“Collective” earns its first Oscar nominations
The documentary, directed by Alexander Nanau, became the first Romanian film ever nominated for the Oscars.
Corina Cristea, 16.03.2021, 13:50
The production “Collective”, a documentary directed by Alexander Nanau, became on Monday the first Romanian film nominated at the Academy Awards, being short listed at the 93rd edition of the Oscars in the best documentary and best international feature categories, according to the online platforms of the American Film Academy. The film, a Romania-Luxembourg co-production, presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigation journalists, who fight against corruption when they discover massive fraud in the Bucharests healthcare system, following the fire at the Collective club in Bucharest on October 30, 2015.
“It is a story about the state and incompetent authorities, who, through lies and manipulation, destroyed peoples lives. It is important for as many people as possible to watch this movie“, director Alexander Nanau said in February. The production had its world premiere in 2019, at the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world. The media described it as a “film about system versus people, truth versus manipulation, personal interest versus public interest about courage and responsibility. “
The title of the film was given by the name of the club where 65 people lost their lives in a fire, but has a double meaning. It also refers to the fact that we must be together in order to change things for the better, film critic Margareta Nistor told Agerpres news agency.
Margareta Nistor: “It is for the first time when a Romanian film is nominated for two categories, best international feature and best documentary, respectively. So its a great success. I believe it can win at least one category. Of course, we would love it to win both categories. Competition is bigger in the international feature category. In my opinion, it is the best documentary of all those nominated. “The Romanian film critic also said that this has been a good year for Romanian cinema, given that Romania has just won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
The film “Collective“ was designated best documentary at the European Film Academy Awards and is nominated for the European Parliaments Lux Prize, to be announced on April 28, 2021. It also won the best documentary category at international film festivals in Brazil, the US, Israel, Switzerland and Luxembourg. The Hollywood Reporter described Romanias entry as the picture of collective outrage.
Rounding out the Oscar international feature nominees are The man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia), Another Round (Denmark), Better Days (Hong Kong), and Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia/Herzegovina), the latter being a co-production with Romanian participation. (EE)
