Does The Academy Need To Reconsider How It Treats Global Film?

BY BRITTANY MARTIN

The Academy Awards will have a new prize in 2020: Best International Feature Film. It’s a new name for the “Best Foreign-Language Film” Oscar which has been given out as a “competitive Academy Award of merit” since 1956. But, other than the name, it appears not much has really changed when it comes to promoting the work of diverse global filmmakers.

“We have noted that the reference to ‘Foreign’ is outdated within the global filmmaking community,” Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, co-chairs of the International Feature Film Committee, wrote in a statement. “We believe that International Feature Film better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience.”

But, other than the name, nothing else changed–in particular, a controversial rule about the use of English dialogue. Academy rules dictate that, to qualify for the “International Feature” Oscar, more than 50 percent of the film must be in a non-English language.

That puts a film like this year’s acclaimed Lionheart at a disadvantage. The Nigerian film, available on Netflix, features some characters speaking Igbo occasionally, but the majority of the dialogue is conducted in Nigeria’s official language: English. As The Atlantic reported, the film was deemed ineligible for Oscar consideration.

If Nigerians aren’t allowed to submit films in their own official language, what of every other nation that was ever colonized by English-speaking people? That’s a lot of countries that find themselves excluded from Oscar consideration–specifically, a lot of countries outside of Europe.

Of the 66 Oscars that have been given out in the category, 57 have gone to European films. The last time–and only time–an African nation won was in 1969, when the award went to Algeria’s Z. That film was made in French, the language of the European power that colonized Algeria for a century.

Another of this year’s most lauded films, The Farewell, has seemingly confounded film-world institutions. It’s an American-made film about American characters, much more than 50 percent of the dialogue is in Chinese. Could it end up competing in the “International Film” category, rather than the general categories with other American-made films?

“This calls attention to the delineation of ‘foreign film’ vs ‘foreign-language film.’ Which makes more sense?” Farewell director Lulu Wang asked. “Can a ‘foreign film’ be in OUR language (i.e. English)? Can a domestic (i.e. American) film be in a foreign language? What does it mean to be foreign? And to be American?”

The Academy is going to have to answer those questions to keep up with a modern, global film industry–and that will mean recognizing outstanding achievement can come from places that the #OscarsSoWhite haven’t historically recognized.

SOURCE: LOS ANGELES MAGAZINE

Nollywood Review: "Girls Cot"

I’m not sure if I should say one is now hooked to Nigerian movies, the Nollywood and fourth-ranked movie industry on the Planet. I have been watching quite a lot lately but I do have a problem with the plots and the titles. They all seem to be the same. Like “Girls Cot” which marks the genuine return of Genevieve Nnaji after a long sabbatical. It has the same resemblance of Nollywood’s previous projects which much appears they have ran out of stories and better creative stuff.

Nollywood should come out bold and start telling stories of human events and tragic moments of our time and beyond. Like Hollywood’s “Shindler’s List,” “We Were Soldiers,” “Pearl Harbor,” "Gangs of New York," “Platoon,” “Hotel Rwanda,” “The Pianist,” “The Holocaust,” “Flags of Our Fathers,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Malcolm X,” “Amistad,” and many more films of that nature, it would be worthy of Nollywood to start producing movies in the same manner with scenes like “Blood on the Niger,” "Aba Market Women Riot," “Asaba Male Death March,” “Where Vultures Feast,” “The Pogrom,” “Never Again,” “A Tragedy Without Heroes,” “Sunset in Biafra,” “No Place to Hide: Crises and Conflicts inside Biafra,” “The Brutality of Nations,” “Blood Lust Hausa-Fulanis,” “The Northern Islamic Jihadist Murderers,” “Adekunle the Beast,” and “The Rapists.”

Most Nollywood movies, if not all, now tells the same story. The story-line and plots has the same similarity even with its different titles which somehow has nothing related to the movie. Take for instance, movies like “Hot Money,” Blood Billionaires,” “Millionaire’s Club,” “Blood Money,” “No Way Out,” “Broken Shield,” “Battle for Battle,” “Under Control,” “Blames of Memories,” “Where Envy Lies,” “Touch My Heart,” “The World of Riches,” “Total Control,” “The Prince,” “Golden Axe,” and many more are chiefly the same with basically the same cast. On the other hand, the titles of most of these movies do not relate to the theme when the movie breaks down to its climax; for example, “Girls Cot.”

First, let’s take a look at the word “cot.” Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “cot” (1) as a light portable bed, one of canvas on a folding frame, and (2) as a small house; a cottage; a hut; a small place of shelter; and a sheath or protective covering. Or could it be as abbreviated—“cot”—Commitments of Traders Report which is a report published every Friday by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that seeks to provide investors with up-to-date information on futures market operations and increase the transparency of these complex exchanges. While Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary defines “cot” as a wheeled stretcher for hospital, mortuary, or ambulance service, one is getting confused and puzzled to the subject-matter in question—“Girls Cot.” Maybe, the logic here works as the movie plays on.

“Girls Cot,” an all-star cast marking the return of Genevieve Nnaji is about campus girls in a town where politicians, government officials and top-notch businessmen run the show. The movie stars Nnaji as Queen; Uche Jumbo as Bella; Rita Dominic as Alicia and Ini Edo as Eve. It also features Bonita Nzeribe and McMaurice Ndubueze and directed by Afam Okereke.

The movie starts with a high speed chase on either a moving violation or a crime committed by the foursome Queen, Bella, Alicia and Eve. They reach their destination while on hot pursuit by the cops. The cops could not arrest them on the ground the compound they 'vroomed' into belongs to the men of higher places. All you could do in the words of these girls was for the cops to vamoose before they get themselves into some big trouble. Much is made in the movie of the fact that these girls did not think of themselves as prostitutes. They were just ordinary campus girls who get by scamming the top shots and politicians in Abuja.

Bella and Eve shared a room in the school dorm (perhaps the word “cot” appropriately fits here as in a small shelter place) when Eve runs into Alicia in an alley where sluts hangs out to do business. Alicia, desperate, destitute and kicked out by her uncle had no place to stay. Eve comes to the rescue and offers her a squatting spot in the dorm room she shared with Bella. Bella complains but later gives in and accepts Alicia’s temporary stay. Later on Queen arrives and claims the room had been allocated to her from the students’ office. A little squabbles over the issue but worked out as the four most dangerous and most glamorous girls in Abuja sets out for a kill.

Although the story is centered on Queen (Nnaji) who calls the shots and makes all the connections, the most interesting character in the movie is Alicia beautifully acted by Rita Dominic who had always lost out on the men who slept with her and quite often would either not pay her or leave a little change while she is still asleep in her hotel room. Over and over again her vulnerability makes her an easy lay for cheap change until Queen played by Nnaji, the Vice President’s daughter who had gone low profile to live in the dorm rather than rent a flat off campus, comes to the rescue using her Abuja connections to get everyone involved in a high scale prostitution ring. Not even the bad guys on campus could touch or mess with these girls who had power and money, and had the politicians and business moguls slammed in their pockets. The scam is played over and over again. The movies upshot shows the power of escort enterprise if you have the right connections.

"Bad Girls" or "The Vice President's Daughter" would have made a better and logical title for the movie.

My ratings: Three Stars.