Report from
Paris, by Darius
KADIVAR
©imdb.com & Oscar.org®
IT'S
OFFICIAL, Marjane
Satrapi's animated film "Persepolis" co-directed
with Vincent Paronnaud and produced by 2,4,7 Films that earned the Jury Prize at
the 60th Annual Cannes International film festival this year will officially
represent France at the upcoming Oscars® in
2008. The CNC (CENTRE NATIONALE DE LA
CINEMATOGRAPHIE) the commission whose members are
named by France's Minister of
Culture and Communication announced Monday the choice of Satrapi's film to
represent France at the
upcoming Oscars® in Hollywood next year.
The
criteria of selection of a film at the Oscars® is as follows:
1)The film should be released
between the 1st of October 2006 and the 30th of September 2007.
2)The Artistic control of the film
should belong to nationals ( hereby French) representing the film.
The
name and status ( in French) of the Seven Members of the French Commission in
charge of the 2008 Oscars® are:
Frédéric BRILLION (Président de la
Commission d'agrément)
Claude DURAND (Président de la
Commission d'avance sur recettes)
Thierry FREMAUX (Délégué général du
Festival de Cannes)
Margaret MENEGOZ (Présidente
d'Unifrance Film international)
Alain TERZIAN (Président de
l'Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma)
Marc TESSIER (Président de la
Commission d'aide sélective à la distribution)
Laurent VALLET (Président de la
Commission d'aide à la promotion du cinéma français à
l'étranger).
"Persepolis" is due in US Theaters in December
and no less than 40 countries are distributing it. It is already nominated for the European Academy
Awards that will be announcing its Awardees on Dec
1st. Other Contenders to the Oscar® Statuette were Pascale Ferran's "Lady
Chatterley" and Olivier Dahan's "La Mome" which tells the story of French Diva
Edith Piaf, both of which have had Box Office and critical acclaim as Persepolis in France.
However the CNC's final choice was
set on Satrapi's animated film about the childhood experiences of an outspoken
Iranian girl growing up in fundamentalist Iran in the aftermath of Islamic Revolution of
1979 and following her life in exile in the West (Austria and
France). Persepolis has drawn a Million Viewers in
France rating it at the Top of the French Summer Box
Office Hits. It also triggered controversy and protest from Iranian authorities
who unjustly deemed the film as Islamophobic and anti-revolutionary.
It should be added that French
actress Marion Cotillard, 31 years old, is also considered to run in the Best
actress category given the success of the film overseas but that is still
subject to deliberation by the Commission.
TOP: The Only French Stars to date to win an
Oscar®: Simone Signoret and Juliette
Binoche.
Bottom: Régis Warnier's Indochine also starred
Catherine Deneuve in the title
role.
©imdb.com & Oscar.org®
Some
Background History:
With 34 nominations,
France heads the number of
nominations for an Oscar® in foreign film category. However the last time a
French film was awarded was with Régis Wargnier's Indochine (also starring
Catherine Deneuve) in 1993. As for French actress' who won the Gold Statue they
were Simone
Signoret (1960) for Room on
the Top and Juliette Binoche (1996) Best
Actress in a Supporting Role in The
English Patient.
As for Iranian Nationals, to date
Only Hollywood Star Shohreh Aghdashloo was nominated
for her supporting role in The
House of Sand and Fog in 2003, while Sound
Engineer Kami Asgar was nominated for his
work on Mel Gibson's Apocalypto in 2006. Two
Iranian produced films were also nominated in the past: The People of the Wind
directed by Anthony
Howarth and narrated by James Mason in 1976 and
Children of Heaven in 1997
directed by Iranian director Majid
Majidi.
Kami Asgar, Shohreh Aghdashloo have been nominees
for the Oscar®
Statuette as well as
films like People of the Wind and Children of
Heaven. ©imdb.com
&Oscars®.org
The
submission of "Persepolis" still has meet the approval of The
US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The entire selection will only
be announced definitively in early January 2008.
VIVE LE CINEMA & Persepolis ! ;0)
Authors
Notes:
Official
Website of the CNC (CENTRE NATIONALE DE LA
CINEMATOGRAPHIE)
Official
Website of The Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences
(Oscars)
Recommended
Readings On Persepolis:
Persepolis Nominated for European
Oscars! by Darius
KADIVAR
MAGIC IN THE MAKING: Satrapi's Cinephilic Choice for
Persepolis Cast by Darius
KADIVAR
Persepolis Tops French Box Office
Record! by Darius
KADIVAR
Satrapi's Persepolis Soundtrack CD
Released by Darius
KADIVAR
Satrapi's Persepolis wins "Prix du Jury" at
Cannes by Darius
KADIVAR
Satrapi Launches Official Website & Production
Blog
by Darius KADIVAR
Persepolis Runs In Cannes Palme D'or Selection
2007
by Darius KADIVAR
Recommended Readings On Iran and French
Cinema:
Iranian Pioneers in French New Wave
Cinema by Darius
KADIVAR
Anicée (ALVINA) Shahmanesh: France's Sex Icon of the
1970's by Darius
KADIVAR
An Independent Eye: Producer/Distributor Hengameh
Panahi by Darius KADIVAR
Legendary Film Critic Jean-Claude
Carriere and Wife Nahal Tajadod Chants Djalal-e-Din Mohammad Molavi
Rumi by Darius
KADIVAR
Enduring Friendship: Alain Delon and Shahbanou Farah
Pahlavi by Darius
KADIVAR
Recommended
Readings On Iranians in
Hollywood:
Persian Golden Boys in
Hollywood by Darius KADIVAR
Close Up on Shohreh
Aghdashloo by Darius KADIVAR & Parisa
DEFAIE
Tony Nourmand's Golden Eye by Darius KADIVAR
Asgar for an Oscar by Darius KADIVAR
Nailing the Script: Screenwriter Cyrus
Nowrasteh by Darius KADIVAR
About the Author: Darius
KADIVAR is a Freelance Journalist, Film Historian, and Media Consultant. He
contributes OCPC
Magazine and The
MiddleEast Magazine.
