Oscar Submissions: Serbia, The Netherlands, Angelina Jolie & the Austrians
Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at 9:00AM 
The Oscar Submissions continue to trickle in.
THE NETHERLANDS (7 nominations, 3 wins)
For about a decade from the mid 80s to the mid 90s Dutch-language films were the rage with Oscar voters with 3 nominations which all went on to win the big prize. The country last nomination was for 2003's Twin Sisters but given their track record (at least one nominee a decade since their first) they'll be golden again soon. This year they've selected Maria Peter's Sonny Boy which is a true scandalous story based on a best selling book about a 40 something married woman and her affair with a 19 year old black student. The couple get pregnant. Trivia note: Their child -- "Sonny Boy" being the Al Jolson inspired nickname they gave him -- is supposedly still alive and an octogenarian now!
Oscar does like a true story. And they like epics involving World Wars. Here's the dialogue free teaser and you can decide for yourself how Oscar might respond.
SERBIA
They've never been nominated but there's got to be a first time. Dragan Bjelogrlic's Montevideo God Bless You which seems, from descriptions, to be a nostalgia soaked period piece about 1930s Belgrade just as much as it's a sweeping inspirational story of young men with big (sports) dreams, in this case football (soccer). To be specific their dreams take them to the First World Football Championship in Montevideo, Uruguay.
If IMDb can be trusted on Serbian film industry goings on (they sometimes get foreign film info wrong) they're already filming a sequel which is this movie. Can anyone translate that title for us?
This is quite a bit different than the type of film Serbia usually submits. They've never submitted a film by this director before and the films don't usually skew this young either. The film stars two relative newbies Milos Bikovic (previously on Serbian TV series) and Peter Stager (film debut).
Milos Bikovic and Peter Stager
Will Oscar take a longer look this time?
The closest Serbia has come to a nomination was The Trap in 2007 which made the finals but not the shortlist.
AUSTRIA (3 noms, 1 win)
Austria's entry this year also trains its lens on a young man, the 19 year old Roman (Thomas Schubert). Roman, though, doesn't have big dreams but is just trying to build a new life after prison. Guilt haunts him for his teenage crimes. The film is directed by the actor Karl Markovics (most recently seen in the international hit Unknown).
It's worth noting that the movie is already an award winner. Schubert won Best Actor at the Sarajevo Film Festival and who handed him the prize but global icon Angelina Jolie, who was honored herself (and accepted tearfully) at the very same event. So should Breathing (Atmen) be Oscar nominated, Schubert might have another chance to share oxgyen with her. He's already experienced one embodiment of Hollywood glamour, just not the gold plated kind.
Angelina Jolie at the Sarajevo Film FestivalPREVIOUS SUBMISSIONS AND SPECULATIONS
Reader Comments (7)
Hi Nathaniel!
The English version of the Official Website for the Serbian movie includes information that is quite confusing. Under a tab "FILM AND TV SERIAL" there's a text that I interpret to mean that this is indeed the second film, but there's also a 15-episode TV series which covers the same ground. However, from the description the second part was filmed first! And according to the imdb a second film is being made now (it would then be a prequel). Could it be that they are actually filming the mini-series and condensating it so they release the two films first and then air the series? Mind you, if any part of the movie has already aired on TV in Serbia then the film does not qualify. That's when happened with Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, which was a condensation of a TV series!
I copy the text here:
The main topic of the film feature and TV series is national football team success at the First World Football Championship held in Montevideo, Uruguay (1930). The story is also about young football players who achieved that success with their enthusiasm and talent, spread the fame of their country throughout the world and became true stars and real legends of those times.
The feature film is planned to consist of two parts. The story of the first film is based in Belgrade, capital city of Serbia and it consists of some parallel courses. It is focused on football players and their destinies, their loves, friendships and many of their temptations. It introduces us with life in Serbia and Belgrade in years of thirty of the last century. The film is about everything that follows the football players and their leaderships before the First Mondial and how they managed to go to Montevideo.
The story of the second film is based in Uruguay. First, it follows exciting two weeks long journey by ship to Montevideo and then the participation of Yugoslav football team at The First Cup in Uruguay and winning of the third place.
TV series “Montevideo, God Bless You!” consists of 15 episodes. The first episodes describe the circumstances in Belgrade in 1930, football matches played in the city of the time, the conflict within the Yugoslav Football Association and the preparations for the World Cup in the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.Other episodes deal with the voyage to Montevideo and many comic situations of this long-lasting adventure, while last episodes testify on three matches at the World Cup and achievement of the third place of Serbian representatives and their triumph return to Belgrade.
Speaking of Jolie. You should add her directional debut to your lists. I dont really understand why you didnt.
AS for Serbian candidate - the title of thesequel you mentioned 'Montevideo, bog te video: Prica druga' could be translated 'Montevideo, God Saw You: Second Story'.
The Serbian ilm has been a sensation across the Balkans. When my parents go to see a film and even tell me about it, you know it's an event.
This certainly doesn't mean it's any good - the trailer carries more than a whiff of warmed-over tripe. But my parents' tastes in movies roughly correspond to those of credulous, conservative pensioners, so who knows, AMPASS' senior branch could technically embrace it. (I still doubt this: the film doesn't seem to feature a single war or genocide, and this tends to discount most Eastern European candidates.)
"sensation across the Balkans" yea right, never even heard of it.
Almeida -- the truth is that i've never gotten a bead on it. Is it really opening? I'm not at all sure oscar would embrace it even if it did -- they don't often go for movies with largely foreign casts unless they're *major* events (think crouching tiger, last emperor, slumdog millionaire)
As a Dutchman I have to say I'm not a big fan of Dutch movies in general, though there are some small projects that I like. Sonny Boy is not a good movie, it's melodramatic and doesn't do the book justice. The only upside is the acting, Dutch actors aren't concerned with looking good while they act and that's really refreshing to see.