OSCAR'S BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE MOTION PICTURE NOMINEES

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FEATURE MOTION PICTURE

“The Broken Circle Breakdown”

Belgium (2012) 
Director:  Felix Van Groeningen
 

"The Great Beauty,” Italy (2013)

 - - original title = La grande bellezza

Director:  Paolo Sorrentino

 

  "The Hunt," Denmark (2012)

 - - original title = Jagten

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

 

“The Missing Picture,” Cambodia (2013) 
- - original title = L'image manquante 
Director: Rithy Panh
 

 "Omar," Palestine (2013)

Director:  Hany Abu-Assad

PROCEDURES OF SELECTION

Academy members from each of the branches vote to determine the nominees in their respective categories – actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc.  In the Animated Feature Film and Foreign Language Film categories, nominees are selected by a vote of multi-branch screening committees.  All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees.

Official screenings of all motion pictures with one or more nominations will begin for members on Saturday, January 25, at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.  Screenings also will be held at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood and in London, New York and the San Francisco Bay Area. Active members of the Academy are eligible to vote for the winners in all categories.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

To view trailers and get more information, visit the Official Oscar Web site:

http://www.oscar.go.com

 We welcome comments, which will be monitored and then published.

Record Number Vie for 2012 Foreign Language Oscar®

A record 71 countries, including first-time entrant Kenya, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Motion Picture category for the 85th Academy Awards®.

The 2012 submissions, with director(s) are:

Afghanistan, The Patience Stone, Atiq Rahimi;
Albania, Pharmakon, Joni Shanaj;
Algeria, Zabana!, Said Ould Khelifa;
Argentina, Clandestine Childhood, Benjamín Ávila;
Armenia, If Only Everyone, Natalia Belyauskene;
*Australia, Lore, Cate Shortland;
*Austria, Amour, Michael Haneke;
Azerbaijan, Buta, Ilgar Najaf;
Bangladesh, Pleasure Boy Komola, Humayun Ahmed;
Belgium, Our Children, Joachim Lafosse;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Children of Sarajevo, Aida Begic;
Brazil, The Clown, Selton Mello;
Bulgaria, Sneakers, Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov;
Cambodia, Lost Loves, Chhay Bora;
*Canada, War Witch, Kim Nguyen;
*Chile, No, Pablo Larraín;
China, Caught in the Web, Chen Kaige;
Colombia, The Snitch Cartel, Carlos Moreno;
Croatia, Vegetarian Cannibal, Branko Schmidt;
Czech Republic, In the Shadow, David Ondrícek;
*Denmark, A Royal Affair, Nikolaj Arcel, director;
Dominican Republic, Jaque Mate, José María Cabral;
Estonia, Mushrooming, Toomas Hussar;
Finland, Purge, Antti J. Jokinen;
*France, The Intouchables, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano;
Georgia, Keep Smiling, Rusudan Chkonia;
Germany, Barbara, Christian Petzold;
Greece, Unfair World, Filippos Tsitos;
Greenland, Inuk, Mike Magidson;
Hong Kong, Life without Principle, Johnnie To;
Hungary, Just the Wind, Bence Fliegauf;
Iceland, The Deep, Baltasar Kormákur;
India, Barfi!, Anurag Basu;
Indonesia, The Dancer, Ifa Isfansyah;
*Israel, Fill the Void, Rama Burshtein;
*Italy, Caesar Must Die, Paolo Taviani and Vittorio Taviani;
Japan, Our Homeland, Yang Yonghi;
Kazakhstan, Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe, Akan Satayev;
Kenya, Nairobi Half Life, David 'Tosh' Gitonga;
Kyrgyzstan, The Empty Home, Nurbek Egen;
Latvia, Gulf Stream under the Iceberg, Yevgeny Pashkevich;
Lithuania, Ramin, Audrius Stonys;
Macedonia, The Third Half, Darko Mitrevski;
Malaysia, Bunohan, Dain Iskandar Said;
Mexico, After Lucia, Michel Franco;
Morocco, Death for Sale, Faouzi Bensaïdi;
Netherlands, Kauwboy, Boudewijn Kooler;
*Norway, Kon-Tiki, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg;
Palestine, When I Saw You, Annemarie Jacir;
Peru, The Bad Intentions, Rosario García-Montero;
Philippines, Bwakaw, Jun Robles Lana;
Poland, 80 Million, Waldemar Krzystek;
*Portugal, Blood of My Blood, João Canijo;
*Romania, Beyond the Hills, Cristian Mungiu;
Russia, White Tiger, Karen Shakhnazarov;
Serbia, When Day Breaks, Goran Paskaljevic;
Singapore, Already Famous, Michelle Chong;
Slovak Republic, Made in Ash, Iveta Grófová;
Slovenia, A Trip, Nejc Gazvoda;
South Africa, Little One, Darrell James Roodt;
South Korea, Pieta, Kim Ki-duk;
*Spain, Blancanieves (Snow White), Pablo Berger;
*Sweden, The Hypnotist, Lasse Hallström;
*Switzerland, Sister, Ursula Meier;
Taiwan, Touch of the Light, Chang Jung-Chi;
Thailand, Headshot, Pen-ek Ratanaruang;
Turkey, Where the Fire Burns, Ismail Gunes;
Ukraine, The Firecrosser, Mykhailo Illienko;
Uruguay, The Delay, Rodrigo Plá;
Venezuela, Rock, Paper, Scissors, Hernán Jabes;
Vietnam, The Scent of Burning Grass, Nguyen Huu Muoi.

