Had anyone said just a year ago that the Estonian movie ‘Tangerines’ (Estonian: Mandariinid) would be nominated for an Oscar, they would probably have been laughed out of the room. Placing somewhere between 10th and 20th, of the 83 shortlisted foreign language films, as was predicted by most overseas experts, was considered respectable.
Mission Impossible By Tiit Tuumalu / Photos by Allfilm
Making it to the shortlist of nine films was seen as the best of all possible outcomes, but making it into the top five − no chance! But still miracles do sometimes happen…
But then something strange happens ... the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces the pre-selection of films for the Academy Awards − and ‘Tangerines’ is on the list again!
At first the Hollywood Foreign Press Association nominated ‘Tangerines’ for a Golden Globe. But this choice created confusion. ‘The most unexpected film to get shortlisted was Estonia’s “Tangerines” − which absolutely no one saw coming’, wrote the respected independent film journal Indiewire. This was even more the case given that the Canadian film ‘Mommy’, the Belgian movie ‘Two Days, One Night’, and ‘Winter Sleep’ and ‘Wild Tales’ (Turkey) − all considered favourites which had already won prestigious awards − did not make it onto the shortlist.
From this moment on, people keep an eye on the Estonian film, even though most publications still see its chances of making it onto the shortlist proper as being next to non-existent. Only three of the 17 experts from the popular US Internet predictions page ‘Gold Derby’ predict that ‘Tangerines’ will be among the five nominees, in fifth place.
‘I’m stunned!’ announced producer Ivo Felt, adding after a pause, ‘Let’s be honest, the hopes of making it to the Oscar shortlist are very modest, but thanks to the Golden Globes nomination, they are surely higher than they were.’
Some hope springs from the fact that one of the critics is Scott Feinberg, one of the greatest authorities in the business, and analyst on the Hollywood Reporter. ‘Whatever happens next will just be a bonus,’ reports Felt who is naturally over the moon. The goal, to make it onto the shortlist has been reached!
SPRING 2015
I LIFE IN ESTONIA #37
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