Europe Dominates Oscar Submissions, India Sends Tovino Thomas-Starrer 2018 Based On Kerala Floods

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24 2024. Ever since the Foreign-language Oscar nominations were instituted in 1948, India has travelled that road thrice – Mother India, Salaam Bombay and Lagaan. This year, India has sent up a Malayalam work, 2018, staring Tovino Thomas. Set during the 2018 floods in Kerala, this work traces the story of how ordinary people came together to weather the calamity.

Now known as the Best International Feature Film category, this section has been dominated by Europe for years.In 2023, four out of five international movies were from this continent: Ireland’s The Quiet Girl, Poland’s EO, Belgium’s Close and Germany’s All Quiet On The Western Front, with the latter actually clinching the award. This time, 38 European countries have made their submissions. Russia has refrained from doing so for the second year following the Ukraine invasion. Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Sundance have given some hot contenders.

Here are some of the highlights

Jonathan Glazer’s Holocaust drama, The Zone of Interest, comes from the UK. This is loosely adapted from Martin Amis’s 2014 novel and portrays the domestic life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss, whose luxurious family home overlooks a concentration camp. The chances of The Zone of Interest garnering a nomination are bright.

France has submitted Tran Anh Hung’s romantic drama The Taste Of Things to Oscar. This is a foodie film with country’s most revered actress, Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, as an esteemed cook engaged in a slow-burning romance with Benoît Magimel’s gourmet chef.

Finland’s Cannes title Aki Kaurismaki’s Fallen Leaves, a comedy about two lonely people trying to find love in Helsinki, is another strong contender for a nomination. This is the fourth time that Finland has submitted a Kaurismaki movie.

Spain has sent up JA Bayona’s Venice Film Festival closer Society Of The Snow. The Spanish-language survival thriller is about the real-life 1972 crash of a plane carrying a Uruguayan rugby team in the Andes.

Denmark’s entry, Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land, is also a robust contender. I

Germany, last year’s winning country, has submitted Ilker Cat ak’s drama The Teachers’ Lounge, which premiered to acclaim in the Berlin Panorama section.