Tadias Magazine
By Tadias Staff
Published: Saturday, October 11th, 2014
New York (TADIAS) – The Ethiopian film Difret, written and directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari, has been submitted as Ethiopia’s entry for Oscar consideration under the Academy Awards’ Best Foreign Language Film category.
Difret is one of a record 83 foreign-language films being considered for the 2015 Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced Friday.
“Countries from around the world were invited to submit one film each by October 1st. The films will now be screened for Academy committees, which will winnow the list down to a short-list of nine films that will be announced in December,” The Hollywood Reporter notes. “The five nominees, that will be drawn from that list, will be announced on Jan. 15, when the full list of nominees for the 87th Academy Awards are revealed.”
The award ceremony is due to be held on February 22, 2015 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.
According to the Oscar nomination rules for foreign-language movies: “Films competing must have been first released in the country submitting them and must have been exhibited for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial movie theater.”
The first Oscar submission from Ethiopia was Atletu, a 2009 film about Abebe Bikila, directed by Davey Frankel and Rasselas Lakew.
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Related:
Tadias Interview with Zeresenay Mehari & Mehret Mandefro
‘Difret’ Wins Panorama at Berlin Film Festival
Ethiopian film confronts marriage by abduction (BBC)
‘Difret’ Wins World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award at Sundance Festival
Tadias Interview with Filmmaker Yidnekachew Shumete
Video: Audience Reaction at 2014 New African Films Festival in Silver Spring, Maryland