France may just want to win the International Oscar for the first time since 1993. The nation’s selection committee for the 97th Academy Awards selected Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” as its submission. A not unexpected pick based on the film’s Cannes reception and Netflix’s acquisition following the festival.

READ MORE: Contender Countdown: An Unsettled Best Picture Race Rolls Along

A movie musical set almost entirely in Mexico, performed in Spanish and featuring a non-French cast including Cannes Best Actress winners Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz, might not seem like the optimal French selection at first.

Continue reading ‘Emilia Perez’ Makes The Cut As France’s International Oscar Submission at The Playlist.

It may not have taken the Palme d’Or, but Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” is now a part of Oscar history. The A24 release won the International Film Oscar at the 96th Academy Awards, becoming the first submission from the United Kingdom to take the honor. “Zone” was also The Playlist’s top film of 2023.

READ MORE: “The Zone of Interest” Review: Jonathan Glazer’s often brilliant examination of human complicity [Cannes]

A stark and horrifying depiction of the lives of Auschwitz camp commander Rudolf Höss and his family, “Zone” also earned Best Picture, Best Director (Glazer), Best Adapted Screenplay (Glazer), and Best Sound nominations.

Continue reading ‘The Zone of Interest’ Wins The 2024 International Film Oscar at The Playlist.

J.A. Bayona and his producing partners spent years attempting to finance “Society of the Snow.” Despite his track record, no one, no studio, no production company from his native Spain wanted to back it. And, the story of the 45 passengers on that ill-fated 1972 flight from Uruguay to Chile has become a little engine that could. A surprise success story even for Netflix, who eventually financed it. “Society” is not only in the running to win an International Film and Sound category Academy Award, but is a massive hit on the streaming service across the globe.

Continue reading J.A. Bayona Reflects On Young People Embracing The Netflix Blockbuster ‘Society of the Snow’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

Perhaps the French selection committee knows something we don’t, but they turned the race or the International Film Oscar on its head today. Instead of selecting Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner, “Anatomy of a Fall,” a likely Best Picture nominee, the group picked Tran Anh Hung’s sublime but terribly re-titled “The Taste of Things” (still known as “The Pot-au-Feu” in the rest of the world) instead.

Continue reading France Surprises Selecting ‘The Taste Of Things’ Over ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’ For Oscars at The Playlist.

The last eight months have been pretty remarkable for Lukas Dhont. After bursting on the global film scene with “Girl” in 2018, the Belgian filmmaker returned to the Cannes Film Festival with his sophomore effort, “Close.” That heartbreaking drama won the Grand Prix (effectively coming in second) and was quickly scooped up by A24. After causing AMPAS members at the Telluride Film Festival to sob, “Close” won numerous festival honors around the globe, took the NBR Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and landed five European Film Award nominations.

Continue reading ‘Close’: Lukas Dhont On Why You Should See His Oscar-Nominated Film This Weekend [Interview] at The Playlist.

In a year where most consultants felt there was little competition for the 15 film shortlist, well, there wasn’t. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the remaining International Film contenders and it was somewhat predictable. Cannes winners “Close,” “Corsage,” “Decision to Leave,” “Holy Spider,” “EO” and “Joyland” all made the cut.

READ MORE: “Triangle of Sadness” wins the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival

Netflix’s two contenders, “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) and the polarizing “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Mexico), each made the list.

Continue reading ‘Close,’ ‘Bardo,’ ‘Decision To Leave’ Make International Film Shortlist at The Playlist.

It may only be August 2nd, but we already have our first official submission for the 2023 Academy Awards. The Irish Film & Television Academy revealed today that “The Quiet Girl (An Cailín Ciúin)” will represent the island nation in the International Film Oscar race. Colm Bairéad’s feature directorial debut won seven 2022 Irish Academy Awards including Best Film.

READ MORE: Did the 2023 Oscars kick-off at Cannes?

Continue reading Ireland’s ‘The Quiet Girl’ First Film Submitted For 2023 International Film Oscar at The Playlist.

Joachim Trier is having a good day. The excitement is almost pouring through the phone. And, who can blame him? Trier has just earned his first two Oscar nominations for his celebrated romantic drama “The Worst Person in the World.”

READ MORE: 2022 Oscar Nominations [Complete List]

“We are thrilled. I’m here with Eskil and the team and the actors, and we were watching the announcements with fingers crossed, waiting for the international category, and then suddenly Oscar struck us with the wonderful news of a nomination for best original screenplay.”

“Worst Person,” which this writer chose as the best film of 2021, has earned accolades since it debuted at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival and star Renate Reinsve took the Best Actress prize.

Continue reading Joachim Trier On “Very Touching” ‘Worst Person In The World’ Oscar noms at The Playlist.

If you want to get in the International Film Oscar race get your ass to the Cannes Film Festival. This year, eight titles that made the 15 films cut debuted on la Croisette including Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s NYFCC and LAFCA Best Film winner, “Drive My Car.” This year’s Palme d’Or winner and the French submission, “Titane,” was snubbed.

Continue reading ‘Drive My Car,’ ‘Flee,’ ‘A Hero’ Make Oscars 2022 International Film Shortlist at The Playlist.

After Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” debuted at the 2021 Venice Film Festival, media and attendees were buzzing about the film’s star, newcommer Filippo Scotti. The 21-year-old actor portrays Sorrentino at a crucial moment in the filmmaker’s life and has a natural charisma that had many referring to him as the “Italian Timothée Chalamet.” Speaking partially through a translator last month, Scotti appreciates the sentiment but is hoping the world takes him on his own merits.

