Snubbed by the commission which selects the film representing France at the Oscars, this feature film is still a candidate in several categories – and could win prizes.
It’s the story of revenge. A French film which was not selected to represent France for the 2024 Oscar for best foreign film has nevertheless been nominated multiple times for the ceremony which will be held in Los Angeles in March. After the Golden Globes, Anatomy of a fall continues its American tour, positioning itself as a serious candidate for the famous Hollywood awards. The Academy of Oscars revealed its nominations this Tuesday, January 23, 2024. And the film directed by Justine Triet was nominated five times in prestigious categories: Oscar for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Actress (for Sandra Hüller ), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.
And it is entirely possible to imagine thatAnatomy of a fall leaves with a statuette. Before the announcement of the Oscar nominations, Justine Triet’s production had already won several distinctions. Honored with a Palme d’Or at the last Cannes Film Festival, the film which focuses on the trial of a writer accused of having killed her husband also won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay, at the beginning of the month. It was also the winner of a Critic’s Choice Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.
We could therefore easily have imagined thatAnatomy of a fall be selected for the Oscar for best foreign film. But this will not be the case: it is in fact a commission which designates France’s candidate for the Oscars and it has chosen The passion of Dodin Bouffant This year. This choice was made by professionals from the cinema industry, namely exporters Sabine Chemaly and Tanja Meissner, producers Patrick Wachsberger and Charles Gillibert, directors Olivier Assayas and Mounia Meddour and composer Alexandre Desplat. The eviction ofAnatomy of a fall for the benefit of The passion of Dodin Bouffant, winner of the director prize at Cannes, questioned more than one. According to information from Variety, the final vote was close (4-3 in favor of The passion of Dodin Bouffant), and a second vote was refused to one of the members of the commission who had finally changed his mind.
The reasons for this decision are not known. But Justine Triet’s film caused controversy just after receiving the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. In her speech, the director accused the government of wanting to “break the cultural exception” and criticized it for having “shockingly denied” the movement against pension reform in 2023. Questioned by TF1 on the ousting ofAnatomy of a fall, the CNC recalled that “the commission to nominate France’s candidate for the Oscars designates its choice in complete independence”. For his part, the producer of Justine Triet’s film said he “does not believe in political intervention”. Since then, the film has won 6 Césars, including Best Film, Best Direction and Best Actress.