*Mimi follows.

The 85th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 10, 2013, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Wilshire Boulevard.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, at The Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: Academy

New Rules for Oscars and Academy Issues Invitations

RULES APPROVED FOR 85TH ACADEMY AWARDS®

The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has approved the rules for the upcoming 85th Academy Awards. The most significant changes affect the Music, Foreign Language Film, Makeup and Visual Effects categories.

In the Music (Original Song) category, the Executive Committee may recommend that a fourth songwriter for an individual song be considered in rare and extraordinary circumstances. This amends the rule that has been in effect since 2005, whereby up to two songwriters could be eligible per song, although a third songwriter could be added if he or she were found to be an essentially equal contributor.

In the Foreign Language Film category, films must be submitted to the Academy in 35mm or DCP*, but are no longer required to be exhibited in those formats in their countries of origin.

The award given in the Makeup category will now be known as the Makeup and Hairstyling Award. Additionally, during the nominations process, all branch members who have seen the seven shortlisted titles will receive ballots to list their top three choices.

In the Visual Effects category, nominees will be selected from a pool of ten films chosen by the Branch Executive Committee by secret ballot. Previously, the committee could put forward as many as ten productions or as few as seven.

Other adjustments to the rules include standard date changes and other "housekeeping" adjustments.

Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy's Board of Governors for approval.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Sunday, February 24, 2013, in the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar® presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

*A Digital Cinema Package (DCP) is a collection of digital files used to store and convey digital cinema (DC) audio, image, and data streams.

Dujardin and Uggie

 ACADEMY INVITES 176 TO MEMBERSHIP

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 176 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitation will be the only additions in 2012 to the Academy’s roster of members.

"These film professionals represent some of the most talented, most passionate contributors to our industry,” said Academy President Tom Sherak. “I’m glad to recognize that by calling each of them a fellow Academy member."

Voting membership in the organization has now held steady at just under 6,000 members since 2003. Some of the 2012 actor invitees are:

Simon Baker – Margin Call, L.A. Confidential;

Bérénice Bejo – The Artist, OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies;

Jessica Chastain – The Help, The Tree of Life;

Jean Dujardin – Les infidèls, The Artist;

Jonah Hill – Moneyball, Superbad;

Ken Howard – J. Edgar, In Her Shoes;

Diego Luna – Milk, Y Tu Mamá También (And Your Mother, Too);

Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids, The Back-Up Plan;

Matthew McConaughey – The Lincoln Lawyer, A Time to Kill;

Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs, Tumbleweeds;

Andy Serkis – The Prestige, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King;

Octavia Spencer – The Help, The Soloist;

Michelle Yeoh – The Lady, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

See list of all new invitees.

But, where is Uggie's name? Fans of Uggie in the silent movie The Artist and Water for Elephants, were outraged when the Jack Russell Terrier didn't get an Oscar nomination last January. Now Uggie's owner tells a magazine that movie was Uggie's last. He is 10 now, and is officially retired. Uggie did win the Palm Chien Prix (Palm Dog Prize) after last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Oscar Nominations for Best Foreign Language and Short Docs

Spain submits Agusti Villaronga's Black Bread for Oscar Consideration

1. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the field of Documentary Short Subject contenders for the 84th Academy Awards has been narrowed to eight films, of which three to five will earn Oscar nominations.

Voters from the Academy’s Documentary Branch viewed this year’s 35 eligible entries and submitted their ballots to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for tabulation. The eight films are listed below in alphabetical order by title:

        The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement;

        God Is the Bigger Elvis;

        In Tahrir Square: 18 Days of Egypt's Unfinished Revolution;

        Incident in New Baghdad;

        Pipe Dreams;

        Saving Face;

        The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom;

        Witness.

