Want a sign that this year’s Oscar season is really starting earlier than previous years? For the past two seasons, the first country to choose their submission for Foreign Language Film, now known as the International Film Oscar, didn’t occur until August. This season it took place shockingly early, July 9. Algeria turned out to be the lucky country selecting first with the Cannes drama “Papicha.”
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The directorial debut of Mounia Meddour, “Papicha” screened in Un Certain Regard and notably featured an all-female production team. Set in the 1990s, the film centers on four young Algerian students who are trying to put on a fashion show during a period of terrorism in the country. The film was a co-production of Algeria and France but qualifies as Algeria’s submission.
Algeria has had five submissions including Costa-Gavras’ “Z” which won in 1970. Other nominees include Ettore Scola’s “Le bal” (1984), Rachid Bouchareb’s “Dust of Life” (1996), Rachid Bouchareb’s “Days of Glory” (2007) and, most recently, Bouchareb’s “Outside the Law” in 2011.
This year’s International Film race already appears to be a showdown between Palme d’Or winner Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory.” There is also the question of which Cannes prize-winner, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” or “Les Miserables,” will represent France. Brazil also needs to chose between two Cannes premieres, “The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão” and “Bacurau.” Romania will pick “The Whistlers,” it’s assumed that Senegal will select “Atlantics” and Belgium will likely choose the Dardennes’ “Young Ahmed.” Most other nations choices are still up in the air.
All participating nations must submit their selection to the Academy no later than October 1.
Editor-at-Large Gregory Ellwood is one of the entertainment industry's most respected journalists and critics. Based in Los Angeles, he's the only current awards expert who previously worked on Oscar campaigns at a major movie studio. Over the years, he has written for the LA Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Vox, among others. He also co-founded the entertainment news site HitFix, which spawned a legion of influential Emmy and WGA Award-winning alumni.
