Israeli filmmaker Ari Folman’s critically acclaimed animated documentary Waltz With Bashir has been submitted at Israel’s Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign-Language Film, according to Daily Variety. The movie, which was picked up at Cannes by Sony Pictures Classics for North American distribution, is also eligible for Best Animated Feature, but cannot compete in the documentary category.
Waltz with Bashir documents Folman’s quest to recover memories and discover the truth about an Israeli army mission he participated in during the first Lebanon War of the early 1980s. Long-forgotten images begin to resurface as the director interviews old friends and comrades around the world regarding the events. The film was co-produced by Bridgit Folman Films Gang and ITVS.
Folman’s previous efforts include the graduate film Comfortably Numb, the 1996 feature Saint Clara and the TV series Saturdays and Holidays, Chapter of the Week and In Therapy, the Israeli series that served as the model for HBO’s Gabriel Byrne vehicle in the U.S.
Bashir recently took the Best Film award at the Ophir Awards in Tel Aviv, an annual kudo fest that typically determines Israel’s Oscar entry. This is the second consecutive year in which an animated film has been submitted for the Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar. Last year, France entered Marjane Satrapi’s and Vincent Paronnaud’s Persepolis, which didn’t make the cut, but was nominated for Best Animated Feature, a distinction that went to Disney/Pixar’s Ratatouille.
The deadline for submission of foreign-language features and shorts is Oct. 1.
Completed entries must be received by 5 p.m. (PT) at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. Nominations will be announced on Jan. 22, and the 81st annual Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 22 at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.
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