“Being a woman is beautiful,” says one of the elderly narrators of Costa Rica’s entry for the International Oscar, Memories of a Burning Body. “But there’s also an ugly side to it: you’re always vulnerable.”
Judging by this year’s leading contenders for the International Oscar, the feeling is global. Countries around the world submitted women-centered stories for the non-English-language Oscar category this year, with female protagonists finding themselves in disadvantaged situations but also often discovering their own strength against all manner of obstacles.
Some of these films made the shortlist for the award, announced Tuesday, Dec. 17, such as Brazil’s I’m Still Here, France’s Emilia Pérez, Germany’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Palestine’s From Ground Zero and the UK’s Santosh. Many did not, including Memories of a Burning Body.
Notably, only three of the 15 shortlisted films were directed by women – four if you count the compilation film From Ground Zero, which includes seven female-directed short films out of 22 total. The shortlist is also dominated by European entries, though in three cases the films are set outside Europe (The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Santosh and Emilia Perez).
Read the full article and see the shortlist at AWFJ.org
Links to my reviews: Emilia Pérez, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, From Gound Zero, Santosh, Kneecap
Images courtesy of film distributors.
Comments