Serbia misses out on the Oscars again

Despite the promotional efforts last week in Los Angeles by the creators and cast of the film “The Russian Consul”, who had hoped that Miroslav Lekić’s movie would make it onto the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, their hopes have been dashed.

Serbia’s candidate for the award, “The Russian Consul” by Miroslav Lekić, failed to secure a spot in the shortlist of 15 best international films. Additionally, none of the films from the former Yugoslav region made it to the shortlist. Out of 85 films submitted worldwide for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, the shortlist includes titles from Brazil, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Norway, Palestine, Senegal, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Leading the list is Brazil’s “I’m Still Here,” followed by Canada’s “Universal Language,” the Czech entry “Waves,” and the film that recently dominated the European Film Awards, “Emilia Perez” by Jacques Audiard. This French contender premiered at the Auteur Film Festival in Belgrade and is joined by another entry from the recently concluded 30th FAF (Festival of Auteur Film), Norway’s “Armand.”

Another FAF film, “Santos,” is the United Kingdom’s nominee, while other shortlisted titles include “Flow” (Latvia’s submission), “The Girl with a Needle” (premiered this summer at the Palić European Film Festival), “Kneecap” (Ireland), “Touch” (Iceland), “From Ground Zero” (Palestine), and “How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies” (Thailand).

The German candidate, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” by Mohammad Rasoulof, which earned a special recognition at Cannes and was also screened at the FAF, made the shortlist. Italy’s entry “Vermiglio,” which Belgrade audiences saw at the 2nd Italian Film Days, also earned a spot, alongside Senegal’s “Dahomey,” the Berlinale winner.

(Nova, 18.12.2024)

https://nova.rs/kultura/ruski-konzul-ispao-iz-trke-za-oskara-za-najboji-strani-film/