Lost in Translation
Hollywood has caught its traditional Oscar fever but, there really is something rotten in the air, with this year's Best Foreign Film nominees selection being some what double dutch. In a stand-out year for international cinema, it's a case of No Oscars for the Right Country. There will be blood indeed...2008's five Foreign Film nominees, The Counterfeiters , 12, Mongol, Katyn, and Beaufort, are fine movies, but none are better than the impressive canon of films that has dominated the festival circuit in the past 12 months.
Palme D'or winner 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days is the most glaring omission, a powerhouse depiction of a nightmarish abortion in Ceausescu's Romania, that towers above the five films nominated.
But, what about The Edge of Heaven, Fatih Akin's bold study of friendship, betrayal and revolution that crosses countries and timelines, Secret Sunshine, about a Korean woman ripped apart after a tragic incident, or The Orphanage, a Mexican ghost story in the Pan's Labyrinth vein, that Sky Movies' Sci-Fi & Horror programmer John Carr called "near perfect"?
The problem could lie with the selection process. Unlike other categories where directors, writers, actors etc create lists of nominations, and the 6,000 Academy members then vote for the winner, the Best Foreign Film nominations are voted for by everyone.
DVD screeners are rarely provided and cinema screenings are likely to be attended by those with plenty of free time, ie. the active retireds, who are unlikely to nominate a Romanian abortion drama over a 12 Angry Men remake (12) or a rousing adventure like Mongol.
Eligibility for even being considered is screwy. Ang Lee's astonishing Lust, Caution, top prize winner at the Venice Film Festival, failed to qualify because not enough crew members were Taiwanese, yet Kazakhstan's Mongol makes the grade despite its Russian director, Japanese cast, and German/Russian financing.
But, this year especially voting members have suffered from festival blindess, ignoring the rave reviews the most acclaimed films have received.
Why this matters is because Joe and Josephine Public regard the Oscars, more than Cannes, Berlin, or Venice, as the final word on the year's best films.
For foreign movies, this can give brilliant films a much need financial shot in the arm.
Sometimes though, countries are their own worst enemies. France's decision to submit Persepolis instead of Golden Globe winning sure-thing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly now seems particularly ill-advised. Persepolis ended up in the Best Animated Feature category, and TDBATB is denied Oscar recognition.
Ultimately, if the Academy can't get it right (and they have acknowledged mistakes were made in this year's selections) throw the vote open to film clubs and critics' circles to select the five nominees. It makes sense in any language.
Rob Daniel
