The Palm Springs International Film Festival are set to screen 40 of the 80 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for best foreign language film, with Irish co-produced films ‘Viva’ and ’11 Minutes’ both selected.
The films will be competing for the FIPRESCI Award in the Awards Buzz section. The Awards Buzz section is selected by festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards race. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the festival’s FIPRESCI Award.
Selected by IFTA as Ireland’s submission for the Foreign Language Oscar, ‘Viva’ tells the story of Jesus, an eighteen year old Cuban, who is lost and struggling to realize his true identity. Unsure of himself or his future, he works at a local Havana drag club where he entertains dreams of becoming a performer.
The film is directed by Paddy Breathnach (I Went Down), and produced by Rebecca O’Flanagan and Rob Walpole of Treasure Films (The Stag) as well as Cathleen Dore and Nelson Navarro of Island Films. ‘Viva’ was written by Mark O’Halloran (Garage, Adam and Paul). Oscar winning actor Benicio Del Toro is on board as Executive Producer and the film also has support from Irish Film Board, Windmill Lane Pictures and RTÉ.
Irish/Polish co-production ’11 Minutes’ will be Poland’s official entry to be considered for Best Foreign Language film at this year’s Oscars.
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski, produced by Ewa Piaskowska of Skopia Film and co-produced by Andrew Lowe and Ed Guiney of Element Pictures with backing by the Irish Film Board, the film stars Irish actor Richard Dormer in the lead and had a five day shoot in Dublin in September last year before moving on to Poland. The film follows the same 11 minutes in the lives of several different characters; young and old, prosperous and destitute. Element Pictures Distribution also previously handled Skolimowski’s film ‘Essential Killing’.
’11 Minutes’ hits Irish cinemas on December 4th.
The Palm Springs International Film Festival runs January 11-16.