How many French films were nominated for an Oscar before Anatomy of the Fall?

How many French films were nominated for an Oscar before Anatomy of the Fall?

The nominees for the 96th Academy Awards are already known. And the big favorite, without too many surprises, is called Oppenheimer: Christopher Nolan’s feature film leads with thirteen nominations, ahead of Poor Creatures (eleven), Killers of the Flower Moon (ten) or even Barbie (eight), its rival at the box office last summer.

But the sensation comes to us from France. Not Dodin Buffett’s Passion, which was not selected among the five Oscar finalists for Best Foreign Language Film, but Anatomy of the Fall. Justin Triet’s Palme d’Or offers five nominations and competes in the main categories, namely Best Picture and Best Director, where the filmmaker is the only woman this year.

Thus, Anatomy of the Fall becomes the tenth French feature film (or French co-production) to compete for Best Picture at the Oscars in 85 years. And it joins these opuses:

  • Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion (1939)
  • Z of Costa-Gavras (1970)
  • Roman Polanski’s Tess (1981)
  • Atlantic City by Lewis Male (1982)
  • Roman Polanski’s The Pianist (2003)
  • Michel Hazanavicius Artist (2012)
  • Michael Haneke’s Love (2013)
  • Florian Zeller’s Father (2021)
  • CODA by Sian Hader (2022)

If Anatomy of the Fall were to surprise and win the Oscar for Best Picture, it would be the third feature film on this list to do so, following The Artist and CODA.

As for filmmakers, Justin Trier becomes the fourteenth Frenchman (or dual citizen) to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Director. But the first woman since:

  • Jean Renoir (Man from the South, 1946)
  • Claude Lelouch (Man and Woman, 1967)
  • Costa Gavras (Z, 1970)
  • Francois Truffaut (American Night, 1975)
  • Roman Polanski (Chinatown, 1975)
  • Edward Molinaro (La Cage aux Folles, 1980)
  • Roman Polanski (Tess, 1981)
  • Louis Malle (Atlantic City, 1982)
  • Roland Joffe (Tear, 1985)
  • Roland Joffe (The Mission, 1987)
  • Roman Polanski (The Pianist, 2003)
  • Michel Hazanavicius (artist, 2012)
  • Damien Chazelle (La La Land, 2017)

If he wins, Justin Trier will become the fourth French filmmaker (consecutively) to win the statue for best director, following Roman Polanski (The Pianist), Michel Hazanavicius and Franco-American Damien Chazelle.

Will Oppenheimer live up to his status? Or can Anatomy of the Fall spring a surprise with two major Oscar wins after the Palme d’Or as Parasite in 2020? Answer on the night of March 10-11.

Source: Allocine

You may also like