The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced last week that of the 92 films that were originally considered in the category, 9 of them will advance to compete for the Foreign Language Film Oscar for the 90th Academy Awards.

Of note, with respect to Shadow and Act’s interests, representing Senegal is Alain Gomis’ Félicité; and South Africa’s The Wound, directed by John Trengove, also made the list of 9 films.

Covered on this blog, Gomis’ 4th feature was shot in Kinshasa (DRC) and Senegal, and stars Véronique Beya Mputu, Gaetan Claudia and Mpaka Longi, in a story written by Gomis, Olivier Loustau and Delphine Zingg, that centers around a single mother named Félicité, a singer in Kinshasa living with Samo, her 16-year-old son, who is at risk of losing his leg from an accident, unless she can come up with the money to pay for the operation. His leg will be amputated otherwise, sending Félicité on a city-wide quest to raise the necessary funds.

Meanwhile Trengove’s Wound chronicles the initiation rites of a South African tribe, as tradition and modernity collide when an urbanized businessman from Johannesburg resolves to expose his 17-year-old son to the circumcision ceremony of his old tribe. Co-written by Trengove, Thando Mgqolozana and Malusi Bengu and produced by Urucu Media, the drama stars multi-talented musician and novelist, Nakhane Touré in his first ever film-role, alongside Bongile Mantsai and Niza Jay Ncoyini. It was shot entirely in South Africa.

 

Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

The 9 films that have moved on in the race for the 2018 Foreign Language Film Oscar follow, listed in alphabetical order by country:

— Chile, A Fantastic Woman, Sebastián Lelio, director;

— Germany, In the Fade, Fatih Akin, director;

— Hungary, On Body and Soul, Ildikó Enyedi, director;

— Israel, Foxtrot, Samuel Maoz, director;

— Lebanon, The Insult, Ziad Doueiri, director;

— Russia, Loveless, Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;

— Senegal, Félicité, Alain Gomis, director;

— South Africa, The Wound, John Trengove, director;

— Sweden, The Square, Ruben Östlund, director.