Independent study
Independent study
Dec 10, 2004
This time last year, in addition to all of the activity surrounding annual prognostication rituals, the Oscars found themselves in the middle of a brouhaha: After an announcement by MPAA chief Jack Valenti regarding the banning of screeners, independent movie studios riled up their troops and decided to battle the issue in New York courts.
Understanding that exposure is key for their product -- and livelihood -- the indies emerged victorious. They were able to send tapes and DVDs for consideration by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the effort paid off as smaller films such as Fox Searchlight's "Thirteen" and "In America" and United Artists' "Pieces of April" received recognition in several major categories.
This year, the indies also have a shot at cleaning up on Hollywood's biggest night because no clear studio successor to New Line's "The Lord of the Rings" franchise has emerged.
"I think this year is a special year because there aren't any obvious contenders from the studios in the major categories -- with some exceptions, of course," Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker says. "I think there's an opportunity here for the independents to make a really good showing."
With only a few weeks left until nomination ballots are mailed, following are indie contenders that might be in the running.
Fine Line
'We're putting our energy into a lot of places this year," Fine Line executive vp marketing Marian Koltai-Levine says. She is not exaggerating: New Line's specialty arm hopes that several of its films will translate into Oscars -- and some already safely can be described as among the year's most-talked-about releases.
Mike Leigh's October opener "Vera Drake," the story of an English woman who performs illegal abortions during the 1950s, is considered a contender in the best picture, director and original screenplay categories. The latter bid could be complicated by the fact that Leigh does not write his movies in the usual manner but rather allows scripts to emerge from six months of rehearsals.
There is a strong likelihood that British actress Imelda Staunton will earn a lead nomination for "Drake," and Fine Line also hopes that cast members such as Richard Graham and Philip Davis will be recognized.
While the July release "Maria Full of Grace" will not be considered in the foreign-language category -- director Joshua Marston is American -- the studio hopes that lead actress Catalina Sandino Moreno will be nominated for her turn as a pregnant Colombian drug runner. Marston also might be nominated for his original screenplay.
Alejandro Amenabar's planned Dec. 17 opener "The Sea Inside" not only has been submitted as Spain's official entry in the foreign-language sweepstakes but also has been touted for its award-winning lead performance by Javier Bardem in the true story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic who fought for his own right to die.
"Bardem has transformed himself from that strapping guy to a bed-ridden man who has been lying there for 26 years and can only type by holding a long pencil," New Line president of domestic marketing Russell Schwartz says. "But what's so interesting is how all the cast works so well together."
Fine Line is pushing Belen Rueda and Lola Duenas as supporting actresses from "Sea Inside." The picture also could bring a slew of nominations for Amenabar, who co-wrote the screenplay, executive produced and composed the score among his nondirectorial duties.
"You're in this rare case where you have a director that wrote the script, directed the movie and wrote all the music," Koltai-Levine says. "I also find it very exciting that foreign-language films are being considered wholeheartedly in the best picture category."
Focus Features
Although Focus Features has released films for only three years, its Oscar success has been amazing. Among the studio's 2002 releases, Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" earned seven nominations and won three statuettes; last year, Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" earned four nominations and a trophy for the writer-director's screenplay.
It appears that Focus co-chiefs David Linde and James Schamus are ready to do it all again this year with two films: the March opener "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and September's "The Motorcycle Diaries." "For (those two films), we are going for best picture -- basically the gamut," Linde says.
The Charlie Kaufman-penned "Sunshine" was a critical success, and the scribe has emerged as an Oscar favorite. He previously was nominated for 2002's "Adaptation" and 1999's "Being John Malkovich."
"Diaries" could not be submitted by a single nation in the Academy's foreign-language competition -- its creative participants hail from throughout South America -- but the Che Guevara biopic has enjoyed a long theatrical life fueled by good reviews for the film, director Walter Salles and actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna.
Focus also hopes that Jeff Bridges' critically praised lead turn in the July release "The Door in the Floor" will receive attention.
"We're focusing very much on Jeff Bridges for best actor for 'Door in the Floor,' and we're clearly getting a great deal of traction," Linde says.
