No chance at Oscar for Israel this year
Palestinian drama ‘Omar’ makes the shortlist for Best Foreign Film, while Israeli ‘Bethlehem’ snubbed
The Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences announced on Friday its shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Film category, and Israel wasn’t on it.
Yuval Adler’s “Bethlehem” was snubbed by the academy despite the accolades it has already garnered, including winning Best Film at the 2013 Venice Film Festival.
A Palestinian picture, “Omar,” by director Hany Abu-Assad, did keep its Oscar hopes alive, making it to the last nine. The contenders will further be pared down to five when the Oscar nominees are announced on January 16. The 2014 Academy Awards will be held on March 2.
Notably missing from the shortlist was Iranian director Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past.” Farhadi’s 2011 film “A Separation” won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2012.
