Best International Film Reviews: China, India, and Japan

by Cláudio Alves

For many, this year's Best International Film race will forever be remembered with an added asterisk, a reminder that the outcome would have been different had India submitted RRR instead of Last Film Show. This is not a commentary on artistic quality, merely award prognostication. The action blockbuster keeps racking up honors, while the country's official submission remains under-discussed. If neither succeeds, it will continue a sad Oscar trend. As one of the world's leading film industries, it's notable how little India has factored in these awards' history, indicating AMPAS' biases as well as India's own sometimes surprising submission choices.

While considering India's fate, let's also peruse the titles selected by Asia's other major film-producing nations… 

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India and Iceland choose their Oscar horses, but not the ones you'd think

by Nathaniel R

India and Iceland have selected their Oscar submissions choosing Last Film Show and Beautiful Beings respectively. Neither title was the highest profile option. India had a much-loved crossover hit in the US this year with RRR (now streaming on Netflix) which brought Bollywood spectacle and ridiculous (in a fun way) action exuberance to the big screen. It grossed nearly $12 million in the US which is more than some English language Oscar winning pictures recenty! India's last nomination was way back in 2001 with Lagaan which, like RRR, was a very mainstream epic with musical numbers...

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Best International Film: China, India, Indonesia

by Cláudio Alves

This journey through the Best International Film Oscar submissions has taken us to Europe and Latin America thus far, leaving some continents sorely underrepresented. In hopes of remedying that, this entry shall focus exclusively on Asian contenders. They are the latest work from a respected auteur who has represented China seven times before. From India, an award-winning feature debut shot on a tiny budget and severe minimalism. Finally, Indonesia brings us a beautiful character study in a hundred shades of purple…

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Satyajit Ray on Criterion

by Cláudio Alves

Better late than never, I suppose. This month - May 2nd, to be precise - was the centennial of Bengali director Satyajit Ray. While this piece was supposed to be ready then, many factors contributed to its delay. One of which was how intimidating the legacy of this master of cinema is. In any case, before June dawns on us, let's celebrate the great Satyajit Ray and the outstanding collection the Criterion Channel curated for the occasion. Right now, you can find 17 of the director's features plus a 1984 documentary about his work streaming on the platform. For any cinephile with access to the Criterion Channel, this is a treasure trove that shouldn't be missed or ignored…

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Best International Feature: China, India, Japan

by Cláudio Alves

The cultural hegemony of Hollywood can make it seem as if the American film industry were the biggest in the world. However, some nations produce even more cinema than the US, and, annually, there's a much greater number of non-English-speaking features than Anglophonic ones. Since the Oscars tend to relegate such films to the Best International Feature category, it's possible to get a skewed view of the global realities of movie-making from them. In truth, the Academy's very local in its choices. With that in mind, let's explore the submissions of three countries whose industries are as robust as America's…

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