Is Sony Pictures Classics Playing Oscar Favorites?
Grumpy in the Face of Prizes In ?Footnote,? a father and son are set against each other over awards. Image by Leon Sokoletski
By Isaac Zablocki February 23, 2012
Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) is one of the leading distributors of foreign and art-house films in America. This year they have three films nominated at the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language film category: “In Darkness,” the Polish Holocaust-themed film by director Agnieszka Holland (“Europa, Europa”); “Footnote,” the Israeli award-winning film from second time nominee Joseph Cedar (“Beaufort,” “Time of Favor”), and the front-runner Iranian Golden Globe winner, “A Separation,” by Asghar Farhadi.
With three frontrunning films out of five in this category, chances are SPC is representing the winner. Yet, the only film of the three SPC nominees to get a significant public run is “A Separation.”
SPC is not releasing “Footnote” in New York publicly until March, long after the Oscars. And though “In Darkness” opened in New York on February 10, that is not enough lead time to create Oscar buzz.
Unlike other categories, Academy voters for Best Foreign Language Film need to affirm that they have seen all five nominated films. Limited opportunities and critical acclaim will diminish the Oscar chances of unreleased, or recently released films.
Michael Barker, co-president and co-founder of SPC feels that within this category, release does not always correlate with awards, nor would the award mean success in the box office. “It did not make sense to open Joseph (Cedar)’s film at the end of the year, because of the competition.” Instead SPC is hoping to time the release of “Footnote” to reach beyond the Jewish audience.
Barker noted that many foreign film nominees and winners do not open until later in the year. Nevertheless, when asked why he chose to release “A Separation” before the end of 2011, Barker explained, “we were told it would win best foreign film award.”
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30
