France has restructured their Oscar submission committee. The group decides which French film should be submitted for the international feature film Oscar.
As part of the overhaul, permanent members such as Cannes Film Festival’s general delegate Thierry Fremaux, Cesar Académie president Veronique Cayla and Unifrance boss Serge Toubiana will no longer be part of the committee.
Rima Abdul Malik, newly elected Culture Minister was the one who issued the decree. It was published in Journal Officiel July 27.
The decision to reform France’s Oscar commission stems from criticism over the submission of films that had premiered at Cannes but didn’t necessarily have the best chances of going far in the Oscar race and ultimately earning a nomination.
Last year’s controversial selection of Julia Ducournau’s divisive Palme d’Or winning “Titane” over Audrey Diwan’s abortion drama “Happening” — which won the Golden Lion at Venice — crystallized frustrations within the local industry and raised concerns over potential conflicts of interest.
The culture minister will name the members of the committee each year. They will include two sales agents and two producers. One representative from the film industry will also be a member. As observers, the presidents of Unifrance and the National Film Board (CNC), will be able attend the meetings of the commission.
The last French Oscar submission that went on to win best international feature film was Régis Wargnier’s “Indochine”1993
CNC has previously modified the submission guidelines to allow films to run qualifying runs prior to their official theatrical premiere, if they are granted a temporary visa. Films that were scheduled to release in winter can now be submitted before the Sept. 30 deadline so they can be considered by the Oscar committee.