23/10/2002 - Russia, Holland, Belgium, Romania, Hungary, Germany and France have chosen their candidates for the best foreign film Oscar. The rest of Europe has until 1 November

The European film industry is gearing up to meet the 1 November deadline set by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for submissions to the best foreign film Oscar. The 75th edition of the Oscars will take place on 23 March 2003 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. The five nominees will be announced by the Academy president on 11 February 2003.
Russia submitted Andrei Konchalovsky’s Dom Durakov (House of Fools), which won the Jury Prize at the 59th Venice Film Festival. Belgium went for Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Le Fils (The Son), a French-language drama that was first presented in Cannes, where the protagonist, Olivier Gourmet won the best actor award. This is the second time a Dardenne brothers’ film has been chosen to represent Belgium, after Rosetta in 1999.
Germany will be represented by Caroline Link’s Nowhere in Africa that won 5 LOLAS at the 2002 German Film Awards, including best film and director, and went on to win popular and critical acclaim at various international film festivals. At Karlovy Vary it won the of the jury as well as the Award. Nowhere in Africa was also the best feature at the Jerusalem Film Festival and won the Audience Award at the 10th Hamptons International Film Festival. In German theatres alone, this film has taken around Euros 8 million.
. France chose François Ozon’s popular 8 Women starring eight of country’s most celebrated actresses including Catherine Deneuve and Fanny Ardant.
The Hungarian selectors decided on Hukkle by a young director called Gyorgy Palfi who won the New Directors’ Award in San Sebastian, while Romania came out in favour of Occident by Christian Mungiu, first presented at Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes earlier this year.
The Dutch choice candidate is Zus & Zo by Paula van der Oest.

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