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By Sean Boelman
L-R: Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, The Girl With the Needle, Kneecap
On December 9, shortlist voting for the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards opens, with the results to be announced on December 17. After the 15 films that make the shortlist are announced, they will be narrowed down to the five eventual nominees in January.
This year 89 films were submitted, with 85 being found eligible. We at disappointment media got the opportunity to screen 36 of the films submitted for this category. And, frankly, apart from one clear leader, this might be one of the more interesting International Feature races we’ve had in several years. The Sure Things
The presumed frontrunner in the International Feature race is France’s Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard’s cartel musical based on an unproduced opera he wrote himself. It’s this year’s only international contender that seems likely to compete in above-the-line categories, with nominations likely or possible in Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress (possibly two times over), Director, and a slew of technical categories. By virtue of this alone, Emilia Pérez is a virtual lock for a nomination and probably even a likely win.
That being said, since the film’s release in theaters and on Netflix in November, the musical has started to receive some pushbacks — most notably critics in the LGBTQIA+ community. The film also did not receive the level of attention that the streamer certainly hoped for from mainstream audiences, given that it stars two recognizable Hollywood A-listers in Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. Does this leave the door open for an upset? If a film is to dethrone Emilia Pérez for its crown in the International Feature category, it is likely to be Brazil’s I’m Still Here. Filmmaker Walter Salles’s most famous film, Central Station, was previously nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and many have hailed I’m Still Here as his best work in decades. This political drama about a mother struggling to hold her family together after it is torn apart by the military dictatorship hits all the right notes and could connect with voters if distributor Sony Pictures Classics puts the right push behind it. The other major contender is Germany’s submission of the Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Fig. It’s a small miracle that Mohammad Rasoulof’s film is even in the conversation because of the broken process by which countries select the films to represent them. An anti-regime film like The Seed of the Sacred Fig would never be the Iranian submission. Thankfully, as much of the film’s funding is German (Rasoulof took refuge in Berlin after being banned from making films in his home country), Germany stepped up and submitted the film as its selection. That being said, the film’s US distributor, NEON, may be too busy with their Best Picture contender, Anora, to take this one all the way to a win. As a brief aside, many filmmakers were not as lucky as Rasoulof, having their films omitted or withdrawn from the race due to this broken process. Palestine did not choose the documentary No Other Land, and Jordan’s submission, My Sweet Land, was withdrawn from the section due to political pressure and censorship. Thankfully, both films are still competing in the Best Documentary race, where they would be deserving contenders, but this column will *always* advocate for a change in this category’s submissions process to preserve freedom of expression. To round out our predicted five nominees, we have the Danish entry The Girl With the Needle and the Irish entry Kneecap. The Girl With the Needle feels like a pretty safe bet — it has timely themes, stunning black-and-white cinematography, and strong performances from Vic Carmen Sloane and Trine Dyrholm. It doesn't quite scream “winner,” but it does seem like a likely nominee. Kneecap, on the other hand, feels like the most unlikely contender, but it’s a great film, and the amount of love it has earned on the festival circuit has positioned it nicely. It’s a crowd-pleasing sex and drugs and rock and roll biopic, but its message about cultural preservation is what puts it over the edge and makes it a legitimate player. Two other films could be in the running for those fourth and fifth spots, primarily because they seem like strong contenders in other categories. Latvian entry Flow seems like a pretty safe lock for a Best Animated Feature nomination, but its lack of linguistic content might make it a harder sell in the Best International Feature category than even an animated film with dialogue. Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey — representing Senegal — is a player in the Best Documentary Feature race, but nonfiction films tend to be a tough sell for a Best International Feature nomination. Expect both to make the shortlist, though. The Heavy Hitters
Grand Tour
The Thai submission, the melodrama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, has a small but passionate following from cinephiles. That should be more than enough to carry it to a shortlist spot and possibly even an outsider shot at a nomination if momentum continues to build. The star power of Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) should be enough for Norwegian entry Armand to coast to a shortlist spot, but it seems unlikely to get one of the final 5 nominations. The UK’s submission (set in India), Santosh, is an incredible film that deserves the love and will probably have enough momentum from festivals to earn a spot on the shortlist, but the first hour of the film is such a slow burn that general voters may have difficulty connecting with it.
