Oscars' International Feature Race: Has 'Parasite' Ushered in a Broader Acceptance of Genre in the Category?

Another important moment in the awards season has come our way today. Yes, the Academy has released their lists of what’s eligible in a few of the Oscar categories. In short, we now know what’s up for Academy Award nominations in the Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and Best International Feature categories. Until we get to a shortlist, everything is up for grabs, but now we know what’s at least in the running, and that’s good…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday released its official entries for 2021 Oscars in the categories of Documentary Feature, Animated Feature and International Films. The takeaway: As expected, the eligible Documentary Feature lineup shatters the record for the most ever.

Clayton Davis The motion picture academy has announced the animated, documentary and international features eligible for Oscar consideration. Some of the animated and documentary contenders have not yet had their required qualifying release.

Fernando Frias’ I’m No Longer Here (Ya No Estoy Aquí) had a long journey to the screen — conceived when Frias was a student at New York’s Columbia University, the project was selected by the Sundance Writers Lab in 2014, and went before cameras in 2017, ultimately hitting the festival circuit in 2019, and Netflix last year. Challenges in getting the acclaimed drama made included everything from financing hurdles to a lengthy hiatus and the lead actor being rejected for a U.S.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Kevin Durant and his Thirty Five Ventures partner Rich Kleiman are about to launch a slew of shows on their vertical The Boardroom. Among them is the tentatively titled “The Sneaker Game,” which focuses on the $75 billion sneaker industry.

Mongolia has picked the drama Veins of the World from director Byambasuren Davaa as its official entry for the 2021 Academy Awards in the best international feature category. The film follows Amra, an 11-year-old boy living a traditional nomad life on the Mongolian steppe who sees his way of life threatened by the encroachment of international mining companies, who are devastating the natural habitat in their search for gold.

Angelique Jackson CAA has signed filmmaker Déa Kulumbegashvili, whose film “Beginning” is Georgia’s submission for best international feature at the 2021 Oscars.“Beginning” marks Kulumbegashvili’s feature directorial debut and has made major waves along the film festival circuit since its debut last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the film won the Fipresci Prize.

Refresh for latest…: Disney/Pixar’s Soul got off to a jazzy start in Korea this weekend, debuting at No. 1 and seeing the second best bow for a non-local title since the Covid pandemic began. The Pete Docter-directed original also launched in Russia, at No. 1, and came in ahead of several pre-Covid animation openings. In total, Soul led the international box office with a $10.4M weekend from 13 markets. See more on Soul below.

If you are looking to stir emotions and grab some tissues this weekend Our Friend has got you covered.

Usually, the twists and turns during awards season are prompted by scandals, public relations goofs, or films that simply didn’t play as expected. This year, the ongoing pandemic has created changes in the process itself that continue to surprise longtime observers.

Also Read: 'Wolfwalkers': How Cartoon Saloon Made the Most Beautiful Animated Scene of 2020The good news: While adding this many films in mid January would be difficult in a category in which shortlist voting is taking place in early February, the Best Animated Feature category doesn’t have a shortlist.

Tracee Ellis Ross has given fans a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her role as Grace Davis in The High Note. The black-ish star, 48, took to Instagram on January 15 to share a series of pics and videos — and she looks exactly like her legendary mom, Diana Ross! In the first clip, Tracee posed for a photoshoot wearing nothing but high-waisted black pants, and a metallic, backless crop top. She also rocked a black choker, and styled her hair in bouncy curls.

Clayton Davis The Oscars have made some adjustments for the best international feature category.The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has provided many challenges, both in viewing the films up for awards and voting. To ensure that the process’ integrity remains intact, the international feature film preliminary committee will vote via a secret ballot that will produce a shortlist of 15 films from different countries, up from the previous 10.

Also Read: Oscars International Race Breaks Record With 93 EntriesIn the past, the executive committee meeting has taken place in Los Angeles, with representatives from PricewaterhouseCoopers unveiling the general committee choices behind closed doors and the committee members immediately debating and choosing their selections, which have become known as “saves.” With the COVID-19 pandemic making in-person committee meetings impossible, and with concerns about the security of any meeting that

Chris Rock in them! The 55-year-old comedian appeared on Monday's where he addressed the rumors that he was considered to play George Costanza in the hit series . «I just heard that one. I mean, it was a lot of NBC talk,» Rock admitted of possibly being cast as Jerry Seinfeld's best friend on the sitcom, a role that ultimately went to Jason Alexander.

International box office was led again by China this weekend with local titles A Little Red Flower and Shock Wave 2 at the top of the charts, and Disney/Pixar’s Soul continuing its jazzy run there. The Pete Docter-directed original is soon to become Pixar’s No.

Andrei Konchalovsky’s acclaimed historical drama Dear Comrades! is inspired by the true story of a state-sponsored massacre in the Russian city of Novocherkassk in the early 1960s.

Parasite has blown open the doors of the international feature category, long thought to be the purview of "serious message movies," to the experimental and the strange. If a movie about a family of South Korean con artists — one that shifts in tone among thriller, horror and straight-out farce — can win the highfalutin international feature Oscar, than even the weirdest overseas films have a shot this awards season.

Manori Ravindran International EditorVadim Perelman’s “Persian Lessons” has been disqualified from the international feature film Oscar race, where the acclaimed WWII drama was representing Belarus.As part of the international feature film submission process, a country’s selection committee is required to provide a list of credits in key creative positions, both above and below the line.

as TheWrap suggested they likely would in December. The films include a record 34 female directors, seven more than the previous high of 27 set last year.This is not the official list of qualifying films, which is expected to be released by the Academy later in January.