5 Days 'til Nominations: FOREIGN FILM FINALISTS
Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 1:45PM Actually 5 days and 19ish hours but who is counting?
Gael García Bernal in "Even the Rain"
Today's Topic: Foreign Films
One has to wonder why Oscar has a finalist round that's only announced one week before the nominations. Like the visual effects nominations finalists, which get narrowed down to practically the shortlist before the official announcement, it seems unneccessarily sadistic like "omg you're going to be nominated. NOPE!" But for now 9 countries remain from the original 65*. They are....
- ALGERIA (Outside the Law) prev record: 4 nominations, 1 win.
- CANADA (Incendies) prev record: 4 nominations, 1 win.
- DENMARK (In a Better World) prev record: 7 nominations, 2 wins
- GREECE (Dogtooth) prev record: 5 nominations. Greece has yet to win.
- JAPAN (Confessions) prev record: 12 nominations, 1 win. Japan won Honorary Oscars before the category became a regular institution.
- MEXICO (Biutiful) prev record: 7 nominations. Mexico has yet to win.
- SOUTH AFRICA (Life Above All) prev record: 2 nominations, 1 win.
- SPAIN (Even the Rain) prev record: 19 nominations, 4 wins.
- SWEDEN (Simple Simon) prev record: 14 nominations, 3 wins.
So, no country will get to be a first time nominee this year.
Ulrich Thomsen and screen son in Golden Globe winner "In a Better World"
Star Power. Spaniard Javier Bardem and Mexican Gael Garcia Bernal (who have flip-flopped countries here) are both regular fixtures in this category, frequently starring in submissions and on Hollywood's red carpet. Danish star Ulrich Thomsen, is less globally famous, but he's a very familiar face in movies subtitled and otherwise.
TRAILERS TO ALL FINALISTS AND MORE INFO