France’s Oscars Committee Reveals International Feature Shortlist Including ‘Emilia Perez,’ ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’

As a cinephile who has traversed the winding paths of global cinema, I find myself captivated by the rich tapestry of talent that France’s Oscars committee presents this year. The revamped and expanded panel, presided over by Charles Tesson, boasts an array of luminaries whose collective experience spans from the Cannes Film Festival to the prestigious Venice Film Festival.


The French Oscars selection committee has narrowed down their choices to four films, which include “Emilia Perez,” a redemption-themed thriller directed by Jacques Audiard, and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel into an epic adventure movie. Additionally, the list includes “All We Imagine as Light,” directed by Payal Kapadia, and “Misericorde,” directed by Alain Guiraudie. All four movies made their debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

The newly restructured and enlarged Oscar committee for the nation is headed by Charles Tesson, a former artistic director of Cannes’ Critics Week. This committee comprises Audrey Diwan, the director of “Emmanuelle” who was awarded Venice’s Golden Lion with “Happening” in 2021; Florian Zeller, a renowned French playwright, director, and producer (“The Father”); Patrick Wachsberger, former CEO of Lionsgate; Carole Baraton from Charades, an international sales veteran; Gregoire Melin from Kinology, also an international sales expert; Michèle Halberstadt from ARP Selection, a prominent French distributor; Rosalie Varda (“Faces Places”) and Nadim Cheikhroua (“Olfa’s Daughters”), producers at Ciné-Tamaris; David Thion (“Anatomy of a Fall”) at Les Films Pelléas, another producer; and Clemence Poesy, an actor.

On September 11th, the decisive vote for France’s entry to the International Feature Film category will occur following auditions involving each of the four nominated films’ producers, international representatives, and American distributors. The motion picture selected in this process will serve as France’s representative in the global competition.

According to the rules, any movies that make it onto the shortlist must have been screened in French theaters for at least seven days prior to September 30th.

1) “The Count of Monte Cristo” has shattered French box office records, with ticket sales exceeding 8 million since its release in late June. Currently screening in French theaters is “Emilia Perez,” which recently received rave reviews during its North American debut at Toronto.

France hasn’t won an Oscar for best international feature in over three decades.

More to come.

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2024-09-11 20:46