Oscar Coverage Best Foreign Language Film Director: Lost in Translation

For an unabashed movie dork like me, it’s been a thrill attending pre-Oscar setup events this week, including a photo-op with the five directors of this year’s list of nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. This category is one that is often the hardest to predict, given that each country can only submit one entry, the nominees are decided by a small subgroup of Academy members, and only those who can attest they have seen every nominated film are eligible to vote.

Like other categories such as Best Documentary (Feature and Short Subject) and Best Live Action Short Film, Best Foreign Language Film does not receive a lot of attention when compared to the powerhouse popularity contests in main categories. However, that notion was put to rest for me when I witnessed, in person, the mob of press surrounding these filmmakers on Friday morning.

Thomas Bidgeain co-writer Un prophète

Of the five nominees, the most well-known two are France’s A Prophet (Un Prophete) and Germany’s The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band). These globally well-received films have been arguably considered the dueling front-runners for some time, but as the Oscar countdown winds to a close, a speculative dark horse could cause an upset — an occurrence not unfamiliar in Best Foreign Language Film history.

Peru’s The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) and Argentina’s The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) have both been gaining momentum as the Inglourious Basterds-like possible upset to the  Avatar vs. Hurt Locker stigma surrounding Prophet and Ribbon. However, Israel’s Ajami is not out of the running by any means. Last year, Japan’s Departures came out of virtually nowhere to defeat both France’s The Class and Israel’s hugely favored Waltz With Bashir to take home the Oscar.

The frenzy inside the red carpet arrivals tent on Friday was dizzying, with multiple languages being simultaneously spoken and dozens of international media outlets flashing cameras left and right. The directors appeared briefly to pose for photographers and answer a couple of questions, the majority of which were neither asked nor answered in English. Anticipating a language barrier ahead of time, I had hoped some kind of translator would be present, but no such luck. Any person of seeming importance to whom I was able to get close enough to ask a question, could not understand me.

Jacques Audiard co-writer Un prophète

Communication breakdown aside, the experience of witnessing these directors bask in the effervescent joy of their films’ success was a pleasure to behold. Their careers, like their films, are varied and make for a motley crew. Juan Jose Campanella, director of The Secret in Their Eyes, actually has a lengthy resume of directorial efforts in American television, including episodes of Law & Order, House, and the Comedy Central cult classic Strangers With Candy. Jacques Audiard, French director of A Prophet, also helmed 2005′s well-received The Beat That My Heart Skipped. The White Ribbon’s Michael Haneke also has a lauded film from 2005 under his belt, Cache. Israel’s Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, however, are virtual newcomers to the industry, with only one other directorial credit between them besides Ajami. Claudia Llosa, the youngest of the bunch, has also hit it big early in her career with The Milk of Sorrow.

My personal prediction is the Oscar will go to The White Ribbon, simply because it won the Golden Globe in January — an awards ceremony decided by the Hollywood Foreign Press. As we’ve learned, however, traditional methods of forecasting the outcome of this category often do not hold up. Tune in to the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 7th to find out who takes home the coveted statuette.

photos taken by Mallory Elis for Poptimal.com