Academy Stumbles Again With Another Oscars International Disqualification, This Time Austria
The Academy found that “Joy,” Austria’s entry in the Best International Feature Film category, is predominantly in English — something it should have known a month ago
Steve Pond | November 11, 2019 @ 7:17 PM
Last Updated: November 11, 2019 @ 7:18 PM
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Netflix
The Academy has bumbled its way into another snafu in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film category, disqualifying the Austrian entry, “Joy,” a week after declaring that Nigeria’s “Lionheart” was ineligible.
Like “Lionheart,” “Joy” ran afoul of a rule that states a film must have “a predominantly non-English dialogue track” to compete in the category that until this year was known as Best Foreign Language Film.
“Joy,” which deals with an African woman caught up in sex trafficking in Vienna, is in a mixture of German and English, including a version of pidgin English that is subtitled in the film but understandable to English-speaking viewers.
The Academy ruled that “Joy” was not predominantly non-English, and could therefore not compete in the category. The second disqualification drops the total number of films in the category from 92 to 91, and the total number of female directors from 28 to 27.
The number of female directors remains a record for the category, but the number of films is now one fewer than the 92 that were eligible in 2017.
The disqualification once again raised the ire of director Ava DuVernay, who linked to the Hollywood Reporter story that broke the news of the disqualification and tweeted, “How about letting countries submit the film they feel best represents its cinematic work in any given year?”
Like the furor that greeted the “Lionheart” disqualification a week ago, the complaints about “Joy” are entirely preventable. Austria announced the submission of “Joy” in early September, by which time it was already playing on Netflix, just as “Lionheart” was. Participants in and keen observers of the Oscars international category had raised red flags about the amount of English dialogue in both films (and in a third Netflix entry, the U.K.’s “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind”) before the list of qualifying films was announced on Oct. 7.
But by announcing those films, scheduling their official Oscar screenings and not vetting them for more than a month, the Academy made a far bigger issue out of their disqualifications than it would have been if Austria and Nigeria had simply been left off the roster of eligible films (as Afghanistan was, for reasons that had nothing to do with the language of its entry).
Since the submission committees for both Austria and Nigeria had signed forms saying they knew and would abide by the category rules, the disqualifications were automatic once somebody from the Academy actually watched the movies. And while watching 94 films, the number originally submitted, is a lot of viewing for AMPAS staffers and voters to do, focusing on the handful of films that had big question marks over them should not have been.
Meanwhile, the answer to Ava DuVernay’s question — “How about letting countries submit the film they feel best represents its cinematic work in any given year?” — remains the same: Because if you do that, you’ll have a category filled with movies like “The Favourite,” “The King’s Speech,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and other English-language movies made outside the United States.
That would not benefit countries like Austria and Nigeria any more than failing to abide by the rules benefits then.
53 Movies With A+ CinemaScore Since 2000, From 'Remember the Titans' to 'Just Mercy' (Photos)
"Finding Forrester" (2000)
A writing prodigy finds an unlikely mentor in a reclusive author played by Sean Connery in this feel-good drama that won over first-weekend audiences.
Sony
"Remember the Titans" (2000)
Audiences cheered for the high school football drama starring Denzel Washington as a tough-talking coach.
Disney
"Monsters, Inc." (2001)
Pixar animated hits like this one consistently get high marks from CinemaScore moviegoers.
Pixar
"Antwone Fisher" (2002)
Denzel Washington plays a Navy shrink treating a troubled sailor (Derek Luke).
"Drumline" (2002)
Nick Cannon plays a Harlem street drummer recruited to play for a Southern university's marching band.
Fox
"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (2002)
The second film in the eight-film saga won a grade that would have pleased Hermione -- though all the others rated an A– or better.
Warner Bros.
"Finding Nemo" (2003)
Another beloved Pixar hit.
Pixar
"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (2003)
The Oscar-winning finale of Peter Jackson's J.R.R. Tolkien saga was the one ring that ruled them all.
New Line
"The Passion of the Christ" (2004)
Mel Gibson's biblical epic won a passionate response from filmgoers.
"The Incredibles" (2004)
Another Pixar film that won over audiences in a superhero-size way.
Pixar
"The Polar Express" (2004)
Tom Hanks' CG conductor now looks a little creepy, but this holiday-set animated film was cutting edge at the time of its release.
"Ray" (2004)
Jamie Foxx's Oscar-winning turn as music legend Ray Charles hit high notes with filmgoers.
"Dreamer" (2005)
A heart-tugging story about a racehorse who came back after breaking a leg is a natural to win high marks.
DreamWorks
"Diary of a Mad Black Woman" (2005)
Tyler Perry's early Madea film won over first-weekend audiences.
"Cinderella Man" (2005)
Ron Howard's drama about a real-life boxer (Russell Crowe) knocked out moviegoers.
Universal
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (2005)
The C.S. Lewis story ticked the right boxes for CinemaScore audiences with its appeal to both faith-based and family audiences.
