"A Man" leads the Japan Academy Film Nominations

by Nathaniel R

"A Man" received 13 nominations from the Japanese Academy.

Last year the Japan Academy Film prizes were had a slightly higher profile on this side of the pond due to the international success of Drive My Car (which was also popular with Oscar voters). This year, there's no Japanese breakout film unless you count popular anime titles but it's still worth sharing what the Japan Academy is loving. With 13 nominations Kei Ishiwaka's A Man (which premiered at Venice) is the film to beat and it's worth noting that it came out after the deadline for the Oscar submissions this year [updated] and also wasn't submitted by Japan in the new Oscar season. The Japanese ceremony was two days before the Oscars this year on March 10th. Here are the nominees and UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE WINNERS AFTER THE JUMP...

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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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Oscar contenders win at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards

by Nathaniel R

Cambodia's Oscar submission won two awards at APSA

Even if you are a deeply committed film obsessive there are films you will never have heard of that will win or be nominated for prizes during awards season. That's one of the reasons we love to check in with awards bodies overeas. If only all movies could be released everywhere for us cinephiles!  We just caught up with the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, now in their 15th year.  Indonesia's Before Now & Then took the top prize but in addition to a few nominees we hadn't yet heard of, five current Oscar hopefuls won prizes: International Feature contenders Joyland, Return to Seoul, Aurora's Sunrise, and Muru, and the documentary All That Breathes... 

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'Everything Everywhere All At Once' triumphs at the Saturn Awards in a strong year for Asian talent

by Nathaniel R

EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE won four prizes at the Saturn Awards

The 47th annual Saturn Awards, which are actually their 50th anniversary (it's confusing but mostly blame the pandemic) were held Tuesday night. Their calendar of eligibility runs summer to summer and they honor genre films and genre tv though they fudge a bit in some categories (kicking sci-fi fantasy and horror to the curb every once in a while for a drama or comedy or even musical they love). Though The Batman (2022) and Nightmare Alley (2021) led the nominations and both won a couple things, the night's big winner was A24's leggy hit and Oscar hopeful Everything Everywhere All At Once which took four prizes: Fantasy Feature, Lead Actress, Supporting Actor, and 4K Special Edition Release. On the TV side of the equation Better Call Saul was the top series with four prizes (three of which were for its actors)

It was a landmark year for Asian films and performers in general with RRR nabbing International Film (the fifth consecutive Asian film to win this prize after The Handmaiden, Baahubali 2, Burning, and Parasite), EEAAO's overall dominance, and six of the acting prizes going to actors of Asian descent (Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Ming-Na Wen, Awkwafina, Iman Vellani, and Jennifer Tilly). The list of winners and a few comments after the jump...

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