Waltz With Bashir Nominated For IDA Award
Ari Folman Film Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics
Oct 31, 2008
Israeli director Ari Folman's animated film Waltz With Bashir is one of 5 nominated movies in the Feature Film category for the International Documentary Awards.
Waltz With Bashir Nominated For Documentary Award
The Israeli-French-German co-production, which also featured the work of artistic director David Polonsky, has been nominated for the Distinguished Documentary Achievement award. The movie was mostly rendered in Flash Animation, with some Photoshop for the backgrounds, and the occasional use of CGI.
It has been often compared to Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Sony Pictures Classics, which distributed Persepolis in 2007, has also picked up Waltz With Bashir for distribution.
The film follows Folman, an Israeli veteran, as he struggles to remember his role in the 1982 Lebanon War. He specifically tries to recall what he did during the Sabra and Shatila Massacres, when Lebanese Christian Phalangists slaughtered Palestinian refugees in retaliation for the assassination of their leader, President-Elect Bashir Gemayel. Between 800 and 3,500 Palestinians were believed to have been killed in the massacre, depending on who cites the figures.
Israel has already nominated Waltz With Bashir as its contestant for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 2009 Academy Awards, which will happen on February 22nd.
Described by the IDA's organizers as "an unprecedented animated documentary examining the consequences of war by unraveling the memories of Ari Folman and other Israeli soldiers who fought in the 1982 Lebanon conflict," the flick goes up against 4 live-action documentary films.
Waltz With Bashir's Competition at the IDA
- Kassim the Dream follows the life of Ugandan-born World Champion boxer Kassim "The Dream" Ouima, who confronts his brutal past as a former child soldier while training for his next title bout.
- Man on Wire recalls Phillip Petit's stunning (and highly illegal) high-wire walk between New York's Twin Towers in 1974.
- Stranded: I Have Come From a Plane That Crashed in the Mountains takes (yet) another look at the infamous plane crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 into the Andes Mountains in 1972, and the survivors' subsequent efforts to stay alive.
- Young @ Heart looks at a choral group of Massachusetts senior citizens who sing rock n' roll songs.
A full list of the nominees can be seen over here.
The International Documentary Awards happen on December 5th. Documentary director Morgan Spurlock (Super-Size Me) will host the event.
Fun Fact: Clicking on the "David Polonsky" link will take you to an exclusive 2-part interview Suite 101 did with with the Waltz With Bashir art director during the Ottawa International Film Festival. Shameless I is.
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