Oscars: International Feature Nominees’ Recognition Continues Beyond Category; Bhutan Debuts & Sorrentino Returns

As Drive My Car sped from a best screenplay win and stellar reviews at Cannes to four Oscar nominations (Best Picture, International Feature, Director, Adapted Screenplay), distributor credits for the three-hour Japanese drama went to Sideshow/Janus Films – the former a little known new venture from Jonathan Sehring.

Refresh for latest…: Sony’s Uncharted handily crossed the $200M mark globally this weekend, after adding $35M from 64 overseas markets and $23.3M domestically. The international box office cume is now $143M. Worldwide, the Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer counts $226.4M.

Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticCritics matter. That’s how I interpret the love the Academy showed for “Drive My Car” this year, nominating the three-hour Japanese drama in four separate categories: best picture, director, adapted screenplay and international film, and in so doing, effectively issuing a referendum to the Spike Lee-led Cannes jury that awarded the Palme d’Or to the relatively divisive “Titane.”Sure, other non-U.S.

Drive My Car,” a three-hour Japanese film; “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom,” only the second Oscar submission (and first nom) from Bhutan; Paolo Sorrentino’s “Hand of God,” the Italian helmer’s second visit to the Academy Awards; Denmark’s “Flee,” an animated tale of an Afghan refugee; and Norway’s “The Worst Person in the World.”Three of the films even broke out of the international film race, with “Drive My Car” drawing noms for best pic, adapted screenplay and director; “Flee” also earned nominations for animation and doc, while “The Worst Person in the World” nabbed a nom in original screenplay.Joachim Trier, who directed “Worst Person in the World” says of the noms: “The Academy wants a broader spectrum of people from across the world looking at films and voting. It’s a more international community.

EXCLUSIVE: Sonia Yuan, who stars in Japan’s first Best Picture Oscar nominee Drive My Car, has signed with Artist International Group for management.

The Guinness World Records gave the James Bond film “Spectre” the honor of having the biggest explosion on film, but the “Transformers” director begs to differ.“James Bond tried to take the ‘largest explosion in the world’,” Bay, 57, recently told Empire Magazine. “Bulls—t. Ours is.”He’s referring to his 2001 WWII film “Pearl Harbor” that was released almost 15 years before “Spectre.”The war film contains a 40-minute scene in which the Japanese bomb of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu and a massive explosion combusts.“[Producer] Jerry Bruckheimer showed Ridley Scott the movie,” Bay told the publication. “And the quote [from Scott] was, ‘F—k me.’ No one knows how hard that is.

“James Bond tried to take the ‘largest explosion in the world’,” Bay said in an interview with Empire Magazine. “Bulls—. Ours is.”By “ours,” Michael Bay is referring to his WWII film “Pearl Harbor,” released 14 years before “Spectre” and which features a 40-minute re-enactment of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.

Les Miserables is a classic.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMere months after Tom Holland ignited box office charts with “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the 25-year-old British actor is swinging back to movie theater marquees with “Uncharted.”Ahead of its domestic debut on Feb. 18, Sony’s big-screen adaptation of its popular video game series opened at the international box office to a solid $21.5 million from 15 overseas markets.“Uncharted” had the biggest start in the United Kingdom, landing in first place with $6.4 million.

Refresh for latest…: Hitting 15 offshore markets ahead of its domestic debut and further overseas expansion next weekend, Sony’s Uncharted mapped out an international box office launch of $21.5M. The Tom Holland/Mark Wahlberg-starrer was No. 1 in each of its openings, taking advantage of school holidays in some markets and, of course, the Spider-Man Holland halo.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. International Television Production has revealed the lineup for its annual WBITVP Formats Showcase, taking place March 3 at the BAFTA headquarters in London, featuring in-person and live streamed interviews with creatives, broadcasters and talent.

The 72nd Berlin Film Festival kicks off in physical form today with M. Night Shyamalan leading the main competition jury. Also notable among panelists is Oscar nominee Ryusuke Hamaguchi whose Drive My Car this week became the first Japanese movie ever nominated for the Best Picture Academy Award. Hamaguchi was actually on a plane heading to Berlin when the nominations were announced, and only learned of the results upon landing.

Beginning with our review coverage all the way back to the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, through Cannes in July, Venice and Telluride in the late summer, and finally to late-breaking holiday-season releases that qualified just under the gun for Oscar eligibility, Deadline has been on the front lines of opinion for this year’s eventual 10 nominees for Oscar Best Picture.

Is this finally the year Netflix’s dreams come true and it takes a Best Picture Oscar?

Is this finally the year Netflix’s dreams come true and it takes a Best Picture Oscar?

Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car made history this morning, becoming the first Japanese film ever to score an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. What’s more, Hamaguchi is now only the third Japanese filmmaker to be nominated in the Best Director category. With nods in further key categories Best International Feature and Best Adapted Screenplay, Drive My Car has four nominations total, tying Akira Kurosawa’s Ran as the most-nominated film ever from Japan (though the latter was a French co-production).

Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Neon film Flee made history this morning, as it became the first ever to score a trifecta of Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature Film.

Today is the fifth anniversary of Process, the game-changing debut album from Sampha. Yes, you are old, but the good news is that to celebrate his album, Sampha has shared two songs that are probably new to you.

The Batman seem to contain secret messages that are visible under a blacklight, fans have claimed.The new DC film, directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader, has teased new images ahead of its forthcoming release next month.On a new poster, one fan spotted a message written in the voice of the Riddler which is only visible when using a blacklight to read it. Batman and Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz) appear on the poster, with a Riddler symbol also in the picture.Twitter user @Nervatel shared their discovery, zooming in on the orange sunset above Pattinson’s head.