France selects Emilia Perez for the Oscars race. Directed by Jacques Audiard, this film has already won big at Cannes Film Festival.
France has chosen the film Emilia Perez to represent the country in the race for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars. The film is directed by Jacques Audiard, and it has already won two major awards at the Cannes Film Festival and received a lot of praise.
At Cannes, Emilia Perez was one of the most loved films, where it received a long standing ovation and also won the Jury Prize and the Best Actress award.
The film stars Karla Sofia Gascón as a dangerous drug lord who transforms into a woman who takes on her true identity. The film also stars famous actors like Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. The film is in Spanish and has been acquired by Netflix for streaming in the US and the UK. Netflix will release it in select US theaters starting November 1.
Jacques Audiard is a famous French filmmaker. He previously won Cannes’ biggest award, the Palme d’Or, for the film Dheepan. Another of his films, A Prophet, was also nominated for an Oscar. Emilia Perez is an action and redemption story in which the main character searches for a new and better life.
Although many expected Emilia Perez to be France’s choice, it faced stiff competition. The film was one of four films considered by France’s Oscar committee.
The others included The Count of Monte Cristo, a big adventure film based on the famous book by Alexandre Dumas; All We Imagine as Light (directed by Payal Kapadia); and Alain Guiraudie’s thriller Misericordia. Of these, The Count of Monte Cristo was the biggest contender as it was a huge hit in French cinemas, selling over 8 million tickets since June.
Emilia Perez has sold nearly 750,000 tickets in France since its release in August. Emilia Perez and The Count of Monte Cristo were both distributed in France by Pathé.
Although The Count of Monte Cristo was quite popular, the French committee chose Emilia Perez as the country’s official Oscar entry. Netflix’s global distribution support for the film may have helped in the decision, as the streaming service plans to promote it for multiple Oscar categories, such as Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.
The decision to select Emilia Perez was made in two rounds by an 11-member committee. The group comprised film industry professionals such as directors, producers and actors.
They heard presentations from the producers and distributors of the four shortlisted films on September 18 and then made their final decision. This year the committee was enlarged as there was some controversy over last year’s selection.
Although All We Imagine As Light was not selected by France, its Indian co-producers have also submitted it to India’s Oscar committee. Emilia Perez also created a buzz at the recent Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The film will be screened with a red carpet event at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles on October 29, organized by Netflix.
News Source: Variety