Fox Searchlight
If there were a "most likely to succeed" category in Oscar competition, then Fox Searchlight certainly would qualify. The specialty division not only has enjoyed a profitable year with hits like the June release "Napoleon Dynamite" but also boasts one of this awards season's most highly praised films in Alexander Payne's October dramedy "Sideways," starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church as friends who take a weeklong trip to California wine country and strike up relationships with a waitress (Virginia Madsen) and single mother (Sandra Oh), respectively.
"In terms of 'Sideways,' we're really running a campaign for all categories," Searchlight president of marketing Nancy Utley says. "People loved the movie, and the press has been giving it numerous glowing reviews, so we're looking at picture, director, adapted screenplay and virtually all the actors."
Searchlight also is pushing writer-director Bill Condon's biopic "Kinsey" across the board. The film stars Liam Neeson as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and features a strong supporting turn by Laura Linney as his wife. Condon won an Oscar for his screenplay to 1998's "Gods and Monsters," based on the life of director James Whale and also helmed by Condon.
"Again, for 'Kinsey,' we're looking at picture, director, original screenplay and all the actors," Utley says. "The fact that both of these pictures were done on limited budgets, I think, makes their stories even more interesting than if they had been given all the money in the world."
Searchlight also is backing multihyphenate Zach Braff for the original screenplay to his feature directorial debut, the July release "Garden State," and David O. Russell and Jeff Baena for their script to the existential comedy "I Heart Huckabees," an October opener.
IFC Films
A compelling true story leading IFC Films' Oscar charge is "Touching the Void," which tells the tale of two men on the brink of death while climbing the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. The well-reviewed film secured a spot on the Academy's short list in the documentary feature category.
IFC also partnered with Lions Gate to release Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" in June, but the boxoffice hit was not submitted for consideration in the docu feature competition. IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring says Moore hopes his absence will give others a better opportunity to shine in the category. "We talked about it, and (Moore) said that there are a lot of great documentary filmmakers, and they don't get enough recognition," Sehring says.
Lions Gate
'Fahrenheit" will not be included in the Academy's docu competition, but the film should not be discounted entirely. "We feel ('Fahrenheit') is a leading contender for best picture, and we'd be thrilled if we were the first documentary nominated for best picture," Lions Gate Films Releasing president Tom Ortenberg says. "I don't know of any other film that has better best-picture credentials: The picture got great reviews, it did over $100 million at the boxoffice, and it affected people in a way that best-picture nominees are expected to touch people."
Ortenberg also is optimistic about three of his studio's year-end releases: The October opener "Stage Beauty" should benefit from a campaign highlighting Billy Crudup's starring turn; the Bobby Darin biopic "Beyond the Sea," set to open Dec. 17, will be pushed in all major categories (including Kevin Spacey's lead performance and direction and Kate Bosworth's supporting role as Sandra Dee); and "A Love Song for Bobby Long" will be pushed in all major categories. The latter film, directed by newcomer Shainee Gabel, stars John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson and is set to open Dec. 29 in limited release.
Newmarket
When the announcement was made that Keisha Castle-Hughes and Charlize Theron were nominated for their performances in 2003's "Whale Rider" and "Monster," respectively, the industry was surprised not because the actresses's performances were not worthy -- Theron would take home the statuette -- but because two low-budget films had made their mark amid a crowded marketplace. Newmarket president Bob Berney and his team hope to repeat history with the Dec. 24 release "The Woodsman," a controversial drama about a convicted sex offender's attempts to cope with life outside of prison.
"We are really pushing 'The Woodsman' but particularly (lead actor) Kevin Bacon," Berney says. "Last year he didn't get nominated for 'Mystic River,' and he has been such an amazing actor for the past however many years so we're really excited about this. I think in Kevin's performance, you believe it all the way."
Performances by Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def also figure to be highlighted from "Woodsman," as does the screenplay by Steven Fechter and writer-director Nicole Kassell.
"We'll also focus a bit on Thomas Jane for (the August release) 'Stander,'" Berney says. "I thought he was beautiful in a film that was overlooked."
Another film some might have missed is Dylan Kidd's October-release "P.S."; Newmarket might revive that romantic comedy with a push for Laura Linney, whose performance has been praised as some of her best work.
