- Mohammed Rassulof selected for the German Oscar
13 Films are in the preliminary selection for Germany's Oscar submission. Among them is the new film by Iranian Mohammed Rassulof, who fled to Germany a few months ago. "The Seed of the Sacred Fig" is a German co-production that tells the story of the impact of political protests in Iran on a family.
A film featuring Sandra Hüller, "Zwei zu eins" by Natja Brunckhorst, has also been submitted. The jury will decide which film Germany will nominate for Best International Feature Film on August 21 and 22 in Munich. This was announced by German Films, the international department of German cinema.
This is just one of several stages before the official nominations for the Oscars are announced on January 17.
Films by Matthias Glasner and Andreas Dresen submitted
Among the potential German candidates are the already Golden Film Prize-winning drama "Sterben" by Matthias Glasner, "Die Ermittlung" by RP Kahl, "In Liebe, Eure Hilde" by Andreas Dresen, and "Im toten Winkel" by Ayşe Polat.
Other contenders for the German candidate are "Die Herrlichkeit des Lebens" (Georg Maas, Judith Kaufmann), "Die Unbeugsamen 2 - Guten Morgen, ihr Schönen" (Torsten Körner), "Führer und Verführer" (Joachim A. Lang), "Hollywoodgate" (Ibrahim Nash’at), "Sad Jokes" (Fabian Stumm), "Stella. Ein Leben" (Kilian Riedhof), and "Stille" (Erik Borner).
Last spring, Germany's nominated film for Best International Feature, "Das Lehrerzimmer" by Ilker Çatak, did not win. The Oscar went to the British production "The Zone of Interest" by Jonathan Glazer.
However, last year, the German adaptation of "Im Westen nichts Neues" by director Edward Berger won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film, as well as three more for cinematography, production design, and film music.
The selection of the German submission is a preliminary stage in the race for the International Oscar. The shortlist of international contenders will be announced on December 17. The Oscars will then be awarded on March 2 (local time, March 3 in Germany).
Only four German productions have won the Best International Feature Film award so far. Apart from "Im Westen nichts Neues", this was achieved by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck with the Stasi drama "Das Leben der Anderen" in 2007, Volker Schlöndorff's film adaptation of "Die Blechtrommel" in 1980, and Caroline Link's "Nirgendwo in Afrika" in 2003.
I'm not planning to attend the Oscar submission jury meetings next month. Regardless of the selected film, I'm content with our country's rich cinematic offerings and past achievements at the Oscars.
