Jayro Bustamante is one step closer to having a date with Oscar…
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has revealed its shortlist of International Feature Film potential nominees, with the Guatemalan film director and screenwriter’s supernatural horror drama La Llorona making the grade.
Bustamante’s third feature film, representing his native Guatemala in the race, is rooted in the more recent history of Guatemala’s ruthless military leaders and their efforts in erasing indigenous tribes.
La Llorona recently made history as the first Central American film to earn a Golden Globe nomination.
But Bustamante isn’t the only Latinx director to have a project make the shortlist…
Maite Alberdi’s The Mole Agent, representing Chile, is among the 15 shortlisted films…
The 37-year-old Chilean writer/director’s documentary centers on a private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.
Fernando Frías de la Parra’s I’m No Longer Here, representing Mexico, still has an Oscar shot as well…
Written and directed by the 42-year-old Mexican filmmaker, the film has been called “a thoughtful portrait of cultural identity.” It centers on a teen from Monterrey, Mexico who forges a new life in Queens, New York.
The full Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, and ABC will air the 93rd annual Academy Awards live on April 25.
Here are the shortlisted films:
INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Chile, The Mole Agent
Czech Republic, Charlatan
Denmark, Another Round
France, Two of Us
Guatemala, La Llorona
Hong Kong, Better Days
Iran, Sun Children
Ivory Coast, Night of the Kings
Mexico, I’m No Longer Here
Norway, Hope
Romania, Collective
Russia, Dear Comrades!
Taiwan, A Sun
Tunisia, The Man Who Sold His Skin
La Llorona
The Mole Agent
I’m No Longer Here