Paramount Classics
"There are two (October-released) films that we're focusing our attention on," Paramount Classics co-president David Dinerstein says. "One is 'The Machinist,' and the other is 'Enduring Love.'"
"Machinist" stars Christian Bale as an insomniac troubled by an unknown mystery from his past, and the startling physical transformation the actor undertook for the role -- losing about 65 pounds -- has made him the method man of the moment.
"He's running away from something," Paramount Classics co-president Ruth Vitale says of Bale's character, Trevor Reznik. "In the course of the movie it unfolds, and you find out what it is."
Adds Dinerstein, "It's incredible how (Bale) literally puts everything he has into this role."
In addition to the lead-actor campaign for Bale, "Machinist" is being touted in the technical categories and for Scott Kosar's screenplay.
The screenplay to "Love," adapted by Joe Penhall from an Ian McEwan novel, also is being touted. The drama stars Daniel Craig and Samantha Morton, both of whom are being pushed for Oscars. (Morton has been nominated by the Academy for 1999's "Sweet and Lowdown" and 2003's "In America.")
Sony Pictures Classics
With films from two of the world's most respected directors and a host of top-notch performances by A-list actors, Sony Pictures Classics boasts an embarrassment of Oscar-season riches.
In 2000, SPC released Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which earned more than $128 million at the domestic boxoffice, received 10 Oscar nominations and won four statuettes. The specialty division is set to mount a similar campaign for Zhang Yimou's recently released martial arts epic "House of Flying Daggers," which like "Tiger" has been submitted by China for consideration in the Academy's foreign-language race and features a starring turn by Zhang Ziyi.
"We're pushing everything for 'House of Flying Daggers,' from best picture to director and actress," SPC co-president Michael Barker says. "We think Zhang Ziyi has been athletic before, but in this performance she's really in a major dramatic role -- and she's really fantastic."
Also receiving fantastic reviews is Gael Garcia Bernal, whose performance in Pedro Almodovar's November release "Bad Education" has been singled out by critics. There is concern, though, that Bernal's performance in "Motorcycle Diaries" will hurt his chances for the "Education" role because, typically, when an actor has two noteworthy performances in the same category in the same year, any consensus is divided -- and neither role earns a nomination.
But Almodovar remains a favorite among Oscar voters, and while Spain chose to submit "The Sea Inside" for the Academy's foreign-language competition, he is considered a major contender in the directing and original screenplay categories.
"We think he's probably the finest director in the world and acknowledged as such," Barker says. "We're going to push him for best original screenplay, which he won for (2002's) 'Talk to Her.' It's so original; I don't see how the screenplay and the direction cannot be seriously considered."
Also hoping to compete in the director and adapted screenplay races is Michael Radford, whose "The Merchant of Venice" has garnered notice for performances by Al Pacino as a potential lead actor contender and Jeremy Irons and Lynn Collins in the supporting categories. The film is set to open Dec. 29 in Los Angeles and New York.
Newcomer Dan Harris is being touted in the original screenplay race for "Imaginary Heroes," starring Sigourney Weaver in a role that could make her a best actress contender -- though she might have to compete against the star of another SPC release.
"Annette Bening's performance is spectacular in 'Being Julia,'" Barker says. "We feel it really is a best actress performance and hoping she has a shot."
In the documentary feature category, Stacy Peralta's July release "Riding Giants" made the Academy's short list.
ThinkFilm
This year, ThinkFilm is focusing its Oscar attention on one actor. "Our emphasis is clearly going to be on (Sean) Penn's performance in (the planned Dec. 29 release) 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon,'" says Mark Urman, the studio's head of U.S. theatrical distribution. "He's so good in the movie, and so many people have said since Day 1 that they consider it his best work. When you have an actor who has been nominated four times and has won (once, last year), and people are saying that about the performance, it doesn't take a genius to know that this is an Oscar-caliber performance."
Directed by Niels Mueller, "Assassination," also starring Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle, is based on actual events centering on a businessman who goes to extreme measures to realize his version of the American dream. The film has earned praise on the festival circuit, particularly from the Toronto International Film Festival.
ThinkFilm also boasts three films on the Academy short list in the documentary category: "The Story of the Weeping Camel," "Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids" and "Tell Them Who You Are."
