‘Roma’ by Alfonso Cuaron in running for an Oscar in 2019

ACCLAIMED by the critics, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron’s latest oeuvre is one step closer to an Oscar. “Roma” has joined the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film alongside eight other features, including the 2018 Palme d’Or “Shoplifters.”

With a month left to go until the announcement of nominations for the 91st Oscars, the Academy has disclosed a shortlist of nine contenders for its Best Foreign Language Film prize. Not surprisingly, “Roma” by Alfonso Cuaron, a critically acclaimed drama released on Netflix on Dec 14, is among the films in the running.

It will face stiff competition from “Shoplifters” by Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, the winner of the most recent Palme d’Or, as well as other films which won prizes in Cannes: “Cold War” (Poland’s entry), “Ayka” (Kazakhstan), “Capharnaüm” (Lebanon) and “Burning” (South Korea). Also on the shortlist are “Birds of Passage” (Colombia), which featured in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight selection, “The Guilty” (Denmark) and “Never Look Away,” a German film which premiered at the Venice Film Festival.

The five finalists will be revealed on Jan 22, when the nominations for the Oscars are announced. The Best Foreign Language Film winner, which will follow on from last year’s “A Fantastic Woman” (Chile), will be announced on Feb 24 at the 91st awards ceremony.

The Academy has disclosed other shortlists for the forthcoming Oscars, which can be found on the official Oscars website (www.oscars.org). — Relaxnews