Oscars: International Feature Nominees’ Recognition Continues Beyond Category; Bhutan Debuts & Sorrentino Returns

deadline.com:

After whittling down from 93 country submissions to a shortlist of 15, the Oscars’ Best International Feature category has its final five nominees, welcoming some familiar faces, and for the first time, an entirely new entrant.Lunana: A Yak In The Classroom by filmmaker Pawo Choyning Dorji, is only the second movie ever submitted from the small landlocked Asian country of Bhutan, and garnered its first Oscar mention on the same film’s second try.

The solar-powered movie, shot with one camera, was originally submitted last year but had been disqualified because an official selection committee had not been formed.

They regrouped and resubmitted, to a successful result.Dorji, speaking with Deadline from Taiwan today was ebullient. “It feels like a dream, like I’ll wake up tomorrow and it will have been a dream.”With Bhutan currently under Covid lockdown, Dorji told me the Academy recognition has “lifted the spirit in the country… The most magical part of this is it was so unexpected.

This is my first film — I wasn’t supposed to be here, the film wasn’t supposed to be here… I hope it inspires Bhutanese and Himalayan filmmakers.”Across the rest of the field there are three films which have multiple nominations.