United Artists
'The moment we read the script, we said we had to do the movie," MGM vice chairman Chris McGurk says of the planned Dec. 22 opener "Hotel Rwanda," Terry George's drama about genocide in that small African nation. "We said, 'Of course we are going to run the risk that, like the whole Rwandan situation, the world will turn the other way' -- but the script was so great and the movie so well-cast, and we had a very motivated writer-director. We are thrilled with the way it turned out."
UA should be, and the studio hopes that the movie's serious theme will give heft to George as director and writer (he wrote the original screenplay with Keir Pearson). "Rwanda" also boasts strong performances by Don Cheadle in the best actor category and Sophie Okonedo, whom the studio is pushing as a supporting actress.
UA's ensemble high school comedy "Saved!" also might stand a chance for an original-screenplay nom for Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban.
Warner Independent Pictures
Although it is the youngest of the studio specialty divisions, Warner Independent Pictures brings serious contenders to this year's Oscar races. President Mark Gill, coming off of several Miramax Oscar campaigns, has honed in on three films.
"(November's) 'A Very Long Engagement' is not eligible for foreign film, but we think it is good enough to have a great shot at best picture," he says. "That's something I've figured out how to do twice before when I worked at Miramax, with (1994's) 'Il Postino' and (1998's) 'Life Is Beautiful'; I think we have a reasonable shot at that."
A lavish period romance set during World War I, "Engagement" reunites 2001's "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet with star Audrey Tautou. Gill says WIP will mount a campaign for the film in all major categories including best picture, actress, director and adapted screenplay.
A film made on a much smaller scale, Richard Linklater's "Before Sunset" -- starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as star-crossed lovers in Paris -- also is stirring WIP's Oscar hopes, though in a more limited range of categories. "Obviously, screenplay, director and Julie Delpy," Gill says.
Gill and his team also are focusing on the John Curran-helmed "We Don't Live Here Anymore." Based on a short story by Andre Dubus, the drama has received several favorable reviews. "In that case, we're pushing Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and the screenwriter, Larry Gross, who I think has a phenomenal chance," Gill says. "What I love about this race is that it's absolutely wide-open."
Stephen Galloway contributed to this report.
Understanding that exposure is key for their product -- and livelihood -- the indies emerged victorious. They were able to send tapes and DVDs for consideration by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the effort paid off as smaller films such as Fox Searchlight's "Thirteen" and "In America" and United Artists' "Pieces of April" received recognition in several major categories.
This year, the indies also have a shot at cleaning up on Hollywood's biggest night because no clear studio successor to New Line's "The Lord of the Rings" franchise has emerged.
"I think this year is a special year because there aren't any obvious contenders from the studios in the major categories -- with some exceptions, of course," Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker says. "I think there's an opportunity here for the independents to make a really good showing."
With only a few weeks left until nomination ballots are mailed, following are indie contenders that might be in the running.
Fine Line
'We're putting our energy into a lot of places this year," Fine Line executive vp marketing Marian Koltai-Levine says. She is not exaggerating: New Line's specialty arm hopes that several of its films will translate into Oscars -- and some already safely can be described as among the year's most-talked-about releases.
Mike Leigh's October opener "Vera Drake," the story of an English woman who performs illegal abortions during the 1950s, is considered a contender in the best picture, director and original screenplay categories. The latter bid could be complicated by the fact that Leigh does not write his movies in the usual manner but rather allows scripts to emerge from six months of rehearsals.
There is a strong likelihood that British actress Imelda Staunton will earn a lead nomination for "Drake," and Fine Line also hopes that cast members such as Richard Graham and Philip Davis will be recognized.
While the July release "Maria Full of Grace" will not be considered in the foreign-language category -- director Joshua Marston is American -- the studio hopes that lead actress Catalina Sandino Moreno will be nominated for her turn as a pregnant Colombian drug runner. Marston also might be nominated for his original screenplay.
Alejandro Amenabar's planned Dec. 17 opener "The Sea Inside" not only has been submitted as Spain's official entry in the foreign-language sweepstakes but also has been touted for its award-winning lead performance by Javier Bardem in the true story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, a quadriplegic who fought for his own right to die.
"Bardem has transformed himself from that strapping guy to a bed-ridden man who has been lying there for 26 years and can only type by holding a long pencil," New Line president of domestic marketing Russell Schwartz says. "But what's so interesting is how all the cast works so well together."
