To say the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has become more international in recent years doesn’t quite paint a full enough picture of how tastes have changed. More accurately, the Academy has become more European, so when awards bodies like the British Independent Film Awards or the European Film Awards announce their nominations, take note.
The film that arguably got the biggest show of support from both parties is documentary “No Other Land,” directed by a Palestinian-Israeli collective, chronicling Israel’s destructive occupation of the West Bank’s Masafer Yatta, all before the events of October 7, 2023. While it’s been a mainstay at fall film festivals from Telluride to Toronto to New York after first winning Best Documentary at the Berlinale, “No Other Land” has been entirely self-distributed. Already without studio support, the film lacks the backing of celebrities the way “To Kill a Tiger” (another film that ultimately got a Best Documentary Feature nomination without a distributor attached) did in 2024.
It says a lot that “No Other Land” is the only documentary nominated in the Best International Independent Film category at the BIFAs, and for it to make the current list of Best European Film nominees at the EFAs as well. To be fair, the latter category has been updated to include all five Best European Documentary nominees and all five Best European Animated Feature Film nominees, in addition to five live-action scripted features like “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (also a BIFA nominee).
Broadly, the films the British Independent Film Awards went for were Ireland’s Best International Feature submission “Kneecap,” A24 dark horse “Love Lies Bleeding,” and Saoirse Ronan-starrer “The Outrun.” Given how last year’s BIFA nominations leader “All of Us Strangers” swept but then received zero Oscar nominations, the choices may not have much sway in America. Though with acting races already tight, the love for “The Outrun” bodes well for Ronan’s chances of receiving a fourth Best Actress nomination (and fifth Oscar nomination overall). Two years ago, the success of “Aftersun” at the BIFAs was an early sign star Paul Mescal would make it into Best Actor.
Speaking of Ronan, Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” for which she is also a Best Supporting Actress contender, was an EFA also-ran. But with Apple’s backing, don’t count the World War II drama out of the Oscar race.
Again, with Europeans an even stronger voting bloc to spearhead Oscar nomination surprises like “Anatomy of a Fall” director Justine Triet for Best Director, the BIFA category that best indicates what films may have more Academy fans than we think is Best International Independent Film. After all, Triet’s Oscar-winning film won the category last year, and now fellow Palme d’Or winner “Anora” has a shot. Were that Neon film from Sean Baker to win here, it would support the already prevalent idea that it’s a Best Picture frontrunner.
But if fellow Cannes 2024 winners “All We Imagine as Light” or “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” were to win Best International Independent Film, the trend of non-English films increasingly infiltrating the Best Picture race could continue, even if not chosen as a Best International Feature submission (which was true of “Anatomy of a Fall” and is now true of “All We Imagine as Light.” Germany has “Sacred Fig” in the race.)
The biggest non-English Oscars competition for those films is fellow Cannes premiere “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix), leading the European Film Awards nominations with four. An EFA sweep for the Jacques Audiard film, similar to what “Anatomy of a Fall” had last year, could be the boost it needs to supersede another Oscar frontrunner like “Anora” or “Conclave” (which squeaked in an EFA nomination for Best Actor for star Ralph Fiennes.) Spanish actress Karla Sofía Gascón is the only Best European Actress 2024 nominee who has consistently been in the Oscar conversation, so her Best Actress campaign remains secure.
Also leading at the EFAs, Venice Golden Lion winner “The Room Next Door” from Pedro Almodóvar got nods for Film, Director, Screenplay, and Actress for Tilda Swinton (further confirmation of which star in the two-hander has any hope of a Best Actress Oscar nomination.) However, support for the Sony Pictures Classics release at North American festivals, including TIFF and NYFF, hasn’t been as strong as at Venice. Is the film’s international support enough to bring it back into the Oscar conversation? Is there still only room at the Oscars for a select number of films that cater to European tastes? The arthouse drama’s December 20 opening stateside should boost support, as well as from the internationally flavored Golden Globes.
Quickly running through more films that did well with European Film Awards voters, in addition to “Emilia Pérez” and “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” fellow Best International Feature submissions “Vermiglio,” “The Girl With the Needle,” “Flow,” and “Armand” all made it into several categories, meaning they are all likely bound to make the Oscars shortlist. Andrea Arnold’s “Bird” is still holding on strong with nominations for Director and Actor (the Mubi release also received several BIFA nominations) but isn’t a robust Oscar contender.
Finally, two films with a deceptively bittersweet nominations morning: “Hard Truths” and “The Substance.” The former is an Oscar dark horse for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for seven-time nominee Mike Leigh, yet the only BIFA nominations the Bleecker Street release received were for Best Lead Performance for Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Best Supporting Performance for Michele Austin. Though the BIFA showing is still a boost for Jean-Baptiste’s Best Actress chances, both she and the film as a whole were shut out of EFA nominations.
Meanwhile, “The Substance” had the inverse problem. Though Best Actress contender Demi Moore has seemed like the best chance the Mubi release has at an Oscar nomination, the body horror thriller only received EFA noms for European Film and Screenplay. Moore’s lack of showing at EFAs could be due to her being American (no Americans made the cut), but she didn’t receive the Best Actress prize at Cannes, either, where Coralie Fargeat won for her screenplay. Fargeat may now have enough momentum to make it into the 2025 Oscars for Best Original Screenplay, but Moore still needs a boost elsewhere. That will come from critics groups.
