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3 weeks ago
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Greece has selected Eva Nathena’s latest feature The Murderess as its submission for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.
Based on Alexandros Papadiamantis’s popular novel, The Murderess takes place on a remote island in Greece, circa 1900. There, Hadoula, trapped in her own mother’s rejection, struggles to survive the dictates of a patriarchal society.
Greece’s submission comes after a turbulent selection process following a series of chaotic government-mandated U-turns that paralyzed the submission process.
The confusion began in early August when the Greek Ministry of Culture, as is customary, invited a committee of Greek film professionals to select the country’s submission to the international Oscar race. The committee included Milky Way filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos, film critic Leda Galanou, actress Kora Karvounis, and screenwriter Kallia Papadakis. All four accepted and Kekato, best known for The Distance Between Us and the Sky, which won the short film Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2019, was set at committee president.
Online links to view this year’s selection of films were sent to the members. However, a few days later, the four members received a follow-up email from the Ministry which said all previous communication had been accidental and they were, in fact, not part of the selection committee. They were all immediately released from their duties. Shortly after, the Ministry announced a new seven-person committee.
The new selection committee featured screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos, film critic Dimitris Danikas, and director Asimina Proedrou, who later resigned from the committee, citing the chaos surrounding the Ministry’s selection procedures in an open letter on Facebook. Proedrou was the director of Greece’s 2023 Oscar pick Behind the Haystacks.
The Oscars shortlists will be announced on December 17.
