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BY A CORRESPONDENT
Deepa Mehta's film 'Water' is in contention for the
Oscars in the best foreign film category. Aamir Khan
starrer Rang De Basanti is out.
Water, starring John Abraham and Lisa Ray, is a movie
which has the plight of widows in India during the 1930s
as its theme. Water is a Canadian movie.
Black Book from the Netherlands and Volver from Spain
will vie with Water for the Oscars.
Oscar nominees for the best foreign film are 'Water'
(Canada) 'Days of Glory' (Algeria) 'After the Wedding'
(Denmark) 'Avenue Montaigne' (France) 'The Lives of
Others' (Germany) 'Pan's Labyrinth' (Mexico) 'Vitus' (Switzerland)`Volver'
(Spain) 'Curse of the Golden Flower' (China) 'Black
Book' (Netherlands) This is the first time that a
short-list of nine has been announced by the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. The final five for the
79th Annual Academy awards will be announced on January
23.
Except Days of Glory from Algeria, all other films
short-listed for the best foreign film are north
American productions.
A notable exclusion from the list is Clint Eastwood's
Letters from Iwo Jima for the reason that it is
technically a US production and hence can’t be included
in the best foreign film category. So Eastwood’s film
may run for the best film.
Volver starring Penelope Cruz was already making
headlines before the announcement came due to the
association of acclaimed director Pedro Almodovar with
Cruz again.
Almodóvar's film revolving around three generations of
women has reaped a slew of honors from the Satellite
Awards and the National Board of Review. It also won the
best screenplay and best actress awards for its entire
female cast at Cannes Film Festival.
Deepa Mehta’s Water won the Broadcast Film Critics
Association's nod for best foreign language film at the
Critics' Choice Awards in 2005.
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