Best International Film: Bhutan & Panama

by Cláudio Alves

The Academy has announced its shortlists, and there aren't many notable surprises to point out. However, two exciting inclusions in the Best international Film front were Bhutan's Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom and Panama's Plaza Catedral. By coincidence, both pictures have powerful behind-the-scenes stories that might have helped boost their profile. Bhutan's case is a story of underdog perseverance, while Panama has a heartbreaking tragedy attached to its film.

Did the Academy make the right choice? Let’s find out…

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Original Song Oscar Finals: Listen to the Shortlisted Songs

Power couple Beyonce and Jay Z could fight it out at the Oscars this year.Last week, the Oscars published a list of 105 songs that qualified for the award. Today, that list has been winnowed down to 15 hopefuls, vying for the five Oscar nomination slots. Ten categories just got narrowed down today, and The Film Experience will be covering them all (such as International Feature). The Original Song category has gone through many ups and downs. It used to be the place for the biggest hits, such as “Last Dance” by Donna Summer and “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion. At its worst, it contained only two songs, one of which was “Real in Rio” from Rio. Will this year be a hit or a bust?

The fifteen shortlisted song includes songs from Grammy winners, Best Picture hopefuls, musicals and both Beyonce and Jay Z. Check them out after the jump.

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International Oscar Finals: Meet the Directors, Consider the Stats

by Nathaniel R

In some ways the competition for "Best International Feature Film" is the longest of Oscar races. It begins as early as the fall festivals in the previous year when titles that have not yet debuted in their home countries begin showing their faces. By the time Cannes rolls around it's in full swing. The first contest for each buzzy film, within this awards context of course, is to be submitted by its home country. The second big hurdle is making the finalist list of 15 which is where we are right now. The announcement of the 15 Oscar finalists this year has the usual mix of high profile contenders and 'oh, didn't see that one coming!' surprises. A high profile only gets you so far in this race -- notice that French Cannes champ Titane and Romanian Berlinale champ  Bad Luck Banging... are both missing from the finals.

Let's meet the directors behind the 15 films vying for those 5 nomination slots...

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Academy Shortlists Announced

Directly from the Academy, here's word on which films and craft achievements are moving on in the 10 Oscar categories that use a winnowing process either multiple rounds of voting or "bakeoffs" as they're called within the craft communities.

It was a good day for Lin-Manuel Miranda movies, Marvel movies, Bond's latest, and Matrix Ressurection. And a mixed-message day for Cyrano and Nightmare Alley (which didn't score everywhere they could) and a terrible day for Titane (which missed both the international finals and the makeup finals). The press release and some very quick commentary after the jump...

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Best International Film: Austria, Croatia, Malta, and more

by Cláudio Alves

Our voyage around the world through Best International Film Oscar submissions is coming to an end. Tomorrow, the Academy will reveal its shortlist, reducing 92 contenders to just 15. Before that, though, I'd like to shine a light on three fantastic films, regardless of their awards chances. They are a jewel of queer cinema from Austria, a prickly character study from Croatia, and a throwback to the early days of Neorealism courtesy of Malta. At the end of this piece, I shall also reveal what films would make up my ideal Oscar shortlist…

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