conscious about their friendship. Not everyone loves the film but those that do really spark to its observational strength, patience and naturalism, and the potency of its emotional throughline despite coming at the drama sideways with very little audience hand-holding. I myself was jolted back to memories of that age...

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