Continue reading Filippo Scotti Doesn’t Want To Be Your Italian Timothée Chalamet [Interview] at The Playlist.

Well, there are always going to be snubs when it comes to the International Film Oscar race and the first two casualties were Julia Docournau’s “Titane” and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” as neither film made the shortlist cut. The latter was expected, but the former? Many thought it would at least make the shortlist. Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi‘s “Drive My Car,” Paolo Sorrentino‘s “The Hand of God,”
Jonas Poher Rasmussen‘s “Flee,” Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World,” all made the list of 15 contenders, but not all of them will be among the final five nominees.

Continue reading International Film Oscars 2022 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

If you’re searching for a filmmaker who has seen every part of the industry for over forty years, look no further than Agnieszka Holland. She shot films and TV movies in her native Poland during the Cold War. She directed a classic Oscar-nominated drama, “Europa Europa.” She worked on studio films in the ’90s and ’00s (including Leonardo DiCaprio‘s one gay role, “Total Eclipse“).

Continue reading Agnieszka Holland On Her “Urine” Oscar Movie ‘Charlatan,’ ‘The Wire’ & More [Podcast] at The Playlist.

You may not recognize her name, but actress Barbara Sukowa has pretty much seen it all over her long career. She was the muse of acclaimed filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder and has worked with directors such as David Cronenberg, Lars von Trier, Sebastián Lelio, and Agnieszka Holland. She won Best Actress at both the Cannes and Venice Film Festivals. She’s starred in German films, American Indies, Hollywood blockbusters, and cable television series.

Continue reading ‘Two Of Us’ Star Barbara Sukowa: “Life Doesn’t Stop When The Beauty Is Gone” [Interview] at The Playlist.

There is a long list of films that were turned down by one major film festival only to have a breakout moment at another. For example, Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood” ended up going to Sundance after Cannes passed and Lena Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” went to SXSW after Sundance passed. Fast forward to 2021 and Mexico’s submission for the International Film Oscar, Fernando Frias de la Parra‘s “I’m No Longer Here” (“Ya no Estoy aquí”), has overcome an even less prestigious rollout.

Continue reading Fernando Frias Is Too Classy To Reveal The Film Festivals That Passed On ‘I’m No Longer Here’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

It will come as a surprise to many reading this, but the Nazis were not the only perpetrators of genocide on the European continent in the 20th Century. During the Bosnian War (1992-1995) there was an ethnic cleansing campaign by the Bosnian Serb Army. Their largest single atrocity occurred toward the end of the conflict in an event referred to now as the Srebrenica Massacre. An event where over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were brutally killed.

Continue reading Jasmila Žbanić Revisits The Already Forgotten Horrors Of The Bosnian War In ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ [Interview] at The Playlist.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 15 shortlisted films for the International Film Oscar and despite the lack of screenings and in-person events, it’s a worthy list that should satisfy any cinephile. Among the 93 submissions, acclaimed films such as Thomas Vinterberg’s “Another Round” (Denmark), Jayro Bustamante’s “La Llorona” (Guatemala), and Philippe Lacôte’s “Night of Kings” (Ivory Coast) all made the cut. In fact, the voting membership showed much-needed diversity by nominating at least two films from every continent outside of South America which landed one shortlisted contender and Australia.

Continue reading ‘Another Round,’ ‘Two of Us’ Among 15 Shortlisted For International Film Oscar at The Playlist.

Usually, the twists and turns during awards season are prompted by scandals, public relations goofs, or films that simply didn’t play as expected. This year, the ongoing pandemic has created changes in the process itself that continue to surprise longtime observers. The latest was the revelation last week that the International Film Oscar’s shortlist, a crucial part of paring down the usual 90+ submissions to an eventual five nominees, was being severely tinkered with.

READ MORE: Oscars move to April 2021 due to coronavirus pandemic

Since 2008, the International Film committee has helped determine the 9-10 films on the shortlist beyond the traditional voting process.

Continue reading International Film Race Gets Thrown A Curve With Shortlist Expansion at The Playlist.

After a landmark Academy Awards where “Parasite” became the first film not in the English language to win Best Picture, the International Film category is at a pandemic induced crossroads. With film festivals forced to mostly adjust to virtual screenings and major bellwethers such as Cannes and Telluride scuttled, the Oscars are looking at the most wide-open race in at least a decade. And that’s not just talking about the eventual five nominated films, but the 10 selections on the ever-important shortlist.

Continue reading Oscars 2021: International Film Contenders & Predictions at The Playlist.

If you look at Metacritic’s top-rated films of 2020, you may be surprised at the no. 2 ranked film of the year. Sure, Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland” has a firm hold at the no. 1 spot, but tied with Steve McQueen’s “Lovers Rock” (which should be under Television, which it was created for, but whatever) is Alexander Nanau’s “Collective.” A documentary so powerful that Romania selected it as its International Film submission for the 2021 Academy Awards.

Continue reading ‘Collective’ Exclusive Clip Chronicles Discovery Of Massive Corruption at The Playlist.

Want a sign that this year’s Oscar season is really starting earlier than previous years? For the past two seasons, the first country to choose their submission for Foreign Language Film, now known as the International Film Oscar, didn’t occur until August. This season it took place shockingly early, July 9. Algeria turned out to be the lucky country selecting first with the Cannes drama “Papicha.”

READ MORE: Cannes gets an Oscar jolt from “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” “Parasite” and Banderas

The directorial debut of Mounia Meddour, “Papicha” screened in Un Certain Regard and notably featured an all-female production team.

Continue reading Algeria Becomes First Nation To Select International Oscar Submission: ‘Papicha’ at The Playlist.