France Selects ‘The Taste of Things’ for Oscars’ International Feature Film Race

Olympic gold-winning US gymnast Mary Lou Retton is currently battling a rare form of pneumonia in intensive care.The 55-year-old retired sportsperson's daughter, McKenna Kelley, shared that her mum is currently "fighting for her life" and "unable to breathe on her own" in hospital. She's also launched a fundraiser to help pay for Mary Lou's medical treatment because she doesn't have life insurance. McKenna posted on fundraising site Spotfund, "My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life.

Ben Croll Brussels-based co-production and financing powerhouse Umedia — the backer of recent festival sensation “How to Have Sex” and French Oscar submission “The Taste of Things” — is branching out. Complimenting co-production, tax shelter fundraising and VFX services through subsidiary UFX Studios, Umedia has now launched a development branch to bring in-house productions to the screen.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Fusion Entertainment has signed on to manage Joanna Arnow, an acclaimed acclaimed writer, director, actor and editor whose narrative feature debut “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed” impressed audiences and critics when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section.The film was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures. It will be released domestically in 2024 after having its U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: The Eternal Memory, the latest film from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Maite Alberdi (The Mole Agent), has landed a series of international deals for Dogwoof and MTV Documentary Films ahead of its UK premiere this week at the London Film Festival. 

It seems every year there is debate about which French film deserves the honor of being the Official Selection of France for the Academy Awards. This year, that debate was as strong as ever, with people trying to figure out if “Anatomy of a Fall” would earn the distinction or if it would go to “The Taste of Things.” Surprising many, ‘Taste’ was chosen.  READ MORE: France Surprises Selecting ‘The Taste Of Things’ Over ‘Anatomy Of A Fall’ For Oscars Now, as the awards season begins to heat up, we are given our first look at the trailer for “The Taste of Things.” The film follows the story of a master chef in the late 19th Century who seemingly has it all, except for the one thing he longs for.

EXCLUSIVE: Neon CEO and founder Tom Quinn, Black Bear International President John Friedberg and Iconoclast‘s Head of Film and TV Robert Walak stopped by Deadline’s Zurich Summit studio this weekend to talk about current projects. Watch the video above.

International execs from Unifrance, MK2 and TrustNordisk kicked off the annual Zurich Summit on Saturday to discuss the importance of film festivals when promoting a title and if fests are drifting away from what works in cinemas. 

Jordan has submitted Amjad Al-Rasheed’s female inheritance rights drama Inshallah A Boy for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Kenya has selected Daudi Anguka’s drama Mvera to represent it for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Sudan has submitted Mohamed Kordofani’s Khartoum-set drama Goodbye Julia for Best International Feature Film at the 96thAcademy Awards.

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Ilker Çatak, whose terrific film The Teachers’ Lounge is Germany’s submission for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards, wants to see and make films that provoke.

EXCLUSIVE: Poland will submit animated feature drama The Peasants for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

EXCLUSIVE: Reality television is beloved for its unhinged characters and crazy on-screen behavior.

Perhaps the French selection committee knows something we don’t, but they turned the race or the International Film Oscar on its head today. Instead of selecting Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner, “Anatomy of a Fall,” a likely Best Picture nominee, the group picked Tran Anh Hung’s sublime but terribly re-titled “The Taste of Things” (still known as “The Pot-au-Feu” in the rest of the world) instead.

France has submitted The Taste Of Things as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards, in a major upset after Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner and hot favorite Anatomy Of A Fall was shut out.

EXCLUSIVE: Everybody mingles at Telluride. I have this abiding memory of Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, at the festival’s opening-day brunch set atop a mountain in the San Juan range of the Rockies, bounding over to Cannes Palme d’Or winner Justine Triet and Sandra Hüller, her sublime lead star in the prize-winning movie Anatomy of a Fall.

Egypt has selected comedy Voy! Voy! Voy! as its candidate for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Morocco has submitted Asmae El Moudir’s The Mother Of All Lies as its candidate for Best International Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender.

Belgium has selected Omen, the debut feature from rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji, as its entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 2024 Oscars.