Foreign Film Final 9

[Okri]

Also, Gomorrah is eligible this year for awards.

I thought the rule allows it to be elegible for the following year if it complies with the screening regulations. Or does that only apply id it is an official nominee? I seem to remember some discussion like this regarding In The Mood For Love.

It does. However, the film was already released - it was given a one week qualifying release. The same rule made 4 months, 3 weeks, 2 days and The Lives of Others eligible for all categories in 2007 and 2006 respectively.

The rule you're referring to is true though. Just that it doesn't work for Gomorra (check out the academy's eligibility list this year).

As for Gomorra vs City of God, I don't think Mister Tee is far off the mark. I think the comparison is more due to the violent nature of the films, Italiano, not a real comment on their quality (or that's how I took it).

[Uri]

If nominated - which I thought possible - would have certainly lost to Waltz with Bashir.

Suck it, Italy!

This is all about having a despicable prime minister of whom the Americans are afraid of as opposed to having no lesser despicable one like yours, but who have no clout, neither in Washington nor in Hollywood.

We run the world. Until next Tuesday, that is.

[ITALIANO]

Has Gomorra come out in America? Because I could see it pulling a City of God and garnering some surprise nods next year.

City Of god is a masterpiece, Gamorra is not. I was not expecting it to be on the shortlist. It plays well with the critics but not with the general public - like Four Months Three Weeks Two Days in 2007.

Masterpiece, masterpiece... what an important word. City of God like the Sistine Chapel, Guernica, Citizen Kane, Open City? Of course not. It was a good, PLEASANT (which is the key to his success) movie about violence. Not a great one, though of course it was very successful. But Gomorrah and Four Months Three Weeks etc - films that you didn't like - are of a much higher artistic value, and while it may be true that they play "well with the critics but not with the general public", this, I am afraid, is a fate that they share with many (I will use the word now) masterpieces of the past. And you are probably referring to the AMERICAN public - in Italy and more generally in Europe they were both very popular at the box office too.

And while this doesnt necessarily have anything to do with art, Gomorrah's disturbing power is a fact - proven by the threats it got from the mafia (its writer, Roberto Saviano, lives under state-provided armed protection). This may not mean anything on the other side of the ocean, but we know how important it is.

But I agree that Gomorrah isn't the kind of movie that could win the Oscar. If nominated - which I thought possible - it would have certainly lost to Waltz with Bashir.



Edited By ITALIANO on 1231947955

[OscarGuy]

Foreign Films can compete in the year they are released in the United States under normal Academy guidelines unless they were nominated the previous year for an Academy Award for Foreign Language Film.

And they have changed the way the foreign film selection works. I don't know about screening requirements of all submitted films, but the selections are made by "several hundred" Los Angeles-based members who screened, according to the press release, the films from mid-October to January 10.

SIX of their choices were passed to the final selection group along with THREE selected by the Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee. Their selections aren't based on any measure of success other than to avoid the pitfalls of the past where good quality films were often overlooked because of the older voters avoiding movies that weren't "soft" enough, basically.

Anyway, once the nine are selected, "Specially Selected" committees in New York and Los Angeles will spend Friday, Saturday and Sunday (3 films a day) watching all of the nominees from which the final five will be selected.

[abcinyvr]

Also, Gomorrah is eligible this year for awards.

I thought the rule allows it to be elegible for the following year if it complies with the screening regulations. Or does that only apply id it is an official nominee? I seem to remember some discussion like this regarding In The Mood For Love.

[abcinyvr]

Has Gomorra come out in America? Because I could see it pulling a City of God and garnering some surprise nods next year.

City Of god is a masterpiece, Gamorra is not. I was not expecting it to be on the shortlist. It plays well with the critics but not with the general public - like Four Months Three Weeks Two Days in 2007. As I have said before (sorry) I saw it at a festival screening in Sept and it was the film I was most looking forward to. I was disappointed and many walked out of the screening. It may yet get a release, but I wish that it was Il Divo that was getting all the attention.

[Okri]

I'd replace Waltz with Bashir with The Baader Meinhoff Complex but I think Oscarguy is bang on the money.

