The Ultimate Guide to the Oscar Foreign Language Race
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THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS OSCARS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ISSUE I NOVEMBER 2018 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE OSCAR FOREIGN LANGUAGE RACE CAN STEVEN YEUN HELP SOUTH KOREA FINALLY LAND AN OSCAR NOMINATION? FOREIGN FILM STAR GALLERY PLUS, DO THE OSCARS HAVE AN ASIA PROBLEM? ContentsFOREIGN LANGUAGE ISSUE I NOVEMBER 2018 “I was scared not to be believable as DEPARTMENTS the character, and not to do 4 AWARDS BEAT her justice” Once again, we’ve got new rules —Girl star Victor Polster, left, with to analyze co-star Arieh Worthalter 6 BY THE NUMBERS The foreign race, now & through the years 18 8 NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Meet the Academy’s first-year foreign- language co-chairs 10 FESTIVAL FAVES Film-fest programmers tell us about their picks to click 72 OSCAR’S BACK PAGES Remembering (and explaining) a big Oscar upset FEATURES 12 BURNING LOVE Steven Yeun and Lee Chang-dong hope their film goes where no Korean film has gone before: to the Oscars 18 PASSPORT PHOTOS A special portfolio of notable actors from the foreign contenders 24 WORLD PARTY TheWrap’s annual guide to every one of this year’s 87 entries, region by region—plus, interviews with Alfonso Cuarón, Pawel Pawlikowski, ON THE COVER Nadine Labaki, László Nemes, Steven Yeun was Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, photographed by Elisabeth Caren at the Hirokazu Kore-eda and more Toronto International Film Festival THE INSIDER’S GUIDE TO ALL THINGS OSCARS FOREIGN LANGUAGE ISSUE I NOVEMBER 2018 THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE OSCAR FOREIGN LANGUAGE RACE CAN STEVEN YEUN HELP SOUTH KOREA FINALLY LAND AN OSCAR NOMINATION? FOREIGN FILM STAR GALLERY PLUS, DO THE OSCARS HAVE AN ASIA PROBLEM? FRONT & CENTER / Editor’s Letter Fourscore and Seven Films to Go After watching all 87 films, Oscar voters will know that this year’s contenders make up one of the strongest, deepest fields the category has ever seen ere at Best Foreign Language Film and TheWrap, Best Picture. we’re always We put Roma on the cover excited about of our accompanying The Race the foreign- Begins issue (I told you we’re Hlanguage Oscar race, which year excited about foreign-language after year brings us many of the films) and opted for Lee Chang- best films nominated in any cat- dong’s meditative powerhouse egory. But this year’s race feels Burning for the cover of this like something special: While issue. But we’ve also devoted the field didn’t set a record space to every single one of for the number of competing this year’s contenders, the most films—it numbers a paltry 87, comprehensive guide to the down by five from last year’s Oscar foreign-language race record of 92—this just might be that you’ll find anywhere. Dive the most competitive year ever in and take a trip around the in the category. These fourscore globe with us—and if you’re and seven entries contain a in L.A., come see the films and huge number of very strong hear from the filmmakers at our competitors, including three Foreign Language Screening THE WRAP MAGAZINE movies from directors whose Series. (That’s me with Woman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF films recently won in the cate- at War director Benedikt Sharon Waxman Erlingsson, right.) There are no gory: The Lives of Others’ Florian AWARDS EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR Henckel von Donnersmarck walls or borders here. Steve Pond Ada Guerin with Never Look Away, Ida’s DEPUTY EDITOR Pawel Pawlikowski with Cold Steve Root War and Son of Saul’s László VICE PRESIDENT, SALES Caren Gibbens Nemes with Sunset. You’ll also SALES find two more from directors Brit Grant who were recently nominated ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR (Rithy Panh’s Graves Without a Ryan Ward Name and Ciro Guerra’s Birds CREATIVE ASSISTANTS of Passage), a dozen more that Jane Go, Tatiana Leiva have made big noise on the STEVE POND, AWARDS EDITOR DISTRIBUTION international circuit and one, Kensie Krompier Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, fighting to become only the sixth movie © 2018 TheWrap in history to be nominated for TED SOQUI 2 THEWRAP NOVEMBER 2018 FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION • BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OFFICIAL SELECTION • COLOMBIA “FEW FILMS HAVE CAPTURED QUITE SO POWERFULLY THE TENSION BETWEEN THE ” OLD AND NEW WORLDS. PETER DEBRUGE, “ “ AN ABSOLUTELY FASCINATINGLY LAYERED... MOVING TO THE DRAMATIC AND FOLKLORIC EXTRAORDINARY FILM... RHYTHMS OF A CULTURE WE RARELY SEE, REMINDS US THAT