HOLLYWOOD—"A Fantastic Woman" from Chile walked away with an Oscar at the 90th annual Academy Awards show, beating Russia’s “Loveless.”
Russian director Andrei Zvyagintsev’s film had been the year’s favorite foreign language movie competing with motion pictures from Chile, Lebanon, Hungary and Sweden.
“From the beginning we had high hopes for our film, which was well received at festivals around the world,” producer Alexander Rodnyansky told The Moscow Times.
Movies from 93 countries around the world competed for the top prize.The Russian film’s top competitor, director Fatih Akin’s German entry “In the Fade,” fizzled out in the final days of competition after capturing the Golden Globe.
“Loveless” was one of the best reviewed foreign films of last year. The film revolves around a couple who are going through a difficult divorce. As they are getting ready to embark on new lives with new partners, their world is shattered when their 12-year-old son disappears. Critics saw it as a universal story that also chronicled Russia’s failed state institutions.
Director Zvyangintsev, who won a Golden Globe two years ago for his acclaimed drama “Leviathan,” had come close to capturing the Oscar for best foreign language film two years ago.
Meanwhile, this year Russia was represented in an Oscar win of sorts: the Academy Award for best Documentary Feature went to “Icarus,” a film directed by Bryan Fogel in which Grigory Rodchenkov blows the whistle on doping in Russian sports.
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