South African born Oliver Schmitz’ Life, Above All is one of nine films shortlisted for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (Oscars) Best Foreign Language Film category. The final five nominated films will be announced on 25 January.
Life, Above All, a South Africa / Germany co-production, competed against 66 submissions from around the world to reach the shortlist. Schmitz received a 10-minute standing ovation when the film screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The other eight films shortlisted for nomination are:
Rachid Bouchareb’s Outside the Law (France/Algeria/Belgium/Tunisia/Italy)
Denis Villeneuve’s Scorched (Canada/France)
Susanne Bier’s In a Better World (Denmark)
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (Greece)
Tetsuya Nakashima’s Confessions (Japan)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s Biutiful (Mexico/Spain)
Iciar Bollain’s Even the Rain (Spain/France)
Simple Simon by Andreas Ohman (Sweden)
