Ivory Coast & Tunisia Secure Spots on 2021 Oscars Shortlist
Ivory Coast's 'Night of the Kings' and Tunisia's 'The Man Who Sold His Skin' have made it onto this year's Oscars shortlist under the 'International Feature Film' category. They are the only African films on the shortlist.
This year's Oscars shortlist has been released with nine different categories including "Documentary Feature", "Documentary Short Subject", "International Feature Film", "Makeup and Hairstyling", "Music (Original Score)", "Music (Original Song)", "Animated Short Film", "Live Action Short Film" and "Visual Effects". Two African films, Night of the Kings from the Ivory Coast and The Man Who Sold His Skin from Tunisia, have secured spots on the shortlist under the "International Feature Film" category. Official voting for the Oscars nominations are reportedly set to take place next month from March 5th-10th with the nominees announced by the Academy on the 15th.
READ: Watch Trevor Noah Talk About the Lack of Diversity in the 2020 Oscar Nominations
As is always the case each year, everyone is waiting with baited breath to see whether this year's 93rd Academy Awards will be any different, with regards to its conspicuous lack of diversity, compared to its previous awards shows. While that remains to be seen, there can be at least some celebration with two stellar African feature films having made it onto this year's shortlist.
Ivory Coast's Night of the Kings, directed by Philippe Lacôte, tells the story of a young Ivorian man who arrives at the notorious La Maca prison and is tasked with telling a story that may very well prove the difference between life and death. The bold feature film centres on "telling tales to a captive audience" as The New York Times aptly puts it.
Watch the trailer for Night of the Kings below:
Tunisia's The Man Who Sold His Skin tells the story of Sam, a Syrian refugee, who allows an art guru to use his back as a canvas and subsequently finds travelling through Europe as an artwork much easier than as a refugee. However, he soon discovers that what he had initially imagined as freedom, is quite the opposite. Variety has pegged the film as a strong contender at this year's Oscars and describes the director Kaouther Ben Hania's inspiration as having been the "Belgian artist Wim Delvoye who tattooed and signed the back of a man called Tim," adding that, "The piece was sold to a German art collector and Tim is contractually obliged to spend a certain amount of time, topless and sitting still, in a gallery every year."
Watch the trailer for The Man Who Sold His Skin below via the Tokyo International Film Festival:
Below is the full Oscars shortlist released thus far:
Best documentary
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
Collective
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Gunda
MLK/FBI
The Mole Agent
My Octopus Teacher
Notturno
The Painter and the Thief
76 Days
Time
The Truffle Hunters
Welcome to Chechnya
Best short documentary
Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa
Call Center Blues
Colette
A Concerto Is a Conversation
Do Not Split
Hunger Ward
Hysterical Girl
A Love Song for Latasha
The Speed Cubers
What Would Sophia Loren Do?
Best international film
Another Round
Better Days
Charlatan
Collective
Dear Comrades!
Hope
I'm No Longer Here
La Llorona
The Man Who Sold His Skin
The Mole Agent
Night of the Kings
Quo Vadis, Aida?
A Sun
Sun Children
Two of Us
Best makeup and hair
Birds of Prey
Emma
The Glorias
Hillbilly Elegy
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
The Little Things
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
Mank
One Night in Miami
Pinocchio
Best score
Ammonite
Blizzard of Souls
Da 5 Bloods
The Invisible Man
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
The Life Ahead
The Little Things
Mank
The Midnight Sky
Minari
Mulan
News of the World
Soul
Tenet
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best song
Turntables, All In: The Fight for Democracy
See What You've Done, Belly of the Beast
Wuhan Flu, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Húsavík, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Never Break, Giving Voice
Make It Work, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey
Fight for You, Judas and the Black Messiah
lo Sì (Seen), The Life Ahead
Rain Song, Minari
Show Me Your Soul, Mr Soul!
Loyal Brave True, Mulan
Free, The One and Only Ivan
Speak Now, One Night in Miami
Green, Sound of Metal
Hear My Voice, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best animated short
Burrow
Genius Loci
If Anything Happens I Love You
Kapaemahu
Opera
Out
The Snail and the Whale
To Gerard
Traces
Yes-People
Best live-action short
Bittu
Da Yie
Feeling Through
The Human Voice
The Kicksled Choir
The Letter Room
The Present
Two Distant Strangers
The Van
White Eye
Best visual effects
Birds of Prey
Bloodshot
Love and Monsters
Mank
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
The One and Only Ivan
Soul
Tenet
Welcome to Chechnya
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