"Incitement" will represent Israel at the Oscars while Thailand sends a horror film.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019 at 8:00AM 
IncitementWe are now up to 73 films competing for those coveted 5 nominations in Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. Submissions are due to the Academy at the end of the month. Israel's Ophir Awards were held over the weekend with Incitement taking Best Picture, making it their submission. The film tracks the year leading up to the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin from the point of the view of the assassin. Curiously the film only one two Ophir Awards, the other being Best Casting. The acting prizes largely went to Peaches and Cream and the craft prizes largely went to The Unorthodox but neither could muster up the support to take the top prize. The two Israeli pictures of 2019 with the arguably highest US profiles, festival hit Synonyms (at NYFF next) and currently in release Tel Aviv on Fire (nearing half a million at US arthouses) took Cinematography and Screenplay respectively. You can see all the winners here on the updated nominations post.
Other updates? Argentina is sending the pleasant heist comedy Heroic Losers starring their ubiquitous top film actor Ricardo Darín (The Secret in Their Eyes, Wild Tales) and his son Chino Darín (El Angel, A Twelve-Year Night), neither a stranger to headlining Oscar submissions. We saw that one at TIFF and it could make the finalist list if Oscar voters are in the mood for charming 'light' entertainment.
But the real curveball, and there's always one or two true oddities in the submission list, is Thailand's choice of the horror film Inhuman Kiss (starring Oabnithi Wiwattanawrang and Phantira Pipityakorn) which is about a girl whose head detaches from her body to hunt human flesh. Has there ever been a purer form of Oscar bait? Kidding but... wow. Want to see.
Reader Comments (12)
“Why didn’t I think of that?” — Guillermo del Toro, upon seeing the above Inhuman Kiss image (probably)
Inhuman Kiss sounds inspired by stories about the Krasue. I'm very very interested.
That still from Inhuman Kiss is fascinating. No idea if this movie is any good, but kudos for being so different!
The Thai film is out on Netflix.
I plan to watch it today.
Also Joy and Dear Ex.
Gully Boy is on Amazon.
Any other films already steaming online?
Sign my ass up for Inhuman Kiss!
Interesting enough, Tel Aviv on Fire will represent... Luxemburg at the Oscars.
^I know. That seems suspect, right? The director is Palestinian and lives in the States. The cast is Palestinian. The producers are Luxembourgish (and maybe some of the crew... hard to tell). I wonder if it will be ruled ineligible.
Zizo & Evan -- the reasoning I'm hearing is that the crew was mostly from Luxembourg. But yes, it seems like the movie might not be deemed sufficiently 'from that country' with the cast and producers and director all from Palestine.
I read somewhere that the argentinin film is an adaptation from a novel of the same author of Oscar winner The Secret of their eyes.
In other news, few days ago, the Paraguayan comittee decided to not submit any films this year. (even to the Goyas nd Ariels). Three films were in contention (a doc, a romantic comedy and a horror film) but none got the enough votes to qualify.
I’ve seen Heroic Losers and if it’s by the same author as their 2009 winner, it plays completely differently. It’s easy watching, quite formulaic, and borderline silly. Reminded me of Ocean’s 11 but with a rag-tag crew instead of Clooney, Pitt, et. al. I suspect it will be snubbed.
The ones not yet mentioned:
Russia chose "Beanpole" - won Fipresci and best director of Un Certain Regard in Cannes.
Hong Kong chose "White Storm 2 - drug lords"
Vietnam went with "Furie"
Iceland with "White, white day"
Uzbekistan with "Hot bread"
Thailand's film's full name is "Krasue: Inhuman kiss"
Armenia "Lengthy night"
Rod - I've been trying to catalog this as well. Right now I have:
Austria's Joy, Taiwan's Dear Ex, Thailand's Inhuman Kiss, and Vietnam's Furie are all on Netflix.
Cuba's The Translator and India's Gully Boy are on Amazon.
So Cuba and Vietnam seem to be the only two you hadn't mentioned.