Today Academy Awards announced the Oscar 2018 Short List for the Best Foreign Language Film Award. It is nice to see strong and good movies such as In The Fade, The Square and surprise of this year, Lebanese film, The Insult among the films in the short list. But considering a few other films in this list, Breath, directed by Narges Abyar from Iran is missing in this list.
Chile, A Fantastic Woman , Director: Sebastián Lelio
A Fantastic Woman (Spanish: Una mujer fantástica) is a 2017 Chilean drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.
Germany, In the Fade, Director: Fatih Akin
In the Fade (German: Aus dem Nichts) is a 2017 German drama film directed by Fatih Akin. It was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. At Cannes, Diane Kruger won the Best Actress award. It was selected as the German entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. The film is named after a song by the American rock band Queens of the Stone Age, whose lead singer, Josh Homme, wrote the film’s score.
Hungary, On Body and Soul, Director: Ildikó Enyedi
On Body and Soul (Hungarian: Testről és lélekről) is a 2017 Hungarian drama film directed by Ildikó Enyedi. It won the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin it also won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Alexandra Borbély won the European Actress award at the European Film Awards for her performance in the film
Israel, Foxtrot, Director: Samuel Maoz
oxtrot (Hebrew: פוֹקְסטְרוֹט) is a 2017 Israeli drama film written and directed by Samuel Maoz. It was screened in the competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize Silver Lion. The film opens with an affluent Tel Aviv couple learning that their son, a soldier, has died in the line of duty. The film initially follows the parents in the hours after they learn of his death. It then follows their son’s experiences during his military service as one of four soldiers manning a checkpoint. Finally, the film follows the parents six months after his death.
Lebanon, The Insult, Director: Ziad Doueiri
The Insult (French: L’insulte; Arabic: قضية رقم ٢٣, translit. Qadiyya raqm 23, lit. ‘Case No. 23’) is a 2017 French-Lebanese drama film directed by Ziad Doueiri. It was screened in the main competition section of the 74th Venice International Film Festival.[1] At Venice, Kamel El Basha won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. Lebanese Christian Tony (played by Adel Karam) and Palestinian refugee Yasser (played by Yasser El Basha) exchange harsh words after Yasser tries to repair a drainpipe on Tony’s balcony. The fallout leads to violence, courtroom confrontations and national attention.
https://youtu.be/lwVCaD971Eo
Russia, Loveless, Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Loveless (Russian: Нелюбовь) is a 2017 Russian drama film directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev. The story concerns two separated parents living apart whose affections are long forgotten and whose relationship has become loveless. They are temporarily brought together after their only young child becomes a missing person and they attempt to find him. The film was shot in Moscow, with international support after the Russian government disapproved of Zvyagintsev’s 2014 film Leviathan. Loveless opened to critical acclaim and it won the Jury Prize at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.
https://youtu.be/s6QmSPNeNzk
Senegal, Félicité, Director: Alain Gomis
Directed by Alain Gomis. With Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu, Gaetan Claudia, Papi Mpaka, Nadine Ndebo. Félicité sings in a bar in Kinshasa. When her 14-year-old son has a motorcycle accident, she goes on a frantic search through the streets of Kinshasa, a world of music and dreams. And her path crosses that of Tabu.
South Africa, The Wound, John Director: Trengove
The Wound is a 2017 South African drama film directed by John Trengove. It was screened in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festiva and the Panorama section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival. The film opened the Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival 2017. The story tracks a closeted relationship between two men in the context of the Xhosa initiation ritual.
Sweden, The Square, Director: Ruben Östlund
The Square is a 2017 Swedish satirical drama film directed by Ruben Östlund and starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss, Dominic West, and Terry Notary. The film is about publicity surrounding an art installation, and was partly inspired by an installation Östlund and producer Kalle Boman had made. It was shot in Gothenburg, Stockholm and Berlin. The film was entered into the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it received positive reviews and won the Palme d’Or. It was subsequently selected for the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It went on to win the European Film Award for Best Film and other honors.
https://youtu.be/zKDPrpJEGBY