Titane, L'Événement and Bac nord shortlisted to represent French cinema at the Oscars

From Cannes to the Venice Film Festival, 2021 saw the consecration of two French directors: the palme d'or crowned

by Julia Ducournau, the golden lion went to

by Audrey Diwan.

This historic double (Ducournau is the second director to be awarded at Cannes, Diwan the fifth to prevail on the lagoon) did not escape the CNC which retained these two dramas in its shortlist for the Oscars.

Added to this is the

thriller

which accomplishes a real heist at the box office with more than two million spectators.

Cédric Jimenez's film about rogue Marseille cops also counts Audrey Diwan among its screenwriters!

North Bac

pushed by Netflix

The film that will represent the French cinema at the Oscars must be chosen by November 1, the deadline for sending the file to the Academy of Oscars. To decide between the candidates, the CNC commission hears French producers and American distributors on October 12 to determine their campaign strategy and the means they are ready to implement to woo the Oscar committee in charge of viewing the hundreds. films offered each year around the world.

There

was little doubt about the

selection of

and

. Some Hollywood press experts were even betting on a trio of new directors with the presence

of Céline Sciamma's

. But the filmmaker in vogue in the United States since

is not very popular in France among her peers. Other specialists believed that

by Jacques Audiard and

by Xavier Giannoli, presented in Cannes and Venice respectively, had their chance. But according to

none of his feature films would have been pushed by their producers unlike

acquired internationally by Netflix which put it online under the title

.

The impressive start of

Titanium

in the United States

Carried by Neon, the American distributor of

who knew how to bring the thriller of Bong Joon-Ho to the firmament of the Oscars 2020,

is in good hands. The genre film blending woman-machine hybridization, love for cars and the quest for fatherhood got off to an impressive start in the United States with $ 530,000 in revenue for 562 screens during its first weekend of operation in early October. In France,

exceeds 300,000 admissions. Neon will likely try to push the film, like

, beyond the best international film category and campaign for a nomination in the best director sections for Julia Ducournau and actress for her revelation Agathe Rousselle.

Adapted from Annie Ernaux's autobiographical account of her clandestine abortion in the 1960s,

shook Venice a lot and unanimously won the adhesion of the jury, chaired by Bong Joon-ho. There too a new talent bursts the screen: Anamaria Vartolomei (

). The film finds a current echo in the American political debates of the moment, at a time when the right to abortion was restricted in Texas.

Bringing together the trio of actors Gilles Lellouche, Karim Leklou and François Civil,

sparked an intense debate on the representation of the northern districts of Marseille and more broadly popular areas on the screen, which were also seized by politicians, to right and far right.

Julie Delpy and Florian Zeller as referees

The commission that chooses the candidate film to represent France at the 94th Oscars ceremony, on March 27, 2022 in Los Angeles, brings together, under the aegis of the National Center for Cinematography (CNC), several professionals of the 7th tricolor art, including Cannes Film Festival artistic director Thierry Frémaux, César director Véronique Cayla and directors and newcomers Julie Delpy (Oscar nominee for

) and Florian Zeller (Oscar winner for

this year).

Once the lucky winner is announced, the hardest part remains to be done: to slip into the list of nine films eligible for an Oscar nomination. It is from among these nine titles that the five feature films that can claim a statuette will be chosen next March. Last year,

by Filippo Meneghetti was presented by France but did not pass this Oscar Academy preselection bar. The last time that France won the Oscar for best foreign film, it was

in 1992. If ever Audrey Diwan or Julia Ducournau wins, this will again be a first for a French director! And one more asset for their films at thetime when Hollywood and festivals work for better visibility of female talent.