Believe it or not, it’s that time of the year again – Oscar buzz has already started. But some filmmakers are hissing rather than buzzing about the Academy’s rules for foreign films.
The Academy has a set of official rules that a film must adhere to in order to be eligible for Oscar consideration in the foreign language film category. One film of this year that has been getting buzz will not be getting consideration. Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” has been disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences despite the fact that Taiwan listed it as its official entry for the best foreign-language picture category.
So, what was the problem? The Academy said that Taiwan did not prove that “creative talent of that country exercised artistic control of the film” so Taiwan had to substitute “Island Etude” instead. Another strong contender in the field, “The Band’s Visit,” was submitted by Israel, but was excluded because the Academy ruled that too much English was spoken in the film.
Many have criticized the rules for foreign films recently. But it isn’t just the rules of the Academy that are in place, but also the rules of the country itself. That leads many to ask “Does the best foreign-language picture actually win the best foreign-language Oscar?”
Executive producer and co-writer James Schamus is appalled that “Lust, Caution” was considered ineligible. However, he cannot appeal with the Academy to consider the film because the choice is up to the country and they were told they only had a few hours to submit another film when the first one is rejected.
Bruce Davis is the Academy’s executive director and he defended the Academy by saying that “Lust, Caution” had no one in the principal cast that was from Taiwan. In addition, not one of the department head’s was from Taiwan either. Davis went on to point out that the film did qualify for 17 other Oscar categories.
While Davis makes some good points, the critics have pointed out film after film that has not been eligible for whatever reason. It sounds as if this fight is not going to be over any time soon!
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