Mafia movie Gomorrah misses out in Oscar race
Gomorrah misses out on best foreign language film Oscar shortlist
Also In The News
|
Directed by Darren Aronofsky, out January 16th in cinemas, starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, 100 mins. |  |
Wednesday, 14, Jan 2009 02:29
Acclaimed Italian film Gomorrah will not be named best foreign language film at the 2009 Oscars, it has been confirmed.
The Academy today announced its shortlist of nine nominees for the award, with Matteo Garrone's expose of the Neapolitan mafia notably absent.
It now seems Israeli animation Waltz With Bashir is the frontrunner for the prize, having this week claimed the best foreign film award at the Golden Globes.
Gomorrah won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival last year and made the headlines last year after Robert Saviano , the author of the book upon which the film was based, vowed to leave Italy for his own protection.
Saviano's novel revealed the corruption and criminality of the southern Italian mob, causing the writer to live under police protection and provoking an assassination plot from the Neapolitan branch of the mafia.
However, the film has not been included in the nine-strong shortlist for the best foreign language film Oscars, selected from an original longlist of 65 films.
Academy committees will this weekend watch the films - which include Palme d'Or winner The Class - in a bid to determine a final list of five nominees, which will be announced on January 22nd.
The nine films on the shortlist for the best foreign language film Oscar are:
Revanche (Austria)
The Necessities of Life (Canada)
The Class (France)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
Departures (Japan)
Tear This Heart Out (Mexico)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden)
Three Monkeys (Turkey)