'Sirat' is close to being nominated in five Oscar categories

BarcelonaThe Oscar race is getting exciting for Catalan cinema. Sirado It has passed the final filter before the Oscar nominations and, as predicted, Oliver Laxe's film has entered the shortlist of fifteen films from which the five nominees for best international film at the Oscars will be chosen; and more: Sirado She is also shortlisted in the shortlist Best Sound, Original Score, Cinematography, and Casting—the new category debuting at the next Oscars.

The last time a Catalan film made it this far in the Oscar race was in 2023. when The Snow Society Juan Antonio Bayona entered the shortlist of four categoriesBest International Feature Film, Original Score, Special Effects, and Makeup and Hairstyling. So, the Netflix production finally secured nominations in the International Feature Film and Makeup and Hairstyling categories. To find out if Sirado To see if it gets a nomination, we'll have to wait until January 22nd, when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will make the official announcement of the nominations.

What has been left out of the shortlist And therefore, one of the nominations is Albert Serra's documentary Afternoons of solitudeThe film, which had just premiered in the United States, was vying for a nomination in the Best Documentary category at the Oscars. Serra's film, however, was not among the favorites, partly because it lacks the backing of a major American distributor like Neon, which has achieved Oscar success in recent years with independent films such as Anora either ParasitesIn fact, the strength of Neon's promotional campaigns and the positive reception Oliver Laxe's film has received from the press mean that a nomination cannot yet be ruled out. Sirado in categories without shortlist as an original director or screenwriter, although, in this case, the chances are remote.

The Danish Sentimental value and the Iranian one –but presented by France– A simple accident They are two of the biggest rivals of Sirado to secure the nomination for best international film. Hind's voice, presented by Tunisia, the Korean No other choice and the Brazilian The secret agent These are other important films shortlisted in the shortlist for best international film, which includes fifteen titles. The competition is less intense in the casting direction category, which has shortlisted only ten films as the Frankenstein by Del Toro, Sinners, One battle after another, Weapons and HamnetThat is to say, some of the top contenders for this year's Oscars. And the same is true for the nominations in cinematography, music, and sound. In fact, Sirado It is one of the most represented films in the shortlistWith five pre-selections, there are only two more titles: One battle after another and F1And with more than five, only Frankenstein (6) and Sinners (8) and Wicked: Part 2 (8). Sirado It's competing in the top tier of the Oscars.

The good progress of Sirado In the Oscar race, this puts it in a privileged position to secure a nomination and break the curse of Catalan cinema, which has yet to win in the Best International Feature Film category. If it were to achieve this, SiradoIts producer, Xavi Font, would become the fifth Catalan to win an Oscar after cinematographer Néstor Almendros (for Days of Heaven, in 1978), makeup artists David Martí and Montse Ribé (by Pan's Labyrinth, in 2007) and producer Leo Sánchez (for the animated short The windshield wiper, in 2022).