At the announcement of the Oscar shortlists, “Familia” by Francesco Costabile disappoints, but Italy’s cinema industry has scored a coup with the inclusion of Playing God by Mattia Burani in the shortlist of the 15 best animated shorts.
Playing God in the top 15 of animated shorts
The seven-minute saga about a tormented artist who tries to shape a human figure with ideal proportions but abandons it when he realizes he has failed, 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, but for the director and the terracotta creatures inspired by Niccolò dell’Arca and released by Studio Croma in Bologna, today’s top 15, selected, is a first success within a shortlist of 113 short films arriving from all over the world.
The Academy shortlists: 12 categories announced
Today the Academy announced shortlists in 12 categories. 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.
The films most present in the preliminary selections
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.
Documentaries: 15 titles chosen out of over 200
Of the 201 eligible documentaries, 15 were chosen including The Alabama Solution, Apocalypse in the Tropics, The Perfect Neighbor and 2000 Meters to Andriivka.
International film: Italy excluded from the race
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.
The international top 15: the selected countries
The international top 15, based on contributions from 86 countries, also includes Belén (Argentina), Sound of Falling (Germany), Homebound (India), The President’s Cake (Iraq), All That’s Left of You (Norway), Palestine 36 (Palestine), Sirât (Spain), Late Shift (Switzerland) and The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia).