The Hollywood Reporter names Georgian films as Oscar hopefuls
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The Hollywood Reporter film critics have selected 14 films from 83 entries, including two Georgian films in the running for the coveted The Oscars, also known as the Academy Awards.
Selectors are currently analysing the record 83 entries and on January 15, competition officials will announce the shortlist of five films that will go on to compete against each other in the foreign language section of the prestigious awards.
Film and theatre critic for The Hollywood Reporter Stephen Dalton reviewed Georgian film Corn Island (Simindis kundzuli) as his film of choice. The Georgian-German co-production, directed by Georgian Giorgi Ovashvili, was released in 2014 and this year the film has won numerous awards at European film festivals.
"A master class in emotionally charged minimalism, Corn Island takes place on the fareastern fringes of modern Europe, but much of its texture seems rooted in a timeless hinterland of folklore,” writes Dalton.
Georgian film director Giorgi Ovashvili poses with the Grand Prix Crystal Globe Award for best film, ''Corn Island,'' during the closing ceremony of the 49th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
[Winning] the top prize winner at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, this virtually wordless, artfully austere drama about survival in Georgia after the collapse of communism contains echoes of old masters like Bresson and Tarkovsky, Kaneto Shindo and Terrence Malick, with a hint of Shakespeare's storm-tossed island parable The Tempest, too.”
Meanwhile Tangerines (Mandarinebi), an Estonia-Georgia co-production was also mentioned on The Hollywood Reporter film critics list.
The film, directed by Georgia’s Zaza Urushadze, was recently selected as one of five films to complete in the best foreign language film section in the upcoming Golden Globe awards.
Tangerines by ZazaUrushadze won 19 International awards, including top prizes at the Warsaw International Film Festival 2013, the Seattle International Film Festival 2014 and the BIFEST - Bari International Film Festival 2014.
In the December issue, The Hollywood Reporter critic Stephen Farber writes: "Although the subject of civil war within the former Soviet countries has been tackled in other movies, this retelling of the 1992 conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia is one of the most concise and affecting. Featuring a stellar performance by veteran Lembit Ulfsak, the film works because it focuses on just a few characters and yet crystallizes the entire tragic history of the region with aplomb.”
A record 83 countries have submitted titles for the 2015 Oscars in the foreign language film section – seven more than 2014's previous record number.
The nominations for the 2015 Academy Awards will be announced on January 15, while the ceremony itself will take place on February 22.
Estonian-Georgian co-production Tangerines (Mandarinebi) is one step closer to winning a Golden Globe after being nominated as a finalist in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
After gaining international recognition, Georgian film Corn Island is gearing up for its premiere in French cinemas.
"Tangerines” by Zaza Urushadze and "Corn Island” by Giorgi Ovashvili are among the nine films advanced to the next round of voting in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Oscars 2015.
Estonian-Georgian co-production Tangerines (Mandarinebi), has been selected as one of five films in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars 2015.
Two Georgian film directors whose films have been nominated for a prestigious Academy Award have been honoured in their home country.
Georgia's Oscar entry Corn Island (Simindis Kundzuli), directed by George Ovashvili has won a top prize at the Trieste Film Festival.
Oscar-nominated Estonian-Georgian war-time drama Tangerines will soon be released in the United States after the film was bought by American independent film company Samuel Goldwyn Films.
Cinema-goers across the United State (US) will soon be able to watch a special Georgian film that was nominated for an Oscar as one of the best foreign language films.
Tangerines, a war-time drama by a Georgian director is continuing to impress across the globe. After its success in the United States (US) the film now leads the Spanish box office.
A Georgian-directed war-time drama that was shortlisted for an Oscar is continuing to impress audiences around the world.
A Georgian-directed war-time drama that was shortlisted for an Oscar earlier this year will soon be shown in European Parliament and at the United Nations (UN) headquarters.