TIFF: Ralph Fiennes carries the engaging and tense "Conclave

by Matt St Clair

Ralph Fiennes in "Conclave" © Focus Features

After taking audiences through the treacherous WWI battlefields in the Oscar-winning epic All Quiet on the Western Front, director Edward Berger crafts a different exercise in tension in the form of a Pope election with Conclave, a high-stakes thriller based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris that is full of high-stakes political intrigue and stellar performances...

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Norwegian Finalists & Updated International Oscar Charts

by Nathaniel R

Norway has narrowed down its Oscar submission choice to three finalists. As expected one of them is the Cannes Camera D'Or winner Armand a contemporary drama that stars Reinata Rensve who is understandably a hot international casting commodity after her breakthrough with The Worst Person in the World. The film is the directorial debut of the grandson of Scandinavian screen legend Liv Ullmann. The Norwegian selection committee is also looking at the World War II era drama Quisling The Final Days (reviewed here at TIFF) by Erik Poppe. Poppe has been submitted twice before with Hawaii Oslo in 2004 and The King's Choice in 2016, the latter of which made the finals. The final submission option is the contemporary drama Sex by Dag Johan Haugerud about two ostensibly straight men who become confused about their desires. Interestingly it's part of a trilogy of films and the final film, Kjaerlighet (Love) just debut at Venice to rave reviews. Norway will announce their choice on September 19th. While Oscar loves World War II dramas, they aren't the sure thing they once were in this category so maybe the heat on Armand at Cannes will still burn bright enough? 

In the past week the official Best International Feature Film competition has more than doubled in size. 19 additional countries have announced their representative title. In other words, with 41 titles announced we're almost halfway to knowing the full list. The three submission charts and finalist prediction chart have all been updated -- yes the general Osar charts will soon follow. The complete list (thus far) and a note about where/when you can see the films if you live in the US, follows after the jump. For brevity's sake we've highlighted one new title from each chart to focus on here on the main page...

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International Oscars - Four more submissions

by Nathaniel R

8 VIEWS OF LAKE BIWA - Estonia's submission

Four more official submissions have been announced for the Best International Feature race at the impending 97th Oscars. They are...

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TIFF '24: Kiyoshi Kurosawa delivers a new nightmare in "Cloud"

by Cláudio Alves

CLOUD

What if, one day, you realized everyone in the world hates you? What's more, everyone wants you dead. That's the sort of situation you might expect to encounter in the world of dreams and night terrors, one's innermost anxieties synthesized for a restless slumber. It's also the nightmarish scenario Kiyoshi Kurosawa suggests in his latest shocker, a work of stress cinema supreme with many surprises in store, playing like a descent into hell. It's also Japan's official submission for the Best International Film Oscar race, as bizarre as that might seem. It's a bold choice, alright. Maybe not the best from a strategic standpoint, but a true celebration of Japanese film excellence. 

And one thing's for sure – there's no other director like Kiyoshi Kurosawa out there, and no film like Cloud either…

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Venice 2024: Jury of One

by Elisa Giudici

As the Venice Film Festival draws to a close, the time has come to reflect on the competition, predict who will claim the prestigious Golden Lion, and consider which films will carry momentum into Oscar season. Above all, it's time to think about what will truly remain from this year's edition.

Overall Festival Impressions

Last year’s festival lacked consistency, with a mix of standout films and titles that induced sheer embarrassment. This year, however—thanks in part to a much stronger and more compelling Italian contingent—the competition has been far more solid, with only a couple of notable failures and several standout films. In fact, considering the lackluster showing at Cannes this year, Venice could very well take the title of Festival of the Year. The event is anchored by The Brutalist by Brady Corbet, a monumental work operating on a level unmatched by any other film this year. Almodóvar, Guadagnino, Salles, and Bing have also impressed...

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