Film awards: German hopes for the Oscar nominations

Some filmmakers with a German background can now hope for an Oscar nomination. The candidates will be announced from 2:30 p.m. CET. The 97th Academy Awards are scheduled for March 2nd. For Germany, Mohammad Rasoulof is in the running for a nomination for best international feature film with “The Seed of the Holy Fig Tree”.

Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree”

Rasoulof (52) produced the thriller largely in Germany. Last year he left his home country of Iran, where he feared imprisonment, and now lives in Hamburg. His political thriller “The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree” made it onto the shortlist for an Oscar nomination for best international film in December, along with 14 other films.

Edward Berger with some chances

The Wolfsburg-born filmmaker Edward Berger is also given a chance for nominations for his Vatican thriller “Conclave”. His war film “Nothing New in the West” won four Oscars in 2023.

This included the Oscar for best film music by Volker Bertelmann. Bertelmann, who also goes by the stage name Hauschka, is also responsible for the film music in “Konklave” and could be nominated for it again.

Thirteenth nomination for Hans Zimmer?

The composer Hans Zimmer, who comes from Frankfurt am Main, has already won two Oscars, including for the music in the blockbuster “Dune”. He was nominated twelve times. The 67-year-old has made it back onto the shortlist with his music for the war drama “Blitz”, and a nomination is likely.

Among the ten candidates in the “Makeup and Hairstyling” category is the film “Maria” with Angelina Jolie in the role of opera singer Maria Callas. The Berlin make-up artist Heike Merker was significantly involved in the biopic. Merker had already been nominated for an Oscar in 2023 for her work on “All Quiet in the West,” but came away empty-handed.

Gerd Nefzer, Jens Kevin Georg and other German productions

Ten films made the special effects shortlist, including “Dune: Part Two.” The German special effects artist Gerd Nefzer, who has already won Oscars for “Blade Runner 2049” and “Dune”, worked on it.

Young director Jens Kevin Georg, a graduate of the Babelsberg Konrad Wolf Film University in Potsdam, can hope for a nomination in the “Live Action Short Film” category. His film “Kruste” is on the shortlist of 15 candidates.

A German animated production – the short film “The Wild-Tempered Clavier” by Anna Samo – is also in the shortlist. In addition, the German-American documentary “Hollywoodgate” made it among 15 candidates in the race for the documentary Oscar.