Oz Hopes For Foreign-Language Oscar
Filed under: Drama, Foreign Language, Oscar Watch, Toronto International Film Festival, Cinematical Indie
Because Australians can't get enough of our Academy Awards, they are now after the one category we thought was safe from the grasp of an English-speaking country; they've submitted a film for consideration in Oscar's Best Foreign-language category. The picture is called Ten Canoes and is marked with being the first to be shot in an indigenous language. That language is Ganalbingu, which is spoken by the Yolngu people of Ramingining, located in the Northern Territory. Written and co-directed (with the aboriginal Peter Djigirr) by Rolf de Heer (Alexandra's Project), who is Dutch-born but Oz-raised, the film tells of a man who desires one of his brother's wives and is put right by his tribal elders. It has so far performed quite well in Australia and will get its North American premiere this month at the Toronto International Film Festival.So, now that Australia is submitting its first contender for the foreign-language award, I wonder if there are any other primarily English-speaking nations who haven't done so. I also wonder if it would be possible for the U.S. to submit a film if it were shot in a Native American language or even a non-native language. The rules for this category, some of which recently changed, are so darn confusing.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-06-2006 @ 2:22PM
Peter Nellhaus said...
In 1999, the British film, "Solomon and Gaenor" was nominated for Foreign Language film. The film was partially in Welsh and Yiddish.
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9-07-2006 @ 8:51PM
Christine said...
In 1985, the Navajo language film, "Broken Rainbow" won the Oscar for 1985 Best Documentary. In addition, it was awarded the Cine Golden Eagle Award, the American Indian Film Festival Award Best Documentary, and was Grand Prize Winner World Television Festival, Tokyo, Japan.
It did encounter problems when submitting since it was not in English.
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9-15-2006 @ 2:18PM
A.D. said...
This is NOT Australia's first try in the Best Foreign Film category! They have submitted two immigrant stories before....Cantonese-language drama "Floating Life" in 1996 and Spanish/Italian dramedy "La Spagnola" in 2001. Neither managed a nomination.
The United Kingdom submits movies every now and again, and has been nominated twice for Welsh films.
Canada has submitted movies almost every year (usually in French, but once in the Inuktikut "Eskimo" language). South Africa has submitted three times. Ireland and New Zealand have never submitted movies in this category.
Unfortunately (and unfairly) a movie made in the USA in a Native American language CANNOT be nominated because the Oscars do not invite the United States to send a movie in the Best Foreign Language Film.
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