This time five films have been shortlisted and nominated for the final round in the Best International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards, among which there will be competition now. These films include ‘Close’ by Lucas Dhont of Belgium, ‘Eo’ by Jerzy Skolimowski of Poland, ‘The Quiet Girl’ by Com Bairid of Ireland, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Germany’s Eduard Berger and ‘Argentina 1985.’ by Santiago Mitre of Argentina.
The 95th Oscar Awards will be presented on the evening of March 12, 2023, at the grand Dolby Theater in the city of Los Angeles, USA (where the film industry is also called Hollywood). The pleasant surprise is this that as always the Official Selection of the prestigious 75th Cannes Film Festival has received a total of 21 nominations in 16 categories. It includes many categories from Best International Film to the main competition categories. Not only this, but in this category, the official films sent to Oscars from fifty countries are also the films that have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The Cannes Film Festival continues to dominate the commercial and art film industry.
The most interesting and surprising film among these five films nominated in the category of Best International Feature Film is ‘EO’ of Poland’s Jerzy Skolimowski whose heroes are not humans but four donkeys (donkeys) who fight the brute cruelty of man and ultimately win. These donkeys search for the meaning of life while roaming in the world of humans in their own way. The skill with which the director has worked on the story and cinematography is commendable. This film has also been awarded the Jury Prize at the 75th Cannes Film Festival (2022). Director Georgy Skolimovsky has dedicated all his awards to these four donkeys.
Belgium’s Lucas Dhont’s film ‘Close’ is a story of intense friendship, separation and memories of two twelve-thirteen-year-olds Levo and Remy, which takes us far into their own world of children. The psychology of children has been discussed very deeply. In this film, after the untimely death of one friend, the other friend suffers from a terrible sense of guilt and its mystery slowly unravels. The film has received the ‘Grand Prix’, the second most important award of the Cannes Film Festival (2022).
Ireland’s Com Bairdid’s ‘The Quiet Girl’ is based on Claire Keegan’s bestselling novel ‘Foster’ in which Kate, a quiet and reticent nine-year-old girl, experiences the world in her own way. When her mother gets pregnant for the second time, in the summer of 1981, she is sent away from home to live with a distant relative. There he gets the pleasant feeling of something like home for the first time. His cousins and sisters lovingly teach him to take care of the house and the fields. The film is the story of a girl child’s inner struggle amid fierce discord and neglect in a dysfunctional family. The film has already established box office success records in Ireland.
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ by Germany’s Eduard Burger is the true self-confessions of a German soldier in World War I. The film is based on Erich Maria Remarque’s world-famous novel of the same name published in 1929, which was banned during Hitler’s time and was torched in the streets by the Nazi army. The film’s protagonist Paul describes the misdirection of German soldiers in battle after the end of World War I. The heart-wrenching story and narrative throw light on the futility of war.
‘Argentina 1985’ by Argentine Santiago Mitre is based on the true events of the history when the last military dictatorship brutally massacred the civilians between 1976-1983. In 1985, two years after the end of the military dictatorship, Julio César Strassera, a simple and unskilled young lawyer, and his inexperienced legal team brought the military dictators to justice. The film won the Fipreschi Award at the 79th Venice International Film Festival last year and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film on January 10.
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Nominated this time in the Best International Feature Film category at the 95th Academy Awards, all five films have already been awarded, acclaimed and box office superhits across the world for their powerful screenplays, untouched real-life themes and amazing cinematic aesthetics.
(Ajit Rai)
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