Oscar Shortlist: three Filmstiftung-backed productions in the running

• Tatiana Huezos‘ „Prayers for the Stolen“ für Bester Internationaler Spielfilm
• Pablo Larraín’s drama "Spencer" for Best Score
• Leos Carax’s musical "Annette" for Best Film Song
• Nominations to be announced on February 8, 2022; Oscars ceremony on March 27, 2022

Late yesterday evening, the shortlist for the 2022 Academy Awards was announced. Three productions backed by the Filmstiftung are now vieing for Oscar nominations in these categories. Five candidates will eventually be nominated from each shortlist.

"Prayers for the Stolen" for Best International Feature Film
93 countries had submitted their films for the Oscars – from Egypt to Vietnam – in the category "Best International Feature". 15 of them have now made it onto the coveted shortlist. They include the international co-production "Prayers for the Stolen" by the writer-director Tatiana Huezo. The co-production by the Cologne-based Match Factory, among others, was submitted as the Mexican candidate. It is the first feature film by the Salvadoran-Mexican documentary filmmaker Huezo. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard sidebar at Cannes in July and received a Special Mention. Since then, the film has been screened at numerous international festivals and won several prestigious awards.

Another film on the shortlist in this category is Germany’s submission, "I’m Your Man" by Maria Schrader.

"Spencer" by Pablo Larraín: Original Score
"Spencer" by director Pablo Larraín has a shot at a nomination in the “Original Score” category. The drama, which had its world premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival, tells the story of Princess Diana’s last weekend with the British Royal Family on the Sandringham estate in 1991. It was only a few days ago that Kristen Stewart was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for her performance as Lady Di. There was a total of 136 entries in this category, 15 of which are now on the shortlist.

"Annette" by Leos Carax: Original Song
Director Leos Carax’s musical "Annette", which had its world premiere at the Festival de Cannes and has already won numerous awards, is in the running for an Oscar nomination in the “Original Song” category for a song which was composed along with the rest of the score by the 1980s legends "Sparks". The opening song "So May We Start" also features Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver and Simon Helberg. The musical is a rock opera about the love between a comedian (Driver), an opera singer (Cotillard) and their daughter Annette. The Academy has now selected 15 for the shortlist from 84 submitted songs.

The nominations for the 94th Oscars will be announced on February 8, 2022. The ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theater on March 27, 2022.