I have been keeping track of all the submissions for Foreign Language Oscar as they have been announced and updating the list in my “The Contenders” section and just recently two heavyweights were thrown into the ring as Sweden submitted Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments, a film In Contention‘s Guy Lodge believes the Academy would have a hard time ignoring citing a Screen International review saying:
Discreet, old fashioned, traditional and altogether admirable, this is Jan Troell in what he does best … Paying minute attention to the smallest details, taking its time but never appearing to drag its feet, immensely sympathetic to its heroes and villains alike, this is an intimate family portrait and at the same time a rich canvas of working class life … This picture has quality stamped all over it, awards are likely to come its way whether for direction, photography or the performances of Maria Heiskanen and Mikael Persbrandt.
Meanwhile last year’s winning country, Austria, which won for the German-language film The Counterfeiters a film that you really must see (my Blu-ray review right here), once again added another German-language entry to the mix Tuesday, submitting Revanche, Gotz Spielmann’s unconventional story of guilt and revenge.
As The Hollywood Reporter points out, Revanche is a festival favorite and won top honors from both the Label of European Cinemas and the International Confederation of Art Cinemas in Berlin this year.
To be considered for the 2009 Academy Awards, a movie must be released in the submitting country between Oct. 1, 2007, and Sept. 30, 2008, and be publicly screened in a commercial theater for at least seven days. The film must also be predominantly in a language other than English. The Academy considers one pic per country.
Submissions must be received at the Academy by Oct. 1. For a look at all of the films submitted so far (14) you can check out the complete and updating list right here as well as get information on all the upcoming Oscar contenders right here.