The shortlist this year will likely be filled out with films by high-profile filmmakers or that got extensive festival buzz. The Canadian entry, Universal Language, is probably too weird for a nomination, but it could definitely end up on the shortlist. Portugal’s film, Grand Tour, is in a similar boat. Miguel Gomes’s film is phenomenal, with its formal ambition alone likely being enough to earn itself a spot on the shortlist. Still, getting the wider base of Academy voters to embrace the film will be a more difficult challenge. The Icelandic Touch is a lovely film that got a major theatrical release here in the U.S., but it’s a bit slight to be an awards contender. Chilean documentarian Maite Alberdi makes her narrative debut with In Her Place, and after her last two docs were shortlisted, her narrative likely will be too. And the Italian entry, Vermiglio, won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, which should be enough to get it on the shortlist for Oscar. The Wild Cards
Nawi
There are a few potential upsets in the category, too. Japan’s submission, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, is actually probably the best film of any of the submissions we have seen. However, the film’s genre elements might keep it from being recognized in the category. Mexico is often a mainstay in this category, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see their entry, Sujo, take one of the aforementioned films out of the race. And for the past two years, Morocco has had their entry make the shortlist. This year’s submission, Everybody Loves Touda, is directed by Nabil Ayouch, whose work has often been submitted but never shortlisted. That being said, this is a fantastic film, and it would be a delight to see this be the year that breaks that trend.
Then, there are two potential upsets that might end up on the shortlist primarily for political reasons. The Palestinian submission, the anthology From Ground Zero, may have a passionate base rallying behind it for its message, but omnibus films are a tough sell. Few are successful in this category, with Wild Tales being the only recent success in memory. The Ukrainian entry La Palisiada is good and could gather some momentum out of support for Ukraine, but it’s very experimental. And with 20 Days in Mariupol missing a nomination in International Feature last year despite winning Documentary Feature, perhaps the political angle here is not as strong. One of the most exciting things about this category, though, is that there are often films that make the shortlist completely unexpectedly. Movies like Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom and The Quiet Girl have even gone on to get nomination slots against the odds. This year has plenty of those underdogs. The Kenyan submission, Nawi, is a great film about a young woman who is torn between the expectations of her traditional family in a patriarchal society and her own dreams and ambitions. It has a powerful message that needs to be heard, and a shortlist spot could give it the platform it needs to have that message heard by a wider audience. The Swedish entry, The Last Journey, is an adorable, funny, crowd-pleasing documentary about a father-son road trip. It would feel right at home on the shortlist as the heartwarming pick. Another great one is the Kazakh film, Bauryna Salu — a slice-of-life film depicting an unusual cultural practice in Kazakhstan. Even if these films don’t make the cut, hopefully their mere submission is enough to get eyes on them. The Power Ranking
Here are our final predictions for the 2024 Best International Feature Oscar Shortlist:
Likely Nominees:
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By Sean Boelman  In recent years, the Tribeca Festival has been working to expand its offerings beyond purely film screenings. Although the films in the lineup are often excellent — a combination of buzzed-about, starry premieres and some hits from earlier festivals in the year — some of the biggest highlights are the talkback sessions and other post-screening events that enrich the experience. Here are a few things we think you should check out at this year’s Tribeca, from great films to once-in-a-lifetime events paired with film screenings: Between the TemplesNathan Silver’s Between the Temples premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and immediately cemented itself as one of the most hilariously uncomfortable films of the year. Starring Jason Schwartzman as a cantor who has recently become a widower and Carol Kane as his former elementary school teacher, the film switches between heartwarming, awkward, and funny — often all within the same scene. If you’re looking for an entertaining movie to watch at this year’s Tribeca, you’ll have a hard time finding one better than this. KneecapThe music dramedy Kneecap perfectly splits the line between crowd-pleasing and incendiary, which is why it has been such a hit on the festival circuit so far. The film, a fictionalized telling of the story of the formation of the eponymous Irish hip-hop group, also offers some unexpected insight into the need for cultural preservation. If the buzz around the film wasn’t enough to attract festivalgoers to see the movie, the band will be doing a special performance for ticketholders, making this a night you absolutely will not forget. She Loves Blossoms MoreTribeca is unique among mainstream festivals in that it features not one but two sections devoted to the cinema bizarro that exists on the fringes of the fest circuit. Launched last year, the Escape From Tribeca sidebar is separate from the traditional Midnight programming, featuring wild, crazy, and — most importantly — fun genre films. There isn’t a film that better encapsulates this in this year’s lineup than the Greek sci-fi film She Loved Blossoms More, which blends horror, comedy, and trippy experimental cinema in a way that is equal parts hypnotic and hilarious. The sickos of the cinephile community (a term endearingly used by one of your own) will *not* want to miss this. Skywalkers: A Love StoryHowever, it’s not just the limits of good taste that festivalgoers can expect to see pushed at Tribeca this year, they can also expect to see the limits of human capability tested. The documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story premiered to great acclaim at this year’s Sundance to great acclaim, and Tribeca is offering a rare opportunity for attendees to see the film about two Russian daredevils in IMAX. It’s a beautifully shot and unexpectedly compelling film, and you won’t want to miss the opportunity to see this on one of the best and biggest screens in NYC. TreasureAlthough its Berlinale premiere was overshadowed by the premiere of the similarly-themed (and buzzier) A Real Pain at Sundance, Julia von Heinz’s Treasure is making a stop at Tribeca ahead of its theatrical release later this month. The film stars Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry as a daughter and father who return to his homeland of Poland, which he left after surviving the Holocaust. It’s not a particularly subtle film, but it offers an interesting perspective on this story and explores a side of this conflict that hasn’t really been shown before. The 2024 Tribeca Film Festival runs June 5-15 in New York City.
