Nate Jones

So there are a couple things wrong with the international film category. So basically, how the international film category works is that the award does not go to a director, it does not go to a filmmaker, it goes to a country. And so the way it works is that every country in the world submits one film.

So there are a couple things wrong with the international film category. So basically, how the international film category works is that the award does not go to a director, it does not go to a filmmaker, it goes to a country. And so the way it works is that every country in the world submits one film.

So there are a couple things wrong with the international film category. So basically, how the international film category works is that the award does not go to a director, it does not go to a filmmaker, it goes to a country. And so the way it works is that every country in the world submits one film.

So dozens, sometimes hundreds of countries, they submit their films to the Oscars and you only get one. So if there's two great films from Switzerland, in one year? Doesn't matter. Only one. The second big issue is that the people deciding who submits these films to the Oscars are not Academy members. They are often artists, but often government ministers. from overseas governments.

So dozens, sometimes hundreds of countries, they submit their films to the Oscars and you only get one. So if there's two great films from Switzerland, in one year? Doesn't matter. Only one. The second big issue is that the people deciding who submits these films to the Oscars are not Academy members. They are often artists, but often government ministers. from overseas governments.

So dozens, sometimes hundreds of countries, they submit their films to the Oscars and you only get one. So if there's two great films from Switzerland, in one year? Doesn't matter. Only one. The second big issue is that the people deciding who submits these films to the Oscars are not Academy members. They are often artists, but often government ministers. from overseas governments.

And so one of the things you quite often see in the best international film race is that any film that is sort of remotely critical of certain governments from certain countries just have 0% chance of getting it. Unless, as we are seeing this year, they can kind of get rescued in a way by just sort of the lucky happenstance of being co-produced by a country that is not the film they are set in.

And so one of the things you quite often see in the best international film race is that any film that is sort of remotely critical of certain governments from certain countries just have 0% chance of getting it. Unless, as we are seeing this year, they can kind of get rescued in a way by just sort of the lucky happenstance of being co-produced by a country that is not the film they are set in.

And so one of the things you quite often see in the best international film race is that any film that is sort of remotely critical of certain governments from certain countries just have 0% chance of getting it. Unless, as we are seeing this year, they can kind of get rescued in a way by just sort of the lucky happenstance of being co-produced by a country that is not the film they are set in.

So that is what's happened with Seed of the Sacred Fig where, you know, they're quite lucky. I was talking to an Oscar strategist last week that they said, you know, the Academy is super duper lucky that that film had a German production company so that it was able to be submitted by Germany.

So that is what's happened with Seed of the Sacred Fig where, you know, they're quite lucky. I was talking to an Oscar strategist last week that they said, you know, the Academy is super duper lucky that that film had a German production company so that it was able to be submitted by Germany.

So that is what's happened with Seed of the Sacred Fig where, you know, they're quite lucky. I was talking to an Oscar strategist last week that they said, you know, the Academy is super duper lucky that that film had a German production company so that it was able to be submitted by Germany.

because it would have been just a terrible look if this very well-acclaimed film with this amazing story behind it just couldn't get nominated for the Oscars because it was too critical of its own government. Like, that's a bad look.

because it would have been just a terrible look if this very well-acclaimed film with this amazing story behind it just couldn't get nominated for the Oscars because it was too critical of its own government. Like, that's a bad look.

because it would have been just a terrible look if this very well-acclaimed film with this amazing story behind it just couldn't get nominated for the Oscars because it was too critical of its own government. Like, that's a bad look.

There's also kind of the nagging question of does it make sense to identify specific films with specific countries anymore? Like as we're seeing with Seed of the Sacred Fig, it is an Iranian and German co-production. There's an amazing film that wasn't submitted by India called All We Imagine is Light that was an Indian-French co-production.

There's also kind of the nagging question of does it make sense to identify specific films with specific countries anymore? Like as we're seeing with Seed of the Sacred Fig, it is an Iranian and German co-production. There's an amazing film that wasn't submitted by India called All We Imagine is Light that was an Indian-French co-production.

There's also kind of the nagging question of does it make sense to identify specific films with specific countries anymore? Like as we're seeing with Seed of the Sacred Fig, it is an Iranian and German co-production. There's an amazing film that wasn't submitted by India called All We Imagine is Light that was an Indian-French co-production.

Amelia Perez is a film that, you know, takes place in Mexico, has an international cast, but was filmed in France. So it is the French submission.

Amelia Perez is a film that, you know, takes place in Mexico, has an international cast, but was filmed in France. So it is the French submission.