LATIN AMERICAN STARS SHINE AT OSCAR NOMINATIONS
(February 3, 2007) Tuesday’s announcements of this year’s Academy Awards nominees were marked by a massive presence of Latin American and Hispanic stars. Nineteen artists of Latin origin are up for an Oscar at the ceremony that will take place in L.A. on February 25th.
The nominees were announced on Tuesday evening by Mexican actress Salma Hayek.
Multilingual drama Babel, by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, was nominated for a total of seven awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Mexican Adriana Barraza. The film, which deals with interlocking stories set in Morocco, Mexico and Japan, already won a Golden Globe for Best Film. With nominations including Best Musical Score, Best Director and Best Screenplay, it is the second most-nominated film, after US musical hit Dreamgirls.
Barraza said that Babel's seven Oscar nominations were "a joy".
"American cinema is receiving people from all over the world," she told the Associated Press news agency. "This can open the doors for everybody."
Also leading the way for Mexican film was Pan's Labyrinth, by Guillermo de Toro. The film, set during the Spanish Civil War, is up for six awards, including Best Original Screenplay. De Toro will be competing against fellow Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón and his dystopian thriller Children of Men, which is nominated in the same category.
Argentina also made an appearance in the shortlist in the form of musician and producer Gustavo Santaolalla, who was nominated for the musical score to Babel.
“This is a great time for Hispanic artists,” said Santaolalla, who also received an Oscar last year for the score to Brokeback Mountain. Penelope Cruz made history by becoming the first Spanish actress to receive an Oscar nomination for her role as Raimunda in Volver, a film by Pedro Almodóvar. Many were surprised at the omission of Volver from Best Film and Best Screenplay nominations, but the Spanish director said he was happy that Cruz was representing the film at the Oscars.
“If I had to choose between the two nominations, I would definitely have chosen hers,” said Almodóvar.
Laura Ziskin, producer of the Oscars television broadcast, applauded the diversity of the nominations this year.
“The Academy Awards go all over the world and I think it is only right that we celebrate the industry throughout the world," she said. “It was obviously a big year for the Mexican film industry.”
SOURCES: LA TERCERA, EL MERCURIO, BBC
By Cate Setterfield (
[email protected])
http://www.tcgnews.com/santiagotimes/index.php?nav=story&story_id=12916&topic_id=15
