It’s that time of year again, and film fans around the world are giddy with excitement for the award season.
First up is the 2011 Golden Globes Awards, hosted by comedian Ricky Gervais. On Sunday, January 16th, Gervais and Co. will deliver numerous accolades to deserving nominees in categories such as Best Performance and Best Motion Picture, amongst others.
At Cinema Without Borders, we are eagerly anticipating the hotly contested Best Foreign Language Film Award. International Film Fans understand the magnitude of the outcome, as the winner will garner unprecedented attention and a prestigious title.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association received submissions from 65 countries. The top nine films were chosen before the list was finally brought down to the top five. Here’s a look at the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film in this year’s 68th annual edition of the Golden Globes.
Biutiful (Mexico, Spain)
Biutiful tells the story of Uxbal(Javier Bardem), a troubled man and single father, struggling against unfortunate fate on his road to redemption. Biutiful brings a heavy dose of reality in this story of survival in Barcelona. The film is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (Babel, 2006), and this is his first Spanish language film since his debut feature, Amores perros.
The Concert (France)
The Concert is brought to us by Romanian-born French film director and screenwriter Radu Mihaileanu. The film tells the story of Andrei Filipov (Aleksei Guskov), a once-renowned Soviet conductor who was dismissed by the KGB in 1980 for hiring Jewish musicians in the Bolshoi Orchestra. The Concert chronicles a unique tale in which Filipov ends up taking a crew of fellow outcasts to pose as the Bolshoi Orchestra in Paris.
The Edge (Russia)
Director Alexey Uchitel and Writer Alexander Gonorovsky manage to bring a new genre to life in The Edge, a dramatic thriller which brings together the mystical elements of a post-World War II camp in the Siberian woods, train-loving heroes accompanied by German train-engineers/hostages, and a mysterious newcomer with sudden power; A truly interesting mix which is boldly presented.
I Am Love (Italy)
I Am Love is an 11-year project from Director Luca Guadagnino and Co-producer/actor Tilda Swinton. The film provides a tragic love story with surprising turns and ever-changing drama highlighted by the setting of turn-of-the-century Milan. I Am Love has garnered critical acclaim for its organic storytelling, impactful drama, and emotive performances by Swinton and her co-stars.
In A Better World (Denmark)
In A Better World brings human emotion and empathy to the forefront in a story of family and friendship from unlikely sources. Director Susan Bier masterfully portrays the struggles of two Danish families with the contrasting elements of an African Refugee Camp and a quaint, idyllic Danish town.
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