2. Sixty-three countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted feature films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. More will be written about some of the submissions, but here's the list in alphabetical order by country with director:

Albania, Amnesty, Bujar Alimani;

Argentina, Aballay, Fernando Spiner;

Austria, Breathing, Karl Markovics;

Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belvedere, Ahmed Imamovic;

Brazil, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, José Padilha;

Bulgaria, Tilt, Viktor Chouchkov, Jr;

Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau;

Chile, Violeta Went to Heaven, Andrés Wood;

*China, The Flowers of War, Zhang Yimou;

Colombia, The Colors of the Mountain, Carlos César Arbeláez;

Croatia, 72 Days, Danilo Serbedzija;

Cuba, Havanastation, Ian Padrón;

Czech Republic, Alois Nebel, Tomás Lunák;

Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen;

Dominican Republic, Love Child, Leticia Tonos;

Egypt, Lust, Khaled el Hagar;

Estonia, Letters to Angel, Sulev Keedus;

Finland, Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki;

France, Declaration of War, Valérie Donzelli;

Georgia, Chantrapas, Otar Iosseliani;

*Germany, Pina, Wim Wenders;

Greece, Attenberg, Athina Rachel Tsangari;

Hong Kong, A Simple Life, Ann Hui;

Hungary, The Turin Horse, Béela Tarr;

Iceland, Volcano, Rúnar Rúnarsson;

India, Abu, Son of Adam, Salim Ahamed;

Indonesia, Under the Protection of Ka'Bah, Hanny R. Saputra;

*Iran, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi;

Ireland, As If I Am Not There, Juanita Wilson;

Israel, Footnote, Joseph Cedar;

Italy, Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese;

Japan, Postcard, Kaneto Shindo;

Kazakhstan, Returning to the ‘A’, Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky;

*Lebanon, Where Do We Go Now? Nadine Labaki;

Lithuania, Back to Your Arms, Kristijonas Vildziunas;

Macedonia, Punk Is Not Dead, Vladimir Blazevski;

Mexico, Miss Bala, Gerardo Naranjo;

Morocco, Omar Killed Me, Roschdy Zem;

Netherlands, Sonny Boy, Maria Peters;

New Zealand, The Orator, Tusi Tamasese;

Norway, Happy, Happy, Anne Sewitsky;

Peru, October, Diego Vega and Daniel Vega;

Philippines, The Woman in the Septic Tank, Marlon N. Rivera;

Poland, In Darkness, Agnieszka Holland;

Portugal, José and Pilar, Miguel Gonçalves Mendes;

Romania, Morgen, Marian Crisan;

Russia, Burnt by the Sun 2: The Citadel, Nikita Mikhalkov***;

Serbia, Montevideo: Taste of a Dream, Dragan Bjelogrlić;

Singapore, Tatsumi, Eric Khoo;

Slovak Republic, Gypsy, Martin Sulík;

South Africa, Beauty, Oliver Hermanus;

South Korea, The Front Line, Jang Hun;

Spain, Black Bread, Agusti Villaronga*;

Sweden, Beyond, Pernilla August;

Switzerland, Summer Games, Rolando Colla;

*Taiwan, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Wei Te-sheng;

Thailand, Kon Khon, Sarunyu Wongkrachang;

*Turkey, Once upon a Time in Anatolia, Nuri Bilge Ceylan;

United Kingdom, Patagonia, Marc Evans;

Uruguay, The Silent House, Gustavo Hernández;

Venezuela, Rumble of the Stones, Alejandro Bellame Palacios;

Vietnam, The Prince and the Pagoda Boy, Luu Trong Ninh.

* Directors Mimi follows.

*** According to the IMBd there is a controversy in Russia about this movie being selected by Russia as the official entry:  "A move is underway in Russia to overhaul the committee that nominates the film to represent the country in the best foreign language competition at the annual Oscar race. It follows widespread controversy over the selection of Nikita Mikhalkov’s Burnt by the Sun: The Citadel, as this year’s entry despite the fact that the film received a drubbing from critics and flopped at the box office. Daily Variety reported today (Monday) that a new union of filmmakers, Kino Soyuz, is lobbying for a transparent nomination process from a committee drawn from the ranks of previous Oscar nominees or winners. Several Russian critics have noted that Mikhalkov has close ties to the country’s power elite and is a close friend of Vladimir Putin. Russia’s Moskovskiye Novosti newspaper described the selection of Citadel for the Oscar competition as a triumph of 'cronyism' over,'common sense'.”

There is a link with this list on the right sidebar of this blog and it will remain there until about October next year. The nomination ballots are now at PwC to be tabulated. The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Tuesday, January 24, 2012, at 5:30 a.m. PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Actress Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone) will assist the Academy President.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

See previous post below for other happenings at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).