E-Paper
‘Navalny’ pips ‘All That Breathes’ for Bafta as Oscar race set up between 2 docus
It was a miss that set up one of the hottest races this awards season in Hollywood -- on one side, a quiet film from India about two brothers who care for birds against the backdrop of riots and turmoil, and on the other, a gritty drama narrating the life and times of Russia’s charismatic opposition leader at a time western interest in Russia is surging due to the Ukraine war
It was a miss that set up one of the hottest races this awards season in Hollywood -- on one side, a quiet film from India about two brothers who care for birds against the backdrop of riots and turmoil, and on the other, a gritty drama narrating the life and times of Russia’s charismatic opposition leader at a time western interest in Russia is surging due to the Ukraine war.
On Monday, the Navalny pipped All That Breathes to the post at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta), considered among the most reliable weathervanes for the Academy Award later this year. “He gave up everything to tell this story, and other stories that need to be told,” said the documentary’s producer Odessa Rae.
Through the year, the two films have been the top picks for the best documentary award, despite their contrasting styles and subjects. All That Breathes has won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival, the Gotham Independent Film Awards, Cannes, the London Film Festival, and the Hong Kong International Film Festival. It’s no lightweight. “The film has international talent, global co-production, is politically sensitive and makes a statement against Islamophobia,” said independent film curator Meenakshi Shedde.
Navalny’s roster of wins is smaller but just as prestigious, including the festival favourite award at the Sundance Film Festival. The film is as high-profile as it gets for a documentary, given its politically charged subject and its release against the backdrop of the Russia-Ukraine war. The Oscars close out the year’s awards season, so Academy judges are likely to track wins and buzz carefully before they vote. And every nominee knows exactly what an Oscar represents. “It’s still leagues ahead of the others with respect to credibility,” Shedde says. “It’s the last award you remember, which is also what makes it stand out.”
Shedde is also the India and South Asia delegate at the Berlin Film Festival and an international vote at the Golden Globes. She says that winning one award does keep draw the attention of other awards to a film. “Awards are given on the film’s merit,” she says, not how much money was spent on its promotion among juries. But to land the coveted golden statuette, most studios and film makers invest heavily on jury-focused campaigns.
Come March 13, which one will it be then -- the quieter, gentler film about a deeply human story playing against a vivid and troubling canvas, or a higher-key political darling chronicling the life and times of one of Russia’s best-known names, and a perfect fit for the current political environment? In the past, Oscar voters have been swayed by the weight of a moment.
Industry publications have put Sen’s film near the top of their annual list of predictions. Entertainment trade magazine, Variety, calls its “the only safe pick”. Vogue magazine called it “one of the most mesmerising films of the year”. It’s the top contender according to the Los Angeles Times (Navalny is at the bottom of their list). Vanity Fair expects it to lose to All The Beauty And The Bloodshed, a film about the life and work of renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin. But given that at least 8,000 jury members will be voting in this year’s edition of the awards, there’s no telling how the scales might tip. Hope, then, in the thing with feathers.
