17/01/2014 - A new demonstration of the strong presence of French talents in world cinema

The nominations for the 86^th Academy Awards, which will be awarded on March 2, showcase a very large French presence, from shorts to features, fiction to animation, as well as cinematography, screenwriting, music, production and international sales.

Officially representing Cambodia for the Best Foreign Language Feature Film, The Missing Picture [+see also:
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Competing for the Best Animated Feature, Ernest & Célestine [+see also:
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interview: Benjamin Renner, Vincent Pa…
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film profile] in 2004 et Brendan and the Secret of Kells [+see also:
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interview: Didier Brunner
interview: Tomm Moore
interview: Viviane Vanfleteren
film profile] in 2010, a list to which can be added the nomination in 1998 of La vieille dame et les pigeons in the Best Animated Short section. The nomination this year also puts the spotlight on the French partners of Ernest & Célestine such as France 3 Cinéma, the CNC (development aid) and StudioCanal (coproducer and international sales).

A good sign for the future, the Oscar nomination for Best Fiction Short Film obtained by Just before Losing Everything by duo Xavier Legrand - Alexandre Gavras sheds light on KG Productions (a company headed by Michèle Ray-Gavras and her husband, the famous filmmaker Costa Gavras). It is also worth noting that France coproduced (via Watt Frame) on a 50/50 basis with Luxembourg Mr Hublot by Alsatian director Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares (born to a Luxembourger mother and Spanish father), nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category.

Two French cinematographers also stand out. Bruno Delbonnel is nominated for his work on Inside Llewyn Davis (a film coproduced and sold internationally by StudioCanal) by American directors Joel and Ethan Coen, thus scoring his 4^th nomination for the prestigious award after 2002, 2005 and 2010. As for Philippe Le Sourd, he is nominated for the first time thanks to The Grandmaster by Chinese director Wong kar-Wai, which was sold internationally by Wild Bunch.

Pathé International sells Philomena [+see also:
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interview: Stephen Frears
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film review
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interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile] by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino, a French co-production (via Babe Films, Pathé and France 2 Cinéma) nominated for the Best Foreign Language Feature  Oscar and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom by English filmmaker Justin Chadwick (Nominated for Best Music).

After 2005 and Before Sunset, Julie Delpy once again shares the honour with Richard Linklater and Ethan Hawke by picking up a second nomination in the Best Adaptation category for the Greek-American production Before Midnight.

It is also worth noting the presence of Pierre Coffin, co-director of the blockbuster Despicable 2, nominated in the Best Animated Film category and whose production benefited from the French international tax credit of the CNC and the technical skills of Mac Guff’s teams.

(Translated from French)