Two Arab women have just been shortlisted for the 93rd Academy Awards. Palestinian-British filmmaker Farah Nabulsi’s short film “The Present” and Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s feature The Man Who Sold His Skin are both up for the industry’s top prize in separate categories.
Nabulsi has produced four short films all centering around Palestine. Her other films include “Today They Took My Son”, following a mother who traumatized after her young son was taken away, as well as “Oceans of Injustice” and “Nightmare of Gaza”, all exploring different facets of life for Palestinians. Nabulsi wrote and produced her first three shorts, with “The Present” marking her directorial debut. In addition to directing, Nabulsi wrote the story, co-wrote the script, and produced her latest film. “Oceans of Injustice” was directed by Bruno de Champris, and” Today They Took My Son” was helmed by Pierre Dawalibi.
The Present has been short listed for the Oscars! I never imagined I would be saying the words “FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION – BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT.” 9 other phenomenal films short listed from over 170 qualified in the category. Thank U @TheAcademy #Oscars https://t.co/rE24SeGbt2
— Farah Nabulsi (@farah_nabulsi) February 10, 2021
Others shortlisted in the category include Karishma Dev Dube’s “Bittu,” ” Doug Rolland’s “Feeling Through,” and Oscar mainstay Pedro Almodovar’s “The Human Voice”.
Nabulsi tweeted that she was “overjoyed!” at the news of her film’s short listing. “I never imagined I would be saying the words ‘FOR YOUR CONISIDERATION – BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT’,” she said, thanking the Academy for the honour.
The Present, produced by Philistine Films, has also been longlisted for the BAFTA in the category for British Short Film.
The story of “The Present” centers around a man and his daughter who attempt tobuy a gift for the man’s wife while in Palestine’s West Bank.
The film was co-written and edited by Palestinian filmmaker Hind Shoufani.
Previous Oscar contenders from Palestine include acclaimed director Hany Abu Assad, nominated twice in the International Feature category, then called Foreign Language Film, for his films Paradise Now (2005) and Omar (2015). Lebanese woman Nadine Labaki was nominated in the same category for her feature Capernaum in 2018.
Ben Hania’s shortlisting for International Feature Film comes along-side favourites such as Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round and La Llorna, directed by Jayro Bustamante, a horror film out of Guatemala.
The film stars Yahya Mahayni, who plays a Syrian refugee whose body becomes an art piece, inspired by a man who was tattooed by a Belgian artist. It won the Best Actor prize at the Venice Film Festival last fall.
The official nominations are set to be announced on March 15, with the ceremony coming on April 25.
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