Fine Line is pushing Belen Rueda and Lola Duenas as supporting actresses from "Sea Inside." The picture also could bring a slew of nominations for Amenabar, who co-wrote the screenplay, executive produced and composed the score among his nondirectorial duties.
"You're in this rare case where you have a director that wrote the script, directed the movie and wrote all the music," Koltai-Levine says. "I also find it very exciting that foreign-language films are being considered wholeheartedly in the best picture category."
Focus Features
Although Focus Features has released films for only three years, its Oscar success has been amazing. Among the studio's 2002 releases, Roman Polanski's "The Pianist" earned seven nominations and won three statuettes; last year, Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" earned four nominations and a trophy for the writer-director's screenplay.
It appears that Focus co-chiefs David Linde and James Schamus are ready to do it all again this year with two films: the March opener "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and September's "The Motorcycle Diaries." "For (those two films), we are going for best picture -- basically the gamut," Linde says.
The Charlie Kaufman-penned "Sunshine" was a critical success, and the scribe has emerged as an Oscar favorite. He previously was nominated for 2002's "Adaptation" and 1999's "Being John Malkovich."
"Diaries" could not be submitted by a single nation in the Academy's foreign-language competition -- its creative participants hail from throughout South America -- but the Che Guevara biopic has enjoyed a long theatrical life fueled by good reviews for the film, director Walter Salles and actors Gael Garcia Bernal and Rodrigo de la Serna.
Focus also hopes that Jeff Bridges' critically praised lead turn in the July release "The Door in the Floor" will receive attention.
"We're focusing very much on Jeff Bridges for best actor for 'Door in the Floor,' and we're clearly getting a great deal of traction," Linde says.
Fox Searchlight
If there were a "most likely to succeed" category in Oscar competition, then Fox Searchlight certainly would qualify. The specialty division not only has enjoyed a profitable year with hits like the June release "Napoleon Dynamite" but also boasts one of this awards season's most highly praised films in Alexander Payne's October dramedy "Sideways," starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church as friends who take a weeklong trip to California wine country and strike up relationships with a waitress (Virginia Madsen) and single mother (Sandra Oh), respectively.
"In terms of 'Sideways,' we're really running a campaign for all categories," Searchlight president of marketing Nancy Utley says. "People loved the movie, and the press has been giving it numerous glowing reviews, so we're looking at picture, director, adapted screenplay and virtually all the actors."
Searchlight also is pushing writer-director Bill Condon's biopic "Kinsey" across the board. The film stars Liam Neeson as sex researcher Alfred Kinsey and features a strong supporting turn by Laura Linney as his wife. Condon won an Oscar for his screenplay to 1998's "Gods and Monsters," based on the life of director James Whale and also helmed by Condon.
"Again, for 'Kinsey,' we're looking at picture, director, original screenplay and all the actors," Utley says. "The fact that both of these pictures were done on limited budgets, I think, makes their stories even more interesting than if they had been given all the money in the world."
Searchlight also is backing multihyphenate Zach Braff for the original screenplay to his feature directorial debut, the July release "Garden State," and David O. Russell and Jeff Baena for their script to the existential comedy "I Heart Huckabees," an October opener.
IFC Films
A compelling true story leading IFC Films' Oscar charge is "Touching the Void," which tells the tale of two men on the brink of death while climbing the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. The well-reviewed film secured a spot on the Academy's short list in the documentary feature category.
IFC also partnered with Lions Gate to release Michael Moore's controversial documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" in June, but the boxoffice hit was not submitted for consideration in the docu feature competition. IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring says Moore hopes his absence will give others a better opportunity to shine in the category. "We talked about it, and (Moore) said that there are a lot of great documentary filmmakers, and they don't get enough recognition," Sehring says.
Lions Gate
'Fahrenheit" will not be included in the Academy's docu competition, but the film should not be discounted entirely. "We feel ('Fahrenheit') is a leading contender for best picture, and we'd be thrilled if we were the first documentary nominated for best picture," Lions Gate Films Releasing president Tom Ortenberg says. "I don't know of any other film that has better best-picture credentials: The picture got great reviews, it did over $100 million at the boxoffice, and it affected people in a way that best-picture nominees are expected to touch people."
Ortenberg also is optimistic about three of his studio's year-end releases: The October opener "Stage Beauty" should benefit from a campaign highlighting Billy Crudup's starring turn; the Bobby Darin biopic "Beyond the Sea," set to open Dec. 17, will be pushed in all major categories (including Kevin Spacey's lead performance and direction and Kate Bosworth's supporting role as Sandra Dee); and "A Love Song for Bobby Long" will be pushed in all major categories. The latter film, directed by newcomer Shainee Gabel, stars John Travolta and Scarlett Johansson and is set to open Dec. 29 in limited release.
Newmarket
When the announcement was made that Keisha Castle-Hughes and Charlize Theron were nominated for their performances in 2003's "Whale Rider" and "Monster," respectively, the industry was surprised not because the actresses's performances were not worthy -- Theron would take home the statuette -- but because two low-budget films had made their mark amid a crowded marketplace. Newmarket president Bob Berney and his team hope to repeat history with the Dec. 24 release "The Woodsman," a controversial drama about a convicted sex offender's attempts to cope with life outside of prison.
"We are really pushing 'The Woodsman' but particularly (lead actor) Kevin Bacon," Berney says. "Last year he didn't get nominated for 'Mystic River,' and he has been such an amazing actor for the past however many years so we're really excited about this. I think in Kevin's performance, you believe it all the way."
Performances by Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def also figure to be highlighted from "Woodsman," as does the screenplay by Steven Fechter and writer-director Nicole Kassell.
"We'll also focus a bit on Thomas Jane for (the August release) 'Stander,'" Berney says. "I thought he was beautiful in a film that was overlooked."
Another film some might have missed is Dylan Kidd's October-release "P.S."; Newmarket might revive that romantic comedy with a push for Laura Linney, whose performance has been praised as some of her best work.
Paramount Classics
"There are two (October-released) films that we're focusing our attention on," Paramount Classics co-president David Dinerstein says. "One is 'The Machinist,' and the other is 'Enduring Love.'"
"Machinist" stars Christian Bale as an insomniac troubled by an unknown mystery from his past, and the startling physical transformation the actor undertook for the role -- losing about 65 pounds -- has made him the method man of the moment.
"He's running away from something," Paramount Classics co-president Ruth Vitale says of Bale's character, Trevor Reznik. "In the course of the movie it unfolds, and you find out what it is."
Adds Dinerstein, "It's incredible how (Bale) literally puts everything he has into this role."
In addition to the lead-actor campaign for Bale, "Machinist" is being touted in the technical categories and for Scott Kosar's screenplay.
The screenplay to "Love," adapted by Joe Penhall from an Ian McEwan novel, also is being touted. The drama stars Daniel Craig and Samantha Morton, both of whom are being pushed for Oscars. (Morton has been nominated by the Academy for 1999's "Sweet and Lowdown" and 2003's "In America.")
Sony Pictures Classics
With films from two of the world's most respected directors and a host of top-notch performances by A-list actors, Sony Pictures Classics boasts an embarrassment of Oscar-season riches.
In 2000, SPC released Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," which earned more than $128 million at the domestic boxoffice, received 10 Oscar nominations and won four statuettes. The specialty division is set to mount a similar campaign for Zhang Yimou's recently released martial arts epic "House of Flying Daggers," which like "Tiger" has been submitted by China for consideration in the Academy's foreign-language race and features a starring turn by Zhang Ziyi.
"We're pushing everything for 'House of Flying Daggers,' from best picture to director and actress," SPC co-president Michael Barker says. "We think Zhang Ziyi has been athletic before, but in this performance she's really in a major dramatic role -- and she's really fantastic."
Also receiving fantastic reviews is Gael Garcia Bernal, whose performance in Pedro Almodovar's November release "Bad Education" has been singled out by critics. There is concern, though, that Bernal's performance in "Motorcycle Diaries" will hurt his chances for the "Education" role because, typically, when an actor has two noteworthy performances in the same category in the same year, any consensus is divided -- and neither role earns a nomination.
But Almodovar remains a favorite among Oscar voters, and while Spain chose to submit "The Sea Inside" for the Academy's foreign-language competition, he is considered a major contender in the directing and original screenplay categories.
"We think he's probably the finest director in the world and acknowledged as such," Barker says. "We're going to push him for best original screenplay, which he won for (2002's) 'Talk to Her.' It's so original; I don't see how the screenplay and the direction cannot be seriously considered."
Also hoping to compete in the director and adapted screenplay races is Michael Radford, whose "The Merchant of Venice" has garnered notice for performances by Al Pacino as a potential lead actor contender and Jeremy Irons and Lynn Collins in the supporting categories. The film is set to open Dec. 29 in Los Angeles and New York.
Newcomer Dan Harris is being touted in the original screenplay race for "Imaginary Heroes," starring Sigourney Weaver in a role that could make her a best actress contender -- though she might have to compete against the star of another SPC release.
"Annette Bening's performance is spectacular in 'Being Julia,'" Barker says. "We feel it really is a best actress performance and hoping she has a shot."
In the documentary feature category, Stacy Peralta's July release "Riding Giants" made the Academy's short list.
ThinkFilm
This year, ThinkFilm is focusing its Oscar attention on one actor. "Our emphasis is clearly going to be on (Sean) Penn's performance in (the planned Dec. 29 release) 'The Assassination of Richard Nixon,'" says Mark Urman, the studio's head of U.S. theatrical distribution. "He's so good in the movie, and so many people have said since Day 1 that they consider it his best work. When you have an actor who has been nominated four times and has won (once, last year), and people are saying that about the performance, it doesn't take a genius to know that this is an Oscar-caliber performance."
Directed by Niels Mueller, "Assassination," also starring Naomi Watts and Don Cheadle, is based on actual events centering on a businessman who goes to extreme measures to realize his version of the American dream. The film has earned praise on the festival circuit, particularly from the Toronto International Film Festival.
ThinkFilm also boasts three films on the Academy short list in the documentary category: "The Story of the Weeping Camel," "Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids" and "Tell Them Who You Are."
United Artists
'The moment we read the script, we said we had to do the movie," MGM vice chairman Chris McGurk says of the planned Dec. 22 opener "Hotel Rwanda," Terry George's drama about genocide in that small African nation. "We said, 'Of course we are going to run the risk that, like the whole Rwandan situation, the world will turn the other way' -- but the script was so great and the movie so well-cast, and we had a very motivated writer-director. We are thrilled with the way it turned out."
UA should be, and the studio hopes that the movie's serious theme will give heft to George as director and writer (he wrote the original screenplay with Keir Pearson). "Rwanda" also boasts strong performances by Don Cheadle in the best actor category and Sophie Okonedo, whom the studio is pushing as a supporting actress.
UA's ensemble high school comedy "Saved!" also might stand a chance for an original-screenplay nom for Brian Dannelly and Michael Urban.
Warner Independent Pictures
Although it is the youngest of the studio specialty divisions, Warner Independent Pictures brings serious contenders to this year's Oscar races. President Mark Gill, coming off of several Miramax Oscar campaigns, has honed in on three films.
"(November's) 'A Very Long Engagement' is not eligible for foreign film, but we think it is good enough to have a great shot at best picture," he says. "That's something I've figured out how to do twice before when I worked at Miramax, with (1994's) 'Il Postino' and (1998's) 'Life Is Beautiful'; I think we have a reasonable shot at that."
A lavish period romance set during World War I, "Engagement" reunites 2001's "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet with star Audrey Tautou. Gill says WIP will mount a campaign for the film in all major categories including best picture, actress, director and adapted screenplay.
A film made on a much smaller scale, Richard Linklater's "Before Sunset" -- starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as star-crossed lovers in Paris -- also is stirring WIP's Oscar hopes, though in a more limited range of categories. "Obviously, screenplay, director and Julie Delpy," Gill says.
Gill and his team also are focusing on the John Curran-helmed "We Don't Live Here Anymore." Based on a short story by Andre Dubus, the drama has received several favorable reviews. "In that case, we're pushing Laura Dern, Mark Ruffalo and the screenwriter, Larry Gross, who I think has a phenomenal chance," Gill says. "What I love about this race is that it's absolutely wide-open."
Stephen Galloway contributed to this report.
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