List of Ukrainian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Ukraine has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1997. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[1] As of 2016, nine films have been selected to represent Ukraine in this category, and five were accepted and screened by AMPAS. The sixth film, A Driver for Vera was disqualified for having insufficient Ukrainian origins.
Submissions
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956. The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.[1] Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Ukraine for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
| Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Director(s) | Language(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 (70th) |
A Friend of the Deceased | Приятель небіжчика (Pryiatel nebizhchyka) Приятель покойника (Priyatel pokoinika) |
Kryshtofovych, ViacheslavViacheslav Kryshtofovych | Ukrainian | Not Nominated |
| 2003 (76th) |
Mamay [2] | Мамай (Mamai) | Sanin, OlesOles Sanin | Ukrainian | Not Nominated |
| 2004 (77th) |
A Driver for Vera [3] | Водій для Віри (Vodiy dlya Viry) Водитель для Веры (Voditel dlya Very) |
Chukhrai, PavloPavlo Chukhrai | Russian | Disqualified |
| 2006 (79th) |
Aurora [4] | Аврора (Avrora) | Bayrak, OksanaOksana Bayrak | Russian | Not Nominated |
| 2008 (81st) |
Illusion of Fear [5] | Ілюзія страху (Iliuziya strakhu) | Kiriyenko, OleksandrOleksandr Kiriyenko | Ukrainian | Not Nominated |
| 2012 (85th) |
Firecrosser[6] | Той, хто пройшов крізь вогонь (Toi, khto proishov kriz vohon) |
Illienko, MykhailoMykhailo Illienko | Ukrainian, Russian, English | Not Nominated |
| 2013 (86th) |
Paradjanov[7] | Параджанов (Paradzhanov) | Serge Avedikian, Olena Fetisova |
Ukrainian | Not Nominated |
| 2014 (87th) |
The Guide[8] | Поводир (Povodyr) | Oles Sanin | Ukrainian, Russian, English | Not Nominated |
| 2016 (89th) |
Ukrainian Sheriffs[9] | Українські шерифи | Roman Bondarchuk | Ukrainian | TBD |
The Ukrainians have had a shaky record in this category:
- In 2004, A Driver for Vera was disqualified for being a majority-Russian production. The film was largely shot in Ukraine, and was a co-production between Russian and Ukrainian production companies, but the film was made in Russian by a Russian writer-director (Pavlo Chukhrai, who represented Russia in this category and won an Oscar nomination in 1997) and five of the six top-billed actors were Russian.
- In 2006, a Columbia University film professor alleged that Ukraine's selection process was opaque, and that cancer drama Aurora had never actually screened in accordance with AMPAS rules.[10] Despite the protest, Aurora was accepted and screened.
- In 2007, Ukraine announced that a special committee had been formed to choose a Ukrainian nominee. However, it was announced in October 2007 that although three films were eligible, the committee had never met to choose a nominee.
- In 2014, Ukraine's decision to submit Oles Sanin's The Guide ahead of the more acclaimed festival hit The Tribe by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, sparked a controversy that resulted in accusations of collusion by several members of the country's selection committee, who were forced to step down.[11]
- In 2015, Ukraine missed the deadline to submit a film. They requested an extension from the Academy but it was denied.[12]
Black comedy Friend of the Deceased (in Russian), surreal romance Mamay (in Ukrainian), and political thriller-cum-fantasy Illusion of Fear (in Russian) all represented the country without incident.
The first and only Ukrainian production to be nominated for an Oscar was Wartime Romance, a Russian-language production made by Odessa Film Studios which was selected to represent the Soviet Union in late 1984, and which received an Oscar nomination at the 1985 Academy Awards.
See also
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best Foreign Language Film
- List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films
References
- 1 2 "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 2013-08-26.
- ↑ http://www.kinokolo.ua/news/517/
- ↑ http://www.indiewire.com/article/foreign_oscar_quandary_academy_nixes_maria_colombia_adds_el_rey_and_other_s/
- ↑ http://www.annews.ru/news/detail.php?ID=56472
- ↑ http://www.umoloda.kiev.ua/number/1270/164/44972/
- ↑ "Ukraine to submit Firecrosser for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ "Ukraine nominates Paradjanov for Academy Awards". armenpress. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
- ↑ "Oscars: Ukraine Nominates Oles Sanin's 'The Guide' for Foreign Language Category". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
- ↑ "Ukraine selects its candidate for foreign-language Oscar". Ukraine Today. 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ↑ http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ufc/news/cinenews_aurora.html
- ↑ "Oscars: Backlash Over Ukraine's Nomination for Best Foreign Language Category". Retrieved 2016-08-25.
- ↑ "Oscars: Ukraine Misses Foreign-Language Deadline, Requests Extension". Retrieved 2016-08-25.
