metro
Weekend, October 16-18, 2009
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Canada’s I Killed My Mother is in the Oscar race.
Dozens of foreign films competing for Oscar nods Top prize-winners from the Cannes and Berlin film festivals are among 65 movies competing for the foreign-language honour at the Academy Awards next March. Oscar contenders include Germany’s The White Ribbon, director Michael Haneke’s sober drama that won the main prize at May’s Cannes festival. Set on the eve of the First World War, the film explores the collective guilt of a small town besieged by strange acts of violence. Also in the Oscar race is France’s A Prophet, Jacques Audiard’s prison drama that was the runner-up at Cannes. The top winner at February’s Berlin festival, Claudia Llosa’s The Milk of Sorrow, is Peru’s entry for the
foreign-language Oscar. The film explores the fear of women abused during the Peruvian government’s war with leftist guerrillas. Italy’s entry, the comingof-age tale Baaria, is the latest from Giuseppe Tornatore, whose Cinema Paradiso won the 1989 foreign-language Oscar. Notably absent is Oscar winner Pedro Almodovar, whose All About My Mother took the 1999 foreignlanguage trophy. Spain chose Fernando Trueba’s The Dancer and the Thief as its Oscar entry over Almodovar’s Broken Embraces, which co-stars last year’s supporting-actress winner Penelope Cruz. Nominations for the 82nd Academy Awards come out Feb. 2. The Oscars will be awarded March 7. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Just a few ... Here’s a selection from the 65 foreign-language contenders for the 82nd Academy Awards, along with the names of the directors and countries of origin: • Albania, Alive!, Artan Minarolli. • Armenia, Autumn of the Magician, Rouben Kevorkov and Vaheh Kevorkov. • Belgium, The Misfortunates, Felix van Groeningen. • Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nightguards, Namik Kabil. • Brazil, Time of Fear, Sergio Rezende. • Bulgaria, The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner, Stephan Komandarev. • Canada, I Killed My Mother,
Xavier Dolan.
• Hong Kong, Prince of Tears, Yonfan. Hungary, Chameleon, Krisztina Goda. • Indonesia, Jamila and the President, Ratna Sarumpaet; • Morocco, Casanegra, NourEddine Lakhmari. • Peru, The Milk of Sorrow, Claudia Llosa. • Philippines, Grandpa Is Dead, Soxie H. Topacio. • Serbia, St. George Shoots the Dragon, Srdjan Dragojevic. • Slovakia, Broken Promise, Jiri Chlumsky. • Thailand, Best of Times, Yongyoot Thongkongtoon. • Turkey, I Saw the Sun, Mahsun Kirmizigul.
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS