Ukraine has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film[nb 1] since 1997. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[3] As of 2021, fourteen films have been selected to represent Ukraine in this category, and five were accepted and screened by AMPAS. The sixth film, A Driver for Vera was disqualified for having insufficient Ukrainian origins.
Submissions
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956. The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.[3] Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Ukraine for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Language(s) | Director(s) | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1997 (70th) |
A Friend of the Deceased | Приятель небіжчика | Russian, Ukrainian | Viacheslav Kryshtofovych | Not nominated |
2003 (76th) |
Mamay [4] | Мамай | Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar | Oles Sanin | Not nominated |
2004 (77th) |
A Driver for Vera [5] | Водій для Віри | Russian | Pavlo Chukhrai | Disqualified |
2006 (79th) |
Aurora [6] | Аврора (Avrora) | Oksana Bairak | Not nominated | |
2008 (81st) |
Illusion of Fear [7] | Ілюзія страху | Russian, Ukrainian | Oleksandr Kiriyenko | Not nominated |
2012 (85th) |
Firecrosser[8] | Той, хто пройшов крізь вогонь | Ukrainian, English, Russian, Crimean Tatar | Mykhailo Illienko | Not nominated |
2013 (86th) |
Paradjanov[9] | Параджанов | Russian, Ukrainian | Serge Avedikian, Olena Fetisova |
Not nominated |
2014 (87th) |
The Guide[10] | Поводир | Ukrainian, Russian, English | Oles Sanin | Not nominated |
2016 (89th) |
Ukrainian Sheriffs[11] | Українські шерифи | Ukrainian, Russian | Roman Bondarchuk | Not nominated |
2017 (90th) |
Black Level[12] | Рівень чорного | No dialogue | Valentyn Vasianovych | Not nominated |
2018 (91st) |
Donbass[13] | Донбас | Russian, Ukrainian | Sergei Loznitsa | Not nominated |
2019 (92nd) |
Homeward[14] | Додому | Crimean Tatar, Ukrainian | Nariman Aliev | Not nominated |
2020 (93rd) |
Atlantis[15] | Атлантида | Ukrainian | Valentyn Vasyanovych | Not nominated |
2021 (94th) |
Bad Roads[16] | Погані дороги | Russian, Ukrainian | Nataliia Vorozhbyt | Not nominated |
2022 (95th) |
Klondike[17] | Клондайк | Ukrainian, Russian, Chechen, Dutch | Maryna Er Gorbach | Not nominated |
2023 (96th) |
20 Days in Mariupol[18] | 20 днів у Маріуполі | Ukrainian, Russian | Mstyslav Chernov | Made shortlist |
Additionally, a Ukrainian film, Wartime Romance, was selected by the Soviet Union in 1984.
The Ukrainians have had a shaky record in this category:
- In 2004, A Driver for Vera was disqualified for being a majority-Russian production. The film was largely shot in Ukraine, and was a co-production between Russian and Ukrainian production companies, but the film was made in Russian by a Russian writer-director (Pavlo Chukhrai, who represented Russia in this category and won an Oscar nomination in 1997) and five of the six top-billed actors were Russian.
- In 2006, a Columbia University film professor alleged that Ukraine's selection process was opaque, and that cancer drama Aurora had never actually screened in accordance with AMPAS rules.[19] Despite the protest, Aurora was accepted and screened.
- In 2007, it was rumored that Ukraine would finally form a special Oscar committee to annually choose a Ukrainian nominee and that supposedly the movie "Koroliova" would be selected in 2007 as Ukraine's Oscar representative.[20] However, eventually it was revealed that the committee did not meet to choose a nominee.[21]
- In 2014, Ukraine's decision to submit Oles Sanin's The Guide ahead of the more acclaimed festival hit The Tribe by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, sparked a controversy that resulted in accusations of collusion by several members of the country's selection committee, who were forced to step down.[22]
- In 2015, Ukraine missed the deadline to submit a film. They requested an extension from the Academy but it was denied.[23]
Black comedy Friend of the Deceased (in Russian), surreal romance Mamay (in Ukrainian), and political thriller-cum-fantasy Illusion of Fear (in Russian) all represented the country without incident.
Shortlisted finalists
In 2020, The Earth Is Blue as an Orange by Iryna Tsilyk and My Thoughts Are Silent by Antonio Lukich were also shortlisted for consideration.[24]
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ↑ "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- 1 2 "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ↑ "Ukraine nominates "Mamay" for "Oscar" competition - Новини - KINOKOLO.UA".
- ↑ "Foreign Oscar Quandary: Academy Nixes "Maria," Colombia Adds "El Rey," and Other Stories from the Fo". 3 November 2004.
- ↑ 'Аврора' будет представлять Украину на 'Оскаре' ['Aurora' will represent Ukraine for the 'Oscars']. annews.ru (in Russian). 30 November 2006. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2009.
- ↑ ""Ілюзія страху». Курс — на «Оскар"".
- ↑ "Ukraine to submit Firecrosser for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars". Kyiv Post. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
- ↑ "Ukraine nominates Paradjanov for Academy Awards". armenpress. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ↑ "Oscars: Ukraine Nominates Oles Sanin's 'The Guide' for Foreign Language Category". Hollywood Reporter. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ↑ "Ukraine selects its candidate for foreign-language Oscar". Ukraine Today. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ↑ Holdsworth, Nick (29 August 2017). "Oscars: Ukraine Selects 'Black Level' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ↑ Kozlov, Vladimir (29 August 2018). "Oscars: Ukraine Selects 'Donbass' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
- ↑ "Ukrainian film Homeward about annexed Crimea goes for Oscar". Opinion UA. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
- ↑ "Film 'Atlantis' has more chances for Oscars than Ukrainian nominees of past years - head of Ukrainian Oscar Committee". Interfax Ukraine. 24 September 2020. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
- ↑ "Bad roads de Vorozhbyt representará a Ucrania en los Oscar". Ukrinform. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ↑ "Oscars best international feature 2023: all the films submitted so far". Screendayly. 8 September 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
- ↑ Horlach, Polina (18 September 2023). ""20 днів у Маріуполі": обрали претендента на "Оскар-2024" від України" ["20 days in Mariupol": a candidate for "Oscar-2024" from Ukraine was chosen] (in Ukrainian).
- ↑ "Ukrainian Film Club of Columbia University".
- ↑ Вітчизняне кіно: шукайте в кінотеатрах - Telekrytyka, 29.10.2007 (in Ukrainian)
- ↑ Молодо-зелено. Чому Україна цього року відмовилася від «Оскара» - Week's mirror, 26.10.2007 (in Ukrainian)
- ↑ "Oscars: Backlash Over Ukraine's Nomination for Best Foreign Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. 11 September 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ "Oscars: Ukraine Misses Foreign-Language Deadline, Requests Extension". The Hollywood Reporter. October 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
- ↑ "Oscar 2021: announced the participants of the national selection". DzygaMDB. Retrieved 18 September 2020.