"Akeelah and the Bee" (2006)
A girl from South Los Angeles tries to compete in the National Spelling Bee in this feel-good drama.
"Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" (2007)
CinemaScore grades tend to get a boost when super-fans turn out in force on opening weekend -- like Tyler Perry enthusiasts.
Lionsgate
"Up" (2009)
Filmgoer affection kept the score aloft for this Pixar hit.
Pixar
"The Blind Side" (2009)
Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning feel-good drama blindsided audiences with its heartfelt true-life story.
Warner Bros.
"The King's Speech" (2010)
Colin Firth's true-life story of King George VI became the latest Oscar Best Picture winner to appeal to audiences as well.
TWC
"Tangled" (2010)
Disney's spin on Rapunzel was just another one of its much-loved princess yarns.
Disney
"Soul Surfer" (2011)
Filmgoers latched onto a film about Bethany Hamilton, a surfer who got back on the board even after losing an arm in a shark attack.
"Courageous" (2011)
This faith-based indie about four cops who reassess their lives after a tragedy hit home with audiences.
"Dolphin Tale" (2011)
Family audiences flipped for this one.
"The Help" (2011)
Tate Taylor's civil rights drama became a giant summer hit on the heels of some very positive word of mouth.
Disney
"The Avengers" (2012)
Marvel's superhero-palooza became the first comic-book movie to land a perfect grade.
Marvel
"Argo" (2012)
Ben Affleck's fact-based drama connected with audiences -- and Academy voters.
Warner Bros.
"42" (2013)
Five years before his "Black Panther" landed an A+, Chadwick Boseman starred in this biopic of Jackie Robinson.
"Instructions Not Included" (2013)
This Spanish-language comedy became a surprise hit -- and the audience response meant strong word of mouth.
Pantelion
"The Best Man Holiday" (2013)
Fans of Malcolm D. Lee's original 1999 best-friends melodrama had to wait more than a decade for this sequel -- and they went home satisfied.
"Frozen" (2013)
Filmgoers just couldn't let this one go.
Disney
"Lone Survivor" (2014)
CinemaScore audiences love Peter Berg's true-life tales of American heroism, this time with Mark Wahlberg as a Navy SEAL on the run from the Taliban.
"Woodlawn" (2015)
Recipe for success with CinemaScore audiences: Faith-based football drama starring an African American young man who must overcome obstacles to succeed.
PureFlix
"Selma" (2015)
Ava DuVernay's stirring portrait of Martin Luther King Jr. marched forward with strong word of mouth.
"American Sniper" (2015)
Clint Eastwood's searing portrait of an American military hero (Bradley Cooper) was a hit with audiences.
Warner Bros.
"Miracles From Heaven" (2016)
CinemaScore audiences again fancied this religiously themed Jennifer Garner drama.
"Queen of Katwe" (2016)
This unfortunately little-seen film about a young girl in rural Uganda who becomes an unlikely chess champion was loved by those who did see it.
Disney
"Patriots Day" (2016)
Peter Berg's drama about the Boston Marathon bombing case wasn't a hit, but CinemaScore filmgoers loved it.
"Hidden Figures" (2016)
The true-life tale of African-American women who helped NASA's space program blasted off with filmgoers.
Fox
"Girls Trip" (2017)
Another film starring African-American women aced it with audiences.
"Wonder" (2017)
The heartwarming story of a boy with a facial deformity checked all the right boxes for first-weekend audiences.
Lionsgate
"Coco" (2017)
Pixar's animated feature won over audiences with its take on Mexico's Day of the Dead.
Disney
"Black Panther" (2018)
The Disney/Marvel blockbuster became only the second superhero movie to nab a perfect grade.
Disney/Marvel
"I Can Only Imagine" (2018)
The Erwin brothers' latest faith-based movie told the story behind Christian band MercyMe's hit song of the same name.
Roadside Attractions
"Love, Simon" (2018)
Fox's teen rom-com about a closeted high schooler drew rabid support from first-night audiences who were no doubt fans of the YA novel on which it's based.
Fox
"Incredibles 2" (2018)
Just like the original 14 years before, the sequel about a superhero family achieved a perfect score.
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018)
Sony's animated spinoff of its Spidey franchise scored with audiences big time.
"Avengers: Endgame" (2019)
The Russo brothers' blockbuster becomes the latest Marvel movie to win over audiences.
"Overcomer" (2019)
"Courageous" director Alex Kendrick scores with another faith-based film about a high school coach and the unlikely cross country star he trains both on and off the course.
"Harriet" (2019)
Kasi Lemmons won over audiences with her fact-based film about escaped slave turned abolitionist activist Harriet Tubman.
Focus Features
"Ford v Ferrari" (2019)
James Mangold's fact-based auto racing film, starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale, won over first-weekend audiences big time.
"Just Mercy" (2020)
The fact-based drama starring Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx about a wrongly accused man on death row won over first-weekend audiences.
If you're curious, click on to see all the movies that have flunked in the CinemaScore survey.