Trophy show: German talents in the Oscar end sprint: anticipation in Hollywood

The red carpet from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood is ready – protected by a plastic roof. It should rain on the Oscar Sunday, but the anticipation for the 97th Academy Awards does not cloud it. German talents and teams also plunge at receptions and parties in the Oscar end sprint.

Hollywood is back in the spotlight when the most important film award in the world is awarded – in the middle of a tense world situation. But Oscar winner Edward Berger (“Nothing new in the West”) does not expect too political show.

“Politics falls largely by the wayside”

“It’s entertainment,” said Berger in Los Angeles. “Politics falls largely by the wayside. There will be jokes that will be funny and of course also blows to Washington, but it will remain as part of the entertainment,” he said on the sidelines of a reception of German Film, the foreign representation of German film.

Shortly before the gala, the Germans nominated at the Hollywood event and their teams celebrated. The filmmaker Berger, who lives in Berlin, has eight winning opportunities with its Vatican thriller “Keznen”, including in the top category “Best Film” and in divisions such as adapted script, main actor (Ralph Fiennes), costume design (Lisy Christl) and music (Volker Bertelmann). Christl lives in Berlin, Bertelmann in Düsseldorf.

Second Oscar for Volker Bertelmann?

The composer, known as the artist name Hauschka, was nominated for the soundtrack for the film “Lion” in 2017, two years ago he won the Oscar for the setting of Berger’s war drama “NOT new”. “The third nomination is really great. Of course I sometimes grab my head, how can it be possible?” Says Bertelmann – and immediately delivers the answer – Berger is an “incredibly good director”.

Dangerous filming

The drama “The Sowing of the Holy Feigenbaums” by the Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, who lives in Hamburg, competes for Germany in the International Feature Film division. The film was secretly shot and is about the mass protests in Iran after the death of young Kurdin Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022.

During the shooting, an over eight -year prison sentence against Rasoulof was imposed in Iran. The director then left his home country unauthorized, now he lives in Hamburg.

The team has demonstrated “incredible courage” to shoot under the highest confidentiality and with a wide variety of security measures, says German producer Mani Tilgner. Between 2022 and 2023, Rasoulof was in the notorious Evin prison for seven months and learned from the protests. At the center of the gripping drama is a strictly creditor, regime-true father, who stands against his wife and two daughters in teenage age.

Sean Penn helps German production

The German production “September 5” about the 1972 Olympic attack in Munich also has chances for an Oscar. Director and author Tim Fehlbaum, screenwriter Moritz Binder and co-author Alex David are nominated for the best original script. The film tells from the perspective of the US television broadcaster ABC Sports, who was the first to have a live camera on the terrorist act. Behind the thriller are the Munich producers Philipp Grief and Thomas Wöbke in co-production with Constantin Film.

You could have won Hollywood star Sean Penn as fellow producers for the material, says grief. It is a “very, very big fan” of the film. The Munich screenwriter Binder still appears to the Oscars like a dream. He would like to meet a great director on the red carpet. “At 16 I wrote Steven Spielberg a letter and asked for an internship,” says the 42-year-old. He would now ask him if it were still free, he adds with a wink.

The Swabian special effects artist Gerd Nefzer could get his third Oscar for his cooperation in “Dune: Part Two”. Industry experts admit the team at the Oscars top chances. “Yes, it looks very good for us, but a lot can still happen”. After all, they “have many monkeys as a competition,” says Nefzer with a laugh. “Planet of the monkey: New Kingdom” is among the five nominees.

Who should have a thank -you speech ready?

Golden-Globe winner Demi Moore (62) is traded as a favorite in the “Best Actress” division thanks to her performance of an actress that was loving after youth in the horror thriller “The Substance”. Moore, which has been in front of the camera in Hollywood for decades, is the first time in the Oscar race.

Kieran Culkin is also an Oscar newcomer at the age of 42, but the trophy as the best supporting actor is practically certain. In the current price season, he was always the winner, thanks to his moving bandwidth from laughter to wines in the tragicomedy “A Real Pain”.

The musical thriller “Emilia Pérez” leads the field with 13 chances of winning. The French production, which is shot in Spanish, thus creates an Oscar record with the most nominations for a non-English-language film. The drama “The Brutalist” and the Musical “Wicked” follow with 10 nominations, the Vatican thriller “Conclave” and the Bob-Dylan-Biopic “Like a Complete Unknown” each.

Or in the end, does the Indiedrama “Anora” from US director Sean Baker clear the most trophies? Industry experts clear the six-time Lovestory for a self-confident sex worker (Mikey Madison) who falls in love with a Russian oligarch son, good chances in the “Best Film” royal category and for directing and original script. With the 97th Academy Awards, it remains exciting until the end.