‘The snow society’ by JA Bayona, ‘Cerrar los ojos’ by Víctor Erice and ‘20,000 species of bees’ by Estibaliz Urresola are the three titles shortlisted by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences to represent Spain in the next edition of the Oscars, number 96, in the category of Best International Film. On September 20, the Academy will choose from the shortlist and announce the title that will finally represent Spain at the Academy Awards in Hollywood.
From Venice, JA Bayona has explained that the film, which deals with the plane crash that in 1972 left 29 survivors in the Andes who were even forced to cannibalism to survive, will be released in cinemas as well as on Netflix. And he has highlighted that he is “very happy to be here, to return home, to shoot in our language, being embraced by colleagues is very important to us, I have been shooting abroad for seven years and not shooting in Spanish for 16, raise the funding of this film has been impossible, we managed it in the end, and we are very happy with the response of the public”. And with a view to the possible final nomination, he added that they are “showing the film in Los Angeles and the reaction is wonderful, very positive, we have a partner, Netflix, who wants to give everything and is committed to supporting it as much as possible if we go out”.
Estibaliz Urresolo, director of ‘20,000 species of bees’, whose protagonist, Sofía Otero, won the Golden Bear in Berlin for her performance, has recognized that “there were very powerful titles and weighty arguments to be shortlisted and I have tried not to put I’m very excited so that the balloon doesn’t inflate, everything that is happening to the film is happening as an extra gift to any expectations that we might have had”. “The film deals with an important issue that we have to address,” she stressed, in this case the childhood of a transsexual girl.
The actress Natalia de Molina, the producer Esther García, and the director and screenwriter Borja Cobeaga, members of the Hollywood Academy and the Spanish Film Academy, have read the three shortlisted films, accompanied by the president of the Fernando Méndez-Leite Academy and the notary Eva Fernández Medina.