Review by Sean Boelman
Recently, Criterion has been partnering with indie distributor extraordinaire NEON to release some of its films through the boutique label. The latest is Saint Omer, a criminally underseen courtroom drama that served as documentarian Alice Diop's narrative feature debut. This release is a welcome opportunity for fans to get their hands on a copy of the best movie of 2022.
Saint Omer follows a novelist who attends the trial of a woman accused of murdering her infant daughter, causing her to reflect on her own life and how the case resonates with her. Submitted by France for the Oscar for Best International Feature but unfortunately snubbed, Saint Omer holds up incredibly well. Diop’s film stands out from most other courtroom dramas because of its documentary-like approach, which makes sense considering her background in nonfiction filmmaking. It is not the type of court movie with quick dialogue and chess-like legal tactics; Diop is much more interested in the intricacies of the story and their even deeper implications and contexts. The result is a movie that feels incredibly emotional, even by the genre's standards. Of course, there was no doubt that a movie about a mother accused of these crimes wouldn’t be a stirring watch, but the perspective through which Diop presents it makes the emotional elements all the more complex and impactful. 
Diop also has some worthy and talented collaborators in actresses Guslagie Malanda and Kayije Kagame. Saint Omer rightfully served as a breakout for Malanda, whose tremendous performance as the woman on trial is as crushing as they come (she would later appear in The Beast alongside Lea Seydoux and George McKay). Yet, although Malanda’s performance is the more immediately forward, Kagame’s stands out on rewatch as especially potent in its quietness and mannerisms.
However, what stands out most about Saint Omer, upon revisiting it over a year later, is how tender it is with its themes. Although the story might seem somewhat straightforward on its surface, there are incredibly prescient undercurrents running through it, exploring themes like immigration, femininity, and misogyny. The script, written by Diop along with Amrita David and Marie N’Diaye, sticks with you in ways you would not expect. In terms of bonus features, this edition of Saint Omer features some new interviews with director Alice Diop, making it a relatively bare release compared to most of the newer movies that enter the Criterion Collection. The 2K restoration is solid, but it is important to note that this is not being released in 4K — only Blu-Ray and DVD. Ultimately, the Criterion of Saint Omer is worth picking up, if only to get the opportunity to own this incredible work of French cinema. Unlike most of NEON’s films in the collection, Saint Omer had previously not received a physical media release in the US — only streaming and digital media — and any francophile or cinephile who admires world cinema will undoubtedly want to have this on their shelf. The Criterion Collection edition of Saint Omer is now available.
By Sean Boelman
Although SXSW is known for its flashy world premieres of big-budget blockbusters (and don’t get us wrong—we’re just as excited about The Fall Guy as everyone else), the Austin-based film and television festival also showcases a ton of indie projects and smaller-scale studio films that festival-goers absolutely should not miss.
We at disappointment media want to recommend a few films we think you shouldn’t miss that are playing at this year’s SXSW: Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story
Molly and Billy connecting on the pontoon. (National Geographic/Charlie Hamilton James)
Admittedly, the inclusion of this documentary on this list might be clouded by the fact that otters are one of the few animals this writer actually finds cute. Putting that aside, though, Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story has plenty of reasons to recommend it to festival-going audiences. The film tells the story of a man in the Shetland Islands who forms an unexpected friendship with a wild otter. It’s an adorable, sweet story, less than 80 minutes long, and shot in beautiful 4K cinematography by Charlie Hamilton-James — what’s not to love?
The Greatest Hits
Credit: Photo by Merie Weismiller Wallace, Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures.
Cinephiles are probably most familiar with filmmaker Ned Benson for The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, his trilogy of films telling the same story from different perspectives. His long-awaited return to the directorial chair is the romantic drama The Greatest Hits, which feels like an American answer to the work of filmmakers like John Carney and writer Nick Hornby. The film stars Lucy Boynton as a woman with a strange condition — whenever she listens to certain songs, she is transported back in time to the last moment she heard them with her deceased boyfriend. It’s a lovely film, and it will be released by Searchlight next month in theaters and on Hulu, so don’t miss the chance to check this one out.
