Oscar's International Race Pt 4 - Returning Directors

by Nathaniel R

In the race for this year's Best International Feature Film, Parasite definitely has the lead but Bong Joon-ho is one of only 20 directors trying again with Oscar after previous submissions in this category. None of them have been nominated before except the LEGEND we'll start with...

THE RETURNING GIANT
Spain's most globally celebrated director, Pedro Almodóvar, is back in contention for the seventh time with Pain and Glory, his 21st feature at the age of 72. This finally makes him Spain's most submitted director of all time...

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Interview: Nadine Labaki on directing children in her riveting Oscar contender "Capernaum"

by Nathaniel R

Nadine Labaki is three-for-three. Lebanon's most prominent filmmaker has seen all three of her films premiere at Cannes to considerable acclaim and go on to represent her country as Oscar submissions. The first two Caramel (2007) and Where Do We Go Now? (2011) became international arthouse hits. Her newest feature Capernaum, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, recently began its platform release in the US and will hopefully see the same warm reception. It's her best shot yet at an Oscar nomination, having made the finals in foreign film. Her Cannes jury prize winner looks at the refugee crisis in Lebanon by focusing on one Syrian boy named Zain (played by Zain Al Rafeea) who is trying to survive on his own. It's a visceral must-see and should elevate Labaki's already healthy reputation as a world class director.

To my surprise, she isn't sure what she's doing next, admitting that this one has been particularly hard to let go of...

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Oscars Foreign Race Pt 2 - Trailers L-Z / Where to see the movies

by Nathaniel R

Today with the release of the official contenders list for Best Foreign Language Film we will be updating the four foreign Oscar charts which you can peruse at your leisure for more info about the films but while we work on that we wanted to share the trailers for each film as well as info on where you can see them (if it's possible to see them that is)

Previously: All the trailers for submissions from Afghanistan through Luxembourg

Ready? Deep breath. Here we go starting from Latvia and on through Vietnam. The remaining 33 films in the 87 film long list. 

LATVIA To Be Continued
Where to see: Unknown

LEBANON Capernaum
Where to see: Opens in US theaters on December 14th

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We have our first 10 contenders for Best Foreign Film

by Nathaniel R

Our first 10 official contenders for Best Foreign Language Film for the Oscars have been revealed. Any of the links will take you to the foreign submission charts where you can read more. They are:

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Trailer for South African Historic Drama "Krotoa"

Robert here! Nothing excites me more than when a movie that is not from one of the juggernaut film producing countries (the US, UK, France, South Korea, etc.) causes a commotion on the international scene. Today we have a trailer for an upcoming South African historic drama Krotoa, which tells the true story of a Khoi woman who became an influential translator during the founding of the Cape Colony. The film has been making waves on the festival circuit, and now we have a trailer. It's below and more info after the jump:

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