As a gamer who has spent countless hours navigating the labyrinthine world of cinema, I can confidently say that predicting France’s Oscar submission is like trying to foretell the outcome of a high-stakes game of chess – unpredictable and nerve-wracking. With a rich history of cinematic excellence, France has always been a powerhouse in the international film scene, but their cold streak in the Best International Feature category over the past decade has left many cinephiles scratching their heads.
The 97th Academy Awards are fast approaching, but various nations have already sent their films for contention in the Best International Feature Film category well in advance. Each country can only enter one film for consideration in this category. Notably, films like “RRR” and “Anatomy of a Fall” have demonstrated that even if they aren’t a nation’s International Feature submission, they can still excel in other Oscar categories. Some of the countries that have already submitted their entries include Ireland with “Kneecap”, Palestine with “From Ground Zero”, and Latvia with the animated film “Flow”. While France has not yet revealed its sole submission, it was recently announced that four films are the finalists for this honor in France.
Among the four films vying for the prestigious honor are Jacques Audiard’s acclaimed Cannes 2024 entry “Emilia Perez“, the adventure film “The Count of Monte Cristo“, “Misericordia“, and another Cannes 2024 favorite, “All We Imagine as Light.” It’s challenging to predict which one will be hailed as France’s Oscar contender. Given their current high-profile statuses, “Perez ” and “Light” seem the most likely choices due to Audiard’s reputation in French cinema. However, France’s submission board has a history of making unexpected decisions, like selecting “The Taste of Things ” over “Anatomy of a Fall” last year.
Regardless of which film is selected, everyone will be watching closely to determine if it can break France’s prolonged slump in the Best International Feature Film category. For six out of the first seven years this award was given, France either won or received a significant nomination. The country was a regular at the Oscars throughout the 1960s, 70s, and 80s as well. However, since Audiard’s film “A Prophet” garnered a Best International Feature nomination at the 82nd Academy Awards, France’s hold over this category has weakened. Over the past 14 Oscar ceremonies, French cinema has only been nominated for this award twice.
At the 90th and 92nd Oscars, French films such as “Anatomy of a Fall” for Best Picture/Best Director, “Faces Places” for Best Documentary Feature, and “I Lost My Body” for Best Animated Feature Film, have made a significant impact, preventing France from being completely overlooked in recent Oscar history. On the other hand, countries like Poland, Lebanon, and Norway have become dominant forces in the Best International Feature Film category in more contemporary times.
Last year, France announced that “The Taste of Things” would represent them in the Best International Feature Film category on September 21. This suggests we won’t have to wait long to find out which film will be their next submission for this category. At the moment, I think “Emilia Perez” has a good chance of being selected, but with the unpredictability of 2024, there’s a possibility that France might submit the “Monte Cristo” movie instead.
It’s clear that the Oscar journey for either Perez or Light (or possibly both) won’t end if they don’t make it with the French submission for this category. Netflix has positioned Perez as one of its major award season contenders, and a nomination in the Best International Feature category is just one of many awards they are aiming for. On the other hand, All We Imagine as Light is being distributed by Janus Films and Sideshow Releasing in the US, the same studio that managed to secure four Oscar nods for Drive My Car three years ago, including Best Picture and Best Director. Interestingly, Light is scheduled for domestic release in a mid-November slot similar to Drive My Car’s Thanksgiving 2021 launchpad. Therefore, whether or not these two films are submitted for the Best International Feature category on behalf of France is only one aspect of their broader award season strategy.
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2024-09-13 00:14