Resynator
Courtesy Select A Shape Pictures
Alison Tavel’s documentary Resynator starts out seeming like a standard music documentary as she investigates the synthesizer she discovers was invented by her father. However, as she interviews her father’s peers and family members, the film turns into something much more personal and profound. It’s nice to see a movie like this — telling the filmmaker’s personal story — that is so unafraid to explore the darker elements with such honesty and empathy.
Sew Torn
Sew Torn is the feature debut of filmmaker Freddy Macdonald, adapted from his short of the same name. The short picked up some significant buzz after its release, and canny festival-goers will check the feature out expecting the same. This bonkers crime thriller follows a seamstress who gets caught up in a drug deal gone wrong, leaving her three options: commit the “perfect” crime, call the police, or drive away. The film plays out each of the choices in a format that’s edge-of-your-seat thrilling.
Things Will Be Different
Michael Felker has worked with the filmmaking duo Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead as an editor since Spring, so it’s no surprise that his feature directorial debut, Things Will Be Different, is a mind-bending indie sci-fi thriller. You won’t soon forget this mysterious flick about two siblings who travel to a time-traveling farmhouse to lie low after committing a robbery, only to get stuck in a dangerous limbo. It might not be the type of movie you first think of when you think of a midnight movie, but it’s undoubtedly effective — and occasionally even super gnarly.
The 2024 SXSW Film Festival runs March 8-16 in Austin, TX.
By Daniel Lima and Sean Boelman
Slamdance has long been known as the “indie-r cousin” of Sundance, as it happens at the same time as the higher-profile festival in its mountain home of Park City, Utah. However, Slamdance has made a name for itself as a platform for up-and-coming filmmakers from around the world to showcase their edgy, experimental, and — most of all — independent visions.
We at disappointment media covered the 2024 edition of Slamdance remotely. Here are a few of the films we saw in the festival lineup and our thoughts on them:
Reviews by Daniel Lima
Anna's Feelings
Whoever thought there was enough here to sustain one hundred and thirty minutes of screentime should be criminally prosecuted. Anna’s Feelings is about a factory worker in a small Russian town who begins to hear aliens speaking to her, disrupting the lives of her entire family. This is a formulaic indie dramedy, predictable to the point of parody, shuffling along at such a laborious pace that one is fooled into expecting some subversion or deeper meaning. There is none. It's a shame to see Anna Mikhalkova’s great performance so wasted.
Darla in Space
There are two ways a film about a woman who discovers a kombucha mother that grants transcendental orgasms can go: absolutely bonkers in embracing a premise so strange or disappointingly milquetoast as it slowly reveals that the filmmakers only thought as far as that premise. Darla in Space, unfortunately, is the latter, content with coasting on the charms of the lead actress and the voice performance of the mother without ever actually coalescing into being actually about anything. That lack of vision is perfectly exemplified by the lazy AI-generated images meant to capture how those orgasms feel.
Hell of SE
I would be lying if I said I knew, at any point, what the hell was going on in Hell of SE. As far as I can tell, it is a meandering, opaque portrait of youthful angst and ennui. Yet it’s hard to find fault in director Sawa Kawakami’s deliberately experimental style, actively challenging not only the audience but also her own capabilities. The disaffected performances, shooting the film on formats including MiniDV and the Nintendo 3DS, it’s genuinely exciting to see a filmmaker who actively tries to make such an abrasive feature debut — even if it is impossible to decipher.
Reviews by Sean Boelman
Invisible Nation
Slamdance’s documentaries tend to be much more polished than the festival’s narrative features, and the closing night selection of the festival, Vanessa Hope’s Invisible Nation, is a very sleekly directed film. Although the documentary is primarily about the election and term of Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, it uses this as a starting point to ask many big questions. In many ways, the film almost works better as an exploration of the overall merits of democratic government than a biography of this particular political figure, but Hope mostly does a great job of tying together the story with its historical background and broader implications.
Petro
The interesting thing about Petro is that there’s another documentary about the same election, from the side of another candidate, playing at the *other* Park City festival. Of course, it’s hard not to compare the two, but they’re on surprisingly equal ground. This portrait of Colombian President Gustavo Petro (spoiler alert, he was the victor) is a mostly straightforward biographical documentary. With a strong mix of archive footage, talking head interviews, and fly-on-the-wall footage — with an astounding level of access to Petro himself — the documentary offers a mostly compelling look at the political landscape of Colombia. Unfortunately, it fails to connect this to the big picture in a way that makes it feel like essential viewing.
The 2024 Slamdance Film Festival ran January 19-25 in-person in Park City, UT and online from January 22-28.
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