The Academy Awards will have a new prize in 2020: Best International Feature Film. Itâs a new name for the âBest Foreign-Language Filmâ Oscar which has been given out as a âcompetitive Academy Award of meritâ since 1956. But, other than the name, it appears not much has really changed when it comes to promoting the work of diverse global filmmakers.
âWe have noted that the reference to âForeignâ is outdated within the global filmmaking community,â Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, co-chairs of the International Feature Film Committee, wrote in a statement. âWe believe that International Feature Film better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience.â
But, other than the name, nothing else changedâin particular, a controversial rule about the use of English dialogue. Academy rules dictate that, to qualify for the âInternational Featureâ Oscar, more than 50 percent of the film must be in a non-English language.
That puts a film like this yearâs acclaimed Lionheart at a disadvantage. The Nigerian film, available on Netflix, features some characters speaking Igbo occasionally, but the majority of the dialogue is conducted in Nigeriaâs official language: English. As The Atlantic reported, the film was deemed ineligible for Oscar consideration.
To @TheAcademy, You disqualified Nigeriaâs first-ever submission for Best International Feature because its in English. But English is the official language of Nigeria. Are you barring this country from ever competing for an Oscar in its official language? https://t.co/X3EGb01tPF
â Ava DuVernay (@ava) November 4, 2019
If Nigerians arenât allowed to submit films in their own official language, what of every other nation that was ever colonized by English-speaking people? Thatâs a lot of countries that find themselves excluded from Oscar considerationâspecifically, a lot of countries outside of Europe.
Of the 66 Oscars that have been given out in the category, 57 have gone to European films. The last timeâand only timeâan African nation won was in 1969, when the award went to Algeriaâs Z. That film was made in French, the language of the European power that colonized Algeria for a century.
Another of this yearâs most lauded films, The Farewell, has seemingly confounded film-world institutions. Itâs an American-made film about American characters, much more than 50 percent of the dialogue is in Chinese. Could it end up competing in the âInternational Filmâ category, rather than the general categories with other American-made films?
âThis calls attention to the delineation of âforeign filmâ vs âforeign-language film.â Which makes more sense?â Farewell director Lulu Wang asked. âCan a âforeign filmâ be in OUR language (i.e. English)? Can a domestic (i.e. American) film be in a foreign language? What does it mean to be foreign? And to be American?â
The Academy is going to have to answer those questions to keep up with a modern, global film industryâand that will mean recognizing outstanding achievement can come from places that the #OscarsSoWhite havenât historically recognized.
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