Following the controversy surrounding the choice of the film representing France at the 2024 Oscars, the National Center for Cinema (CNC) announced changes to the selection process, aiming to strengthen collegiality, diversity and the independence of the commission.
France has decided to revise its selection process for the feature film competing for the Best International Feature Film Oscar. This decision comes in the wake of the controversy arising from the exclusion of Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, in favor of Tran Anh Hung’s The Taste of Things to represent the country at the 2024 ceremony.
The choice made by the commission, then composed of seven members, had caused confusion. Indeed, Anatomy of a Fall, an international success, seemed to have all the chances of winning the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. Although ultimately not selected in this category, Justine Triet’s film was still nominated in five other categories and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
In response to this controversy, the National Center for Cinema (CNC) announced several changes to the composition and functioning of the selection commission. First, the number of members increased from seven to eleven, “to promote collegiality in debates, diversity of viewpoints, and the secrecy of the vote,” according to the CNC’s statement.
Moreover, the commission’s mandate is now set for two years, instead of just one year previously. This measure aims to ensure greater stability and better continuity in the selection process.
Another notable change is that the CNC president will no longer attend the sessions as an observer. The objective is to “strengthen the commission’s independence, both from public authorities and professional interests,” the public institution specifies.
The eleven commission members, defined as “qualified personalities in the field of cinema,” are still appointed by the Minister of Culture on the proposal of the CNC president. However, the Oscar regulations require that at least six of them be “film artists or technicians.”
These modifications come after the press questioned a possible political dimension in the choice of The Taste of Things. Some saw it as a reaction to the speech given by Justine Triet during the Palme d’Or ceremony, in which she accused the government and the President of the Republic of wanting to “break the cultural exception.” The filmmaker herself had lamented that the decision was made by “four people in a room.”
With these changes, the CNC hopes to make the selection process more transparent, representative and independent. The stakes are high for French cinema, which aspires to shine on the international stage and win prestigious awards such as the Oscars.
It remains to be seen whether these new provisions will help avoid controversies in the future and select the film best suited to represent the excellence of French cinema. Future selections will be closely scrutinized, in the hope of seeing a French feature film win the Best International Feature Film statuette.
With AFP
Béatrice Moreau
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