16/09/2013 - The last project by late director Raoul Ruiz which was directed by his wife Valeria Sarmiento, is Portugal’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar

Valeria Sarmiento’s Lines of Wellington [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valeria Sarmiento
film profile] (photo) has been chosen to represent Portugal at the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Film category. The announcement was made last Friday by the Portuguese Film Academy.

The film received the majority of votes in the 6-people selection Committee which was composed by actress Anabela Teixeira, producer Pandora da Cunha Telles, director Vicente Alves do Ó, scriptwriter Possidónio Cachapa and D.O.P.’s Luís Branquinho and Tony Costa.

Produced by Paulo Branco, Lines of Wellington was originally a project by Chilean-French director Raoul Ruiz, who passed away in August 2011 during the film’s pre-production. The project was finally directed by Ruiz’s widow and editor of most of his films, Valeria Sarmiento.

Premiered in competition in Venice last year (read the review), Lines of Wellington opened theatrically in Portugal in October 2012, then becoming the fourth national production in the ranking of the most seen Portuguese titles of the year: it reached nearly 51,000 filmgoers and grossed 231,385,76 euros.

The Oscar submission by the Portuguese Film Academy comes a few days after the announcement that the film is also nominated for 9 Sophia Prizes (news), which will take place in Lisbon on October 6.

As for the Academy Awards ceremony, it will be held in Los Angeles on March 2, 2014. If Lines of Wellington makes it to Hollywood it will be the first time a Portuguese film will compete for an Academy Award.

(Translated from French)