Introduction of Oscar Best Foreign Film Nominees; Iranian Films Fail to Qualify

The preliminary list of films nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film was announced today, December 20, with no Iranian films or filmmakers included. This year, the film 'Today' by Reza Mirkarimi represented Iran, while 'Several Cubic Meters of Love' directed by Jamshid Mahmoudi was submitted by Afghanistan, 'Men' by Behtin Qavadi from Iraq, and 'Nabat' featuring Fatemeh Motamed-Arya from Azerbaijan were also nominated as foreign language films for the Oscars. The films 'Wild Tales' directed by Damián Szifron from Argentina, 'Tangerines' directed by Zaza Urushadze from Estonia, 'Corn Island' directed by George Ovashvili from Georgia, 'Timbuktu' directed by Abderrahmane Sissako from Mauritania, 'The Accused' directed by Paula van der Oest from the Netherlands, 'Ida' directed by Paweł Pawlikowski from Poland, 'Leviathan' directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev from Russia, 'Deadline' directed by Ruben Östlund from Sweden, and 'The Savior' directed by Alberto Arvelo from Venezuela make up the nine films on the preliminary list for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar for 2015. The exclusion of two films, 'Winter Sleep' by Nuri Bilge Ceylan from Turkey, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes, and 'Two Days, One Night' by the Dardenne brothers, is notable this year. The Iranian film 'Several Cubic Meters of Love' was submitted by Afghanistan, but the film 'Ida,' which has won several awards at various festivals, has advanced as Poland's representative to the next stage of the Oscars. The story of 'Ida' is set in the early 1960s and revolves around a young nun named Anna who discovers she is Jewish. This film won several awards, including Best Film, Best Director, and the People's Choice Award at the 27th European Film Awards last week. The film 'Leviathan' by Andrey Zvyagintsev, which won the Best Screenplay award at the Cannes Film Festival, was introduced as Russia's official selection for the foreign language film category at the 2015 Oscars, surprising many. This choice was interesting because there is a scene in the film where several drunken policemen shoot at portraits of Russian leaders and jokingly ask each other if it is time to shoot at Putin yet. On the other hand, Venezuela has also advanced with the film 'The Savior.' This film, with a budget of $50 million, tells the story of Simón Bolívar. 'Deadline,' which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes this year, is Sweden's representative in the preliminary Oscar foreign language film list. This film, directed by Ruben Östlund, is about a Swedish family that goes skiing in the mountains for vacation and gets caught in an avalanche. 'Timbuktu,' directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, is Mauritania's first representative at the Oscars. This film, which was present in the competitive section of the Cannes Festival, won the Jury Prize from the World Church. From Argentine cinema, the film 'Wild Tales' has been selected as the country's representative in the foreign language Oscar category. This film is a collection of six unrelated episodes that depict stories about individuals' reactions to violent situations. 'Tangerines' by Zaza Urushadze is also Estonia's representative in this year's preliminary best films; this film tells the story of the struggles that the people of Estonia went through for independence. 'Corn Island,' directed by George Ovashvili from Georgia, is a dialogue-light film about an elderly farmer and his grandson. The film tells the story of a man who struggles against nature and human competitors. 'The Accused,' directed by Paula van der Oest from the Netherlands, is about a Dutch nurse known as the 'Angel of Death' who was sentenced to life in prison. The five final nominees for the foreign language film category will be announced on January 15, 2015, along with nominees from all other categories.