“$9.99″
Fourteen features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 81st Academy Awards. One of them is “$9.99” a stop motion animated movie for grown-ups based on the Short Stories of Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Tatia Rosenthal is director and co-writer.
Despite the low budget constraints of the production, the filmmakers and casting agent Nikki Barrett decided to aim high with the casting of the puppet’s voices. Sending the script out to a number of internationally acclaimed Australian actors, the filmmakers were gratified by the response.
“Actors just wanted to be part of this project. We ended up with a fantastic cast…our dream list of actors to play the roles,” said the producer Emile Sherman.
Departing from the more usual practice in the animation industry of recording voice performances in isolation from each other, director Rosenthal preferred to record the actors in the configurations they appeared in the script.
“I insisted on getting everybody together in the booth. This became possible because we required them for such a short time. As a first-time director I needed to have that immediate sense of whether a scene was going to work. I didn’t want to imagine it. I wanted to hear it.”
67 Countries Vying for 2008 Foreign Language Oscar
Last year winner in this category was “The Counterfeiters” directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky (Austria).
The race for the best foreign-language film Oscar is the most crowded one yet. It’s a new record – 67 countries, including first-time entrant Jordan, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards.
You’ve probably seen or heard of some of them.
And they are:
Afghanistan, “Opium War,” Siddiq Barmak, director;
Albania, “The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider,” Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani, directors;
Algeria, “Masquerades,” Lyes Salem, director;
Argentina, “Lion’s Den,” Pablo Trapero, director;
Austria, “Revanche,” Gotz Spielmann, director;
Azerbaijan, “Fortress,” Shamil Nacafzada, director;
Bangladesh, “Aha!,” Enamul Karim Nirjhar, director;
Belgium, “Eldorado,” Bouli Lanners, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Snow,” Aida Begic, director;
Brazil, “Last Stop 174,” Bruno Barreto, director;
Bulgaria, “Zift,” Javor Gardev, director;
