Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s film continues to cast its magic. It has been nominated for five Oscars in the following categories: Best Foreign Language Film, For Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, Best Sound, Best Art Direction/Set Decoration and Best Photography.
Riding high with its $22 million take at the U.S. box office, “Amélie from Montmartre” is one of the hot favorites for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film which France has not won since 1992 (“Indochine”, by Régis Wargnier). The comedy is facing stiff competition from the recent Golden Globe winner and French coproduction (Noé Productions) “No Man’s Land”, by Bosnian director Danis Tanovic.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet is now a member of that exclusive club of French directors whose films have been nominated for an Academy Award. He joins Agnès Jaoui, “The Taste of Others” (2000), Régis Wargnier, “East-West” (1999) and “Indochine” (1992), Patrice Leconte, “Ridicule” (1996), Jean-Paul Rappeneau, “Cyrano de Bergerac” (1990), Bruno Nuytten and his “Camille Claudel” (1989), Louis Malle for “Goodbye Children” (1987), Coline Serreau, “Three Men and a Cradle” (1985), Bertrand Tavernier for “Clean Slate” (1982, François Truffaut, “The Last Metro” (1980) and Claude Lelouch, “A Man and a Woman”.
In the Best Foreign Language Film category, Amélie’s rivals are: “Elling” (Norway), “Lagaan” (India), “No Man’s Land” (Bosnia), “Son of the Bride” (Argentina).
For Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, the other contestants are “Gosford Park”, “Memento”, “Monster’s Ball” and “The Royal Tenenbaums”.
Best Cinematography: “Amélie”, “Black Hawk Down”, “Lord of the Rings”, “The Barber” and “Moulin Rouge”.
Best Sound: “Amélie”, “Black Hawk Down”, “Lord of the Rings”, “Moulin Rouge” and “Pearl Harbor”.
When it comes to Best Art Direction/Set Decoration, “Amélie” vies with “Gosford Park”, “Harry Potter”, “Lord of the Rings” and “Moulin Rouge”.
