Italian Cinema Scores Two Successes in Oscar Shortlists
At the announcement of the Oscar shortlists, Francesco Costabile’s Familia disappoints, but the Italy of cinema has scored two successes with the inclusion of Playing God by Mattia Burani and Eirù by Giovanna Ferrari in the shortlist of the 15 best animated shorts.
The Italian film industry has reason to celebrate, despite the initial disappointment of Familia not making the cut. Playing God, a seven-minute saga about a tormented artist, and Eirù, the story of a tiny girl with flame-colored hair in Celtic Ireland, have both been selected from a shortlist of 113 short films arriving from all over the world.
Playing God and Eirù: A New Step Towards the Oscars
Playing God is a thought-provoking film about an artist who tries to shape a human figure of ideal proportions but abandons it when he realizes he has failed. The film’s director, Mattia Burani, and the terracotta creatures inspired by Niccolo’ dell’Arca and released by Studio Croma in Bologna, have achieved a significant milestone by making it to the top 15. They will have to overcome a new step – that of the announcement of the nominations on January 22nd – before being able to aspire to the ‘night of the stars’ on March 15th at the Dolby Theater.
Giovanna Ferrari, on the other hand, born in Bologna in 1979, has lived in Kilkenny since 2015, where she works as head of story and designer in the prestigious animation studio Cartoon Saloon. Éiru, her first work as a director and writer, is the story of a tiny girl with flame-colored hair in Celtic Ireland. Nora Twomey, working at the same studio and nominated for an Oscar for ‘The Breadwinner’, is its producer.
Francesco Gheghi
Other Italian Successes and Disappointments
With an Italian background, among the 15 original songs, there is Sweet Dreams of Joy from Viva Verdi, the documentary by Yvonne Russo which tells the story of the lives of the guests of the retirement home for musicians in Milan known as Casa Verdi. Sinners and Wicked: For Good were in the lead in terms of placings, with the Spanish Sirât in a good position and films such as Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sentimental Value among the films selected in categories from makeup to cinematography and the various musical delinations.
Of the 201 eligible documentaries, 15 were chosen including The Alabama Solution, Apocalypse in the Tropics, The Perfect Neighbor and 2000 Meters to Andriivka. Italy, which had officially placed its bet on Familia, remained empty-handed in the category of best international film, beaten by films such as the Norwegian Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, also eligible for best film, on a par with A Simple Accident by the Iranian Jafar Panahi, brought from France, the Brazilian The Secret Agent and the Korean No Other Choice.
Conclusion
The Italian film industry has shown its strength and diversity in the Oscar shortlists, with two successes in the animated shorts category. While Familia did not make the cut, Playing God and Eirù have given Italy a reason to celebrate. For more information on the Oscar shortlists, visit Here