(MENAFN- Arab Times) Switzerland's Federal Office of Culture (OFC) has confirmed 3D documentary "Iraqi Odyssey" as the country's official foreign-language Oscar entry.
The film tells the story of director Samir's globalized middle-class Iraqi family, who live in New Zealand, Russia, France, the UK and Buffalo, New York. Samir himself was born in Baghdad but grew up in Switzerland.
The selection of the film at the Swiss Oscar entry was announced in the city of Delemont, which will support the promotion of "Iraqi Odyssey" in Los Angeles. A statement from the OFC called the film "a unique insight into a country marked by war and caricatured by stereotypes in the media".
"Iraqi Odyssey", which is a co-production between Switzerland, Germany and UAE, received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2014. Autlook Filmsales is handling worldwide sales.
The five films nominated for the foreign-language film Oscar will be revealed on Jan 14. The Oscar awards ceremony will take place on Feb 28.
Kazakhstan and Croatia have added their entries for this year's foreign-language film Oscar. Yermek Tursunov's "Stranger" will represent Kazakhstan, while Dalibor Matanic's "The High Sun" will represent Croatia.
"Stranger", which receives its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, marks the third time Tursunov has represented Kazakhstan in the foreign-language Oscar race following 2009's "Kelin" and 2012's "Old Man". "Stranger" is the director's sixth feature.
The film continues Tursunov's exploration of Kazakh nomads, telling the story of Ilyas, a young man who survived the famine of the '30s, Stalinist deportation and WWII by retreating in a cave to live off the land, but finds himself battling society in a bid to retain his freedom. "Stranger" was produced by Kanat Torebay for Tursunov Film.
"The High Sun" saw its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May in Un Certain Regard, where it was awarded the Jury Prize. The drama tells three different love stories, set in three consecutive decades in two neighboring Balkan villages, burdened with a long-history of inter-ethnic hatred.
The film was produced by Kinorama in co-production with Slovenia's Gustav Film and in association with Serbia's SEE Film Pro. It was selected as Croatia's Oscar entry by a committee of 15 members of the Croatian Society of Film Workers, selecting from amongst seven films.
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LOS ANGELES: Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs on Thursday praised the passion of the board members in choosing the three honorees for Governors Awards.
The board had been given suggestions made by Academy members before they convened Aug 25. Boone Isaacs said there is "a lot of good conversation" as various names are discussed. "It's one of the most fun meetings of the year," she said. "We're a group of filmmakers and creatives and many board members have worked with the people under consideration. People nominate their favorites, and their passion about that person is exciting. Sometimes they offer an anecdote or story that really personalizes it."
She described the three recipients - Spike Lee, Debbie Reynolds and Gena Rowlands - as "a very interesting group." Lee was cited "because of the impact he has had. When I first saw 'She's Gotta Have It,' I had never seen anything like that before." She saluted him for being "such an advocate of the indie world and someone who has always stayed true to himself."
Rowlands "is another one who has made a big difference in independent filmmaking. She's so unique in her look and style." Boone Isaacs described her as an icon, and said the same of the third honoree. "No matter where you are in the world, if you say the name 'Debbie Reynolds,' everyone knows who she is. And she has spent so much of her time helping those who are less fortunate. There are so many creatives who give back and it's important to recognize their work."
In the past, the Acad has made some out-of-the-box choices, such as Kevin Brownlow and Piero Tosi, but this group of one filmmaker and two actresses are all more well-known Americans.
As in every other year, there was some second-guessing. Some Oscar pundits were surprised that the 58 year-old Lee is a relative newcomer - he's been making films for "only" 29 years. That's short, compared to the two actresses, who have been in the public eye for more than 50 years.
When Variety offered a dozen proposals last week, readers responded enthusiastically with their own choices, with Doris Day getting several endorsements. Other names mentioned by readers included James Ivory, Martin Scorsese (for his contributions to film preservation) and Laurence Fishburne, who's been notable in films since his big screen debut with the 1975 "Cornbread, Earl and Me."
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