AWARDS WATCH '08 | Foreign Language Oscar Race May Offer Fewer Surprises and Acquisitions

AWARDS WATCH '08 | Foreign Language Oscar Race May Offer Fewer Surprises and Acquisitions indieWIRE - Oct 10, 11:26 by Anthony Kaufman (October 10, 2008) From Bangladesh to Vietnam, nearly 100 countries were invited to submit films for this year's foreign-language Oscar race. (The official list of titles will come out early next week.) Notoriously, the category is one of the most unpredictable - last year, leading contenders "4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days" and "Persepolis" were shafted, while entries from Poland, Israel and Russia surprisingly made the final cut. If this year's race may be one of the widest open in years, it may also turn out to be one of the most predictable due to a radical change in Academy regulations as a result of last year's "embarrassment," as one industry insider called it. For the first time in the... [read full story]