Best International Feature: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ireland, Lithuania

by Cláudio Alves

Historical narratives tend to do quite well in the Best International Feature Oscar race. For decades, World War II stories dominated the category though, more recently, this tendency has faded. Every sort of real-life drama enshrined in the appearance of prestigious importance is still catnip for Oscar voters. It's especially true if the film in question is European. Considering AMPAS' tastes, let's look at three submissions from the Old Continent, whose explorations of history differ in fascinating fashion. The Bosnian entry makes a thriller out of a massacre, Ireland draws western stylings from famine while Lithuania revels in the ridiculous ideas that stem from pre-war panic…

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Interview: Malgorzata Szumowska talks Oscar, Great Actors, and "Never Gonna Snow Again"

by Nathaniel R

Though it's easy to lose track of great cinema, especially in this strange time of virtual festivals and very little traditional moviegoing, you won't want to miss Never Gonna Snow Again, when it arrives this Spring. The Polish hopeful in this year's Oscar's International Feature Film race is a hard-to-describe elusive wonder about a Ukranian massage therapist (Stranger Thing's Alec Utgoff) who a suburban community becomes obsessed with. We were thrilled to jump on the phone with its talented 47 year-old director Malgorzata Szumowska. She's forged a long and international career for herself with award winning films like Elles (with Juliette Binoche), Body, the LGBT drama In the Name of, and her first English language picture last year, the cult drama The Other Lamb. 

She goes by 'Malgo'. "It's easier," she offers quickly, surely having heard her name mangled before. The director lives up to our expectations with a candid tongue and sharp sense of humor. Poland is a large country but she describes their film industry as small though not without its professional jealousy for those with international careers. The name directors, she adds, are "very supportive" of one another, name-checking three of the country's finest as we settle in for our chat: She mentions Jan Komasa (Corpus Christi) briefly; Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War, Ida) is her very close friend -- she actually found him his lead novice actress for his Oscar-winning Ida; and shortly before our chat, Oscar nominee Agnieska Holland (Europa Europa, In Darkness) had called to catch up.

We're crossing our fingers that she soon joins their ranks at the Oscars. But Malgo appears to be less of a dreamer and more of a bemused pragmatist when it comes to careers and awards. "Some people think they'll make one film and then they'll be in Hollywood. It doesn't work that way. If you make a movie that wins an Oscar than, yes, but that's an accident, a lottery."  She's in it for the long haul and the work and eager to get on with her next project as we spoke...

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Best International Feature: Costa Rica, Peru, Uruguay

by Cláudio Alves

Even though the Best International Feature category exists to celebrate world cinema, AMPAS tends to be biased in favor of European films. Productions from Africa, Asia, and Latin America tend to get shortchanged, although many stupendous films harken to those continents. Those tendencies may be waning though; In the last decade, only half of the winners came from Europe. With recent victories for Mexico and Chile, maybe we're living through a newfound openness from the Academy towards Latin American excellence? Speaking of which, we've already reviewed the flicks from Argentina, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela. Now, it's time to examine the submissions of Costa Rica, Peru, and Uruguay… 

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Best International Feature: Argentina, Canada, Russia

by Cláudio Alves

Last time, our voyage through the Best International Feature Oscar submissions took us to the entries from some of the biggest film industries in the world. Today's countries may not be as prolific in terms of cinematic production, but they are gigantic when it comes to population and landmass. Furthermore, their submissions are united by a common theme – the relationship between mothers and daughters, familial bonds in distress. Without further ado, let's explore the maternal meditations of Argentina, Canada, and Russia…

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Best International Feature: China, India, Japan

by Cláudio Alves

The cultural hegemony of Hollywood can make it seem as if the American film industry were the biggest in the world. However, some nations produce even more cinema than the US, and, annually, there's a much greater number of non-English-speaking features than Anglophonic ones. Since the Oscars tend to relegate such films to the Best International Feature category, it's possible to get a skewed view of the global realities of movie-making from them. In truth, the Academy's very local in its choices. With that in mind, let's explore the submissions of three countries whose industries are as robust as America's…

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