Gautam Anand
The first shortlist of nine movies was announced today by the Academy. While names like ‘Son of Saul’ and ‘Mustang’ were expected, there were a few names like ‘Theeb’, and ‘A War’ that appeared on the list out of nowhere.India’s entry ‘Court’ also couldn’t make the list, in spite of being a brilliant film. And as I have always maintained, it is not just the quality that matters in the Oscar race; a proper campaigning is equally important. Anyway, it’s a foregone conclusion now that ‘Son of Saul’ is going to win the Best Foreign Language Oscar; it is just a matter of finding out what the other four nominees are going to be. Below is the full list:
Belgium, ‘The Brand New Testament’
Colombia, ‘Embrace of the Serpent’
Denmark, ‘A War’
Finland, ‘The Fencer’
France, ‘Mustang’
Germany, ‘Labyrinth of Lies’
Hungary, ‘Son of Saul’
Ireland, ‘Viva’
Jordan, ‘Theeb’
