We know the film chosen to represent France at the next Oscars ceremony, in March 2025. And the commission did not bet on one of the films that had the most admissions this year.
The Oscar race is officially on for France. This Wednesday, September 18, the selection committee chose the French film that would carry the colors of the tricolor flag during the Hollywood awards ceremony. With one final goal: to win the Oscar for Best International Film on March 2, 2025.
It’s finally Emilia Pereza musical drama set against the backdrop of a Mexican cartel by Jacques Audiard, which was chosen to represent France at the Oscars. In this Spanish-language film, we follow a lawyer disillusioned by corruption, recruited by a bloodthirsty Mexican gang leader who wants to disappear and finally become the woman he has always been. Once her physical transition is complete, Emilia Perez begins a moral transition of forgiveness and redemption.
The choice ofEmilia Perez is not surprising, since the film had already been victorious at the Cannes Film Festival. Although it was not awarded the Palme d’Or (awarded to Anora by Sean Baker), he left with two major prizes: the Jury Prize and the Best Actress Award, collectively awarded to Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoë Saldaña, Adriana Paz and Selena Gomez.
The selection committee therefore favoured the already award-winning, colourful production by Jacques Audiard, rather than The Count of Monte Cristo. The adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic was indeed pre-selected last week, and we could also have seen it compete since it is one of the big French successes of the year (behind A little something extra) which also won over critics. Mercy by Alain Guiraudie and All we imagine as lighta French-Indian co-production directed by Payal Kapadia, were also in the running.
Anyway, it is Emilia Perez which has officially entered the Oscar race. But theThe road is still long before the precious sesame. Because if France has chosen its candidate, the Oscars must now retain the said film during the various pre-selection stages, until the announcement of the nominated films, next January. Let us recall that it has been since the victory ofIndochina in 1993 that France did not win the Oscar for Best International Film, despite several nominations in recent decades. The names of the films in competition for the Oscars will be officially revealed on the 17th next January.