NO MATTER HOW MODERN BIRDS OF PASSAGE MORE OR LESS PICKS UP WE ARE, THERE ARE ANCIENT SONGS WHERE EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT OUR FOREBEARS KNEW WHOSE MELODIES LEFT OFF.” STILL RUSH IN OUR BLOOD.” JUSTIN CHANG, JESSICA KIANG, A F I L M B Y CRISTINA GALLEGO A N D C I R O G U E R R A FROM THE FILMMAKERS OF THE OSCAR®-NOMINATED EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT FOR MORE INFO VISIT AWARDS.THEORCHARD.COM PUBLICATION: THE WRAP TRIM: 8.375" X 10.875" BOP WRAP_FP_FINAL REV 1 ISSUE DATE: 11.16.18 BLEED: 8.875" X 11.375" DUE DATE: SAFETY: .125" FRONT & CENTER / Awards Beat The New Rules, 2018 Edition Once again, the Academy has changed the voting rules in the foreign-language category—here’s what it means BY STEVE POND ast year in this issue, we gave films in the first round of voting (the some of the smaller films might be seen you the rundown on a variety “general committee”) were separated by only a couple dozen. But it won’t be a L of new rules designed to open into three color-coded groups, with disadvantage to be seen by fewer voters, up Oscar voting in the Best Foreign each group assigned to watch a spe- because this isn’t a category where the Language Film category. But that cific selection of films. While the color nominations ballot asks you to pick your was then and this is now. As Larry coding was eliminated last year, each five favorites; instead, a voter scores Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann voter was still assigned a “required every film he or she sees on a scale of 6 take over leadership of the Foreign viewing list” of 15 films that he or she to 10, and the six films with the highest Language Film Award Executive was expected to see. average score advance to the shortlist, Committee from longtime chair Mark This year, there won’t be any joined by an additional three films Johnson (see interview, page 8), the required viewing. Instead, voters will selected by an executive committee. process is once again changing. And be given the screening schedule—87 once again, the bulk of the changes are screenings on 44 different weekday A lower bar designed to open the process to more nights and weekend days between Under the old system, a member voters and to make it easier to partici- October 15 and December 10 in the typically had to see about 17 or 18 Created by rama pate. Here’s a rundown. Academy’s theaters in Beverly Hills contenders (65 percent of the filmsfrom the Noun Project and Hollywood—and will be free to see in his or her group) to qualify to No more required viewing anything on the list. vote. This year, the number has been For years, the Los Angeles-based That could mean that, say, Roma lowered to 12, dramatically reduc- volunteers who screened and scored could be seen by hundreds of voters and ing the time commitment it takes to A TOUGH RACE AT A GLANCE The frontrunners From directors From directors who’ve been nominated before Mexico: Roma who’ve won before Poland: Cold War Hungary: Sunset Cambodia: Graves Without a Name Lebanon: Capernaum Germany: Never Look Away Colombia: Birds of Passage 4 THEWRAP NOVEMBER 2018 become a voter. (FYI, the Academy says resulted in a strong slate of nominees—but the average foreign-language voter sees because the hand-picked Phase 2 commit- about 30.) tees were typically closer in sensibility to The lower bar means that a member the executive committee than the general who may be out of town for most of the committee, the executive committee’s screenings could still see enough films three “saves” were usually well represent- to qualify in a week or two of dedicated ed in the final list of nominees. viewing. (Most weeks will feature six or But as more members of the general seven nights of screenings, which means committee take part in Phase 2, the 12 or 14 films.) And members outside sensibility could skew back toward more L.A. who go to lots of film festivals could populist films. That could be good news conceivably see enough films also, as long for the kind of crowd-pleasing movies that as they see them in theaters—in this stage, make the shortlist but are not nominat- watching via streaming doesn’t count. ed—a list that in recent years has included The King’s Choice, The Fencer, Labyrinth of More power to L.A. This year, in L.A., all members who Lies and The Liberator. The second phase of nomination voting, saw 12 films as part of the Phase 1 general in which members see the nine short- committee will be invited to take part in The bottom line listed films over a period of three days Phase 2 as well, as long as they watch all More people will vote in Phase 1. Created by rama and choose the from the Noun Project five nominees, used to nine of the shortlisted films.