Share
Email
PrintIsrael’s ‘Footnote,’ Allen and Spielberg get Oscar nods
(JTA) -- The Israeli film "Footnote" and veteran Jewish filmmakers Woody Allen and Steven Spielberg are up for Academy Awards.
Oscar nominations were released Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Israel’s hope for its first Oscar was kept alive with Joseph Cedar’s “Footnote,” listed among the five finalists in the foreign-language film category. The story of the rivalry between two Talmudic scholars, who are also father and son, marks the second Oscar nod for Cedar following “Beaufort” in 2007.
The toughest competition for Israel will likely come from Iran’s entry, “A Separation, which won the Golden Globe earlier this month,” and the Polish film “In Darkness.” Agnieszka Holland (“Europa, Europa”), whose Jewish father was killed in the Warsaw Ghetto and whose non-Jewish mother fought in the ghetto's uprising and was a member of the Polish Underground, tells the true-life story of a dozen Jewish men, women and children who hid in the underground sewers of Lvov for 14 months during the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Allen was tapped for best director and best original screenplay for "Midnight in Paris," which also was nominated for best picture along with Spielberg's epic World War I movie "War Horse." However, Spielberg’s “The Adventures of Tintin,” which won a Golden Globe, surprisingly did not qualify in the best animated film competition.
Aaron Sorkin (with Steven Zailian) was nominated for best adapted screenplay for "Moneyball." Jonah Hill, the surprise hit of the film after graduating from his shaggy boy roles in “Superbad” and “Cyrus,” was nominated in the best supporting actor category.
Oscar winners will be crowned Feb. 26 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.
Don't miss out! Get the JTA Daily Briefing delivered FREE to your inbox!
Click to login and write a letter to the editor.
This article was made possible by the support of readers like you. Donate to JTA now.
Featured Content
Need to know? Get JTA's free e-newsletters!
- U.S. Jewish groups condemn anti-African violence in Tel Aviv
- Mandel returns funds under investigation
- Obama’s same-sex marriage nod echoes historic Catholic-Jewish debate
- Survey: Israel losing ground with Germans
- Israeli Arab guilty of murder in Michigan
- Israel’s Arava firm finances $204 million for solar projects
- Israel will solve African migrant problem, Netanyahu assures
- Senate distinguishes between Palestinian refugees and descendants
