Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father won’t be in contention for an Academy Award in 2018.
The actress and filmmaker’s movie is based on Loung Ung’s memoir of the same name, and depicts Ung’s life as a child soldier living in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge in the mid-1970s.
First They Killed My Father, which was made in Cambodia with an all-Cambodian cast, was released on Netflix in September (17) to positive reviews, and was selected as the Cambodian entry in the Foreign Language Film category for the 90th Academy Awards, but was not on the shortlist of nine candidates announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday (14Dec17).
However, Jolie’s film has been nominated in the best Foreign Language Film category for the upcoming Golden Globes, going up against Russian drama Loveless and Swedish film The Square, among others.
The other interesting omission from the Oscars‘ Foreign Language Film category is France’s entry,
BPM (Beats Per Minute). Directed by Robin Campillo, the drama tells the story of a group of HIV/AIDS activists associated with the Paris chapter of ACT UP, and won the Grand Prix award at the Cannes Film Festival.
Ninety-two films were originally entered into the Academy Award race, including features from Afghanistan, Senegal, Vietnam, and Costa Rica. The shortlist includes a number of expected entries, such as Loveless and The Square, with members of the Academy set to vote for the winner in January.
Here’s the list of Foreign Language Films in contention:
Chile – A Fantastic Woman directed by Sebastian Lelio
Germany – In the Fade directed by Fatih Akin
Hungary – On Body and Soul directed by Ildiko Enyedi
Israel – Foxtrot directed by Samuel Maoz
Lebanon – The Insult directed by Ziad Doueiri
Russia – Loveless directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev
Senegal – Felicite directed by Alain Gomis
South Africa –The Wound directed by John Trengove
Sweden – The Square directed by Ruben Ostlund
The Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 4 March (18).