Canada’s last foreign language Oscar nominees rooting for Villeneuve
Posted February 26, 2011 7:25 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Movie producer David Hamilton knows very well the roller coaster of emotions that come with being nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film. He and director Deepa Mehta experienced the ups and downs of chasing Hollywood’s highest honour in 2007, when their film “Water” made the list of finalists. It ultimately lost to Germany’s “The Lives of Others.”
This year, Quebec director Denis Villenueve is up for the prize for his wrenching family drama “Incendies.” Hamilton is in Sri Lanka, where he and Mehta are filming a big screen adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s novel “Midnight’s Children,” and sent an email to The Canadian Press describing what it’s like to compete in such a notoriously fickle category. Here is the email:
The ever-fascinating and often contentious foreign film category. It’s a thrill that Canada is nominated again. “Incendies” is a brilliant, memorable, important film. I have very high hopes for it at the awards. It certainly “deserves” to win. But predicting this category is tricky, and often foolhardy.
And yes, last year the less-known Argentine film “The Secret In Their Eyes” won, which surprised many people who had expected the acclaimed German film “The White Ribbon” to win. This year, I think many people predicted that France’s “Of Gods And Men” would be a natural for the final short list _ but it’s missing. And so it goes.
When we were shortlisted to the group of nine we had to wait to see the announcements on television as to who would be in the final five. Crowded around the flat screen TV were our wonderful distributor Hussain Amarshi, Deepa, myself and a number of collaborators, friends and family.
They announce the films in alphabetical order and being at the bottom of the alphabet we would be last. It seemed to take forever for the host of the show to drone through the first four. We knew that there had to be two left before they got to “V” as everyone was certain that Spanish director Pedro Almodovar’s “Volver” would be one of the finalists.
First up was “After the Wedding,” then “Days of Glory,” then “Lives of Others.” This is when our hearts were sinking as we knew (or thought we knew) that “Pan’s Labyrinth” was a shoe-in. Sure enough, the next one was “Pan’s Labyrinth.” At this point we felt we had lost and were waiting to hear the word “Volver.”
We could see her lips moving but could not hear what she was saying. Our brains were not processing the sound. When it finally came through that she was pronouncing a “W” and not a “V,” (there were) cries and shouts and yes, tears.
I don’t think there is really a “type” of film that wins, unless possibly the winners lean towards more traditional, straightforward narratives. Often the ones with the “uplifting” messages win. Sometimes it seems as if movies that are more non-linear or experimental or darker don’t do as well. But then, of course, there are examples of winners that would utterly refute that theory. Unpredictability seems to be the rule here.
The stipulation that voters in this category must have seen all five nominees certainly reduces the number of eligible voters and probably means that they are either truly avid “art” film lovers, or older (retired?) academy members who have spare time. Either way, I imagine that it’s a knowledgeable, very experienced bunch of diligent voters. Not a casual or frivolous bunch at all.
Of course one, of the challenges of the publicists during this period of time leading up to voting is to get those academy members known to be supporters of your film to go to one of the official screenings so that they can legitimately vote. Every film has a publicist and those who have a powerful studio or distributor clearly have a bit of an edge.
Although we do not have a studio system in Canada we are fortunate to get significant support from Telefilm Canada and Foreign Affairs in terms of both advice and promotional assistance.
Their many years of experience in supporting Canadian films that have been nominated was, I believe, a contributing factor in “Water” not being lost in the crowded field of the 60-plus potential nominees in the foreign language film category.
Being nominated as we were in 2007 for “Water” was a huge boost for the movie … and for everyone connected to it. Deepa is now always described as the “Oscar-nominated” director and although this award is given to the director, the reflected light of this attention does also fall on me and the others involved in the creation of the film.
The week we spent in Los Angeles leading up to the Oscars was an unexpectedly GENUINELY enjoyable time: welcoming, inclusive, festive, fascinating, fun. A great time full of extraordinary encounters. There is little question but that when you are nominated you are immediately embraced and accepted as a full-fledged member of the world filmmaking community.
I hope Denis Villeneuve has the good fortune this year that Denys Arcand had in 2004. We will be watching, somehow, on a TV somewhere in Sri Lanka _ knowing just what it feels like to be there.