Three Monkeys might have been one of those forced in, as Ceylan's gotten quite a reputation on the international circuit these past few years.

Also, Gomorrah is eligible this year for awards.

barrybrooks, you've got the first part correct. Essentially, to vote, you have to attend at least 1/3 of the screenings (or have seen film the film in a commercial/festival setting). From those votes, the top "nine" are selected (which is really the top six, with three more chosen on the basis of international success. This year, Turkey, France, Israel and Austria had films that I would argue fit the bill, along with Italy).

Another committee, of about 20 people (if it's the same size it was in the past two years) watches the final nine and votes on the nominees. Having such a small group allows for surprises, obviously (in 2006, I thought <i>Pan's Labyrinth</i> would be dropped, but it was <i>Volverf</i>).



Edited By Okri on 1231904455

[barrybrooks8]

I thought they did the same thing last year, that is, a final nine. "4 Months..." wasn't in it, and that was a shame.

Let me know if I am right in this. I heard or read once, to be able to nominate in the foreign category, you have to attend academy screenings of at least 1/3 of the eligible submissions. You can then pick your favorite five, which is dwindled down to nine, and then to pick from the nine, you have to see those nine, at least the ones you haven't already seen.

[FilmFan720]

Has Gomorra come out in America? Because I could see it pulling a City of God and garnering some surprise nods next year.

[ITALIANO]

I'm glad that you liked it (you should also check The Consequences of Love, by the same director, which is also very good). But yes, not an Oscar-friendly movie.

[Cinemanolis]

and by the way it wasn't even the best Italian movie of the year (that was Sorrentino's Il Divo).

I loved 'Il Divo'. I am looking forward to it's director's next film. I can't say i understood everything, or that i wasn;t confused at times since i wasn't familiar with the theme, but i really enjoyed it's originality. It also had great cinematography, editing and art direction. However i suspect that 'Il Divo' would have even less chances to be nominated by the Academy.



Edited By Cinemanolis on 1231890304

[ITALIANO]

Gomorrah is a great, important movie (nothing to do with City of God or with MTV-style violence), raw, honest, grim, uncompromising (it was subtitled even in Italy), so maybe it's not surprising that it wasn't nominated. Too bad - for once Italy had submitted a truly good movie, and by the way it wasn't even the best Italian movie of the year (that was Sorrentino's Il Divo). So next year we will have to go back to things like Don't Tell.

[bettestreep2008]

I thought they revamped the nomination process to avoid debacles like last years omission of "4 years, 3 months, 2 weeks"?

Haven't seen it - but wonder why "Gomorra" was left out this year?

It won at Cannes and scooped the pool at the European Film Awards - so I wonder why?

[Cinemanolis]

Has anyone seen The Class? It looked like every "teacher versus troubled students" film I've ever seen in my life (Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver, Freedom Writers, etc.)

I've seen 'The Class' and i really liked it. It's not like the standard Hollywood teacher vs students film at all. In fact it has the feeling of a documentary. It shows the students-teacher relationship in the passing of a school year, and thankfully it is much more realistic than you'd expect. In any case i prefer it to both 'Gomorra' (which i didn't like) and 'I've Loved You So Long" (which lost me in the final 5 minutes). I expect it to be nominated, but i don't think it will win, since the Academy tends to go for easier, more Academy friendly films. So look out for Sweden.

[OscarGuy]

Oddly enough, I had 3 of the finalists on my nominations predictions, which is unusual because they like to throw curve balls. I'm going to stick with The Class, Waltz with Bashir and Everlasting Moments as Oscar nominees and add in Necessities of Life (Canada seems to be on a streak in recent years) and Tear This Heart Out because it seems to be the only costume drama in the list and with Mongol getting nommed last year despite critical malaise, I'd say it has a strong chance.

Baader Meinhof being left off wouldn't be surprising considering the turmoil surrounding the film. Of course, a lot will depend on if the voters have heard anything about it, which I'm not so sure they have. It remains a strong contender as does Departures and Revanche. 3 Monkeys is the only one I can't really see earning a nod. The description I've found suggests it's just a small little family relationship/secret drama which may not have the uplifting nature that the Academy Foreign Language voters like to recognize.