China and Hong Kong Reveal Their Oscar Nominees

Earlier today, China and Hong Kong announced their candidate films for the upcoming Academy Awards. In a move that has got me very excited, Hong Kong has announced Echoes of the Rainbow as its foreign-language nominee while China has nominated Aftershock as its candidate for the intense category competition.

I had a chance to see Echoes of the Rainbow at this year’s New York Asian Film Festival and it just so happened to be one of my favorite films of the festival. Echoes is directed by Alex Law and stars one of the most respected and sought after actors in Chinese cinema today, Mr. Simon Yam. The film follows a struggling family that’s living in Hong Kong during the 1960s and has been one of the most emotional dramas I have seen all year. Echoes of the Rainbow beat out Ip Man 2 (starring Donnie Yen) and All About Love for the coveted nomination.

When we look at the Chinese selection I think it may come as no surprise as to why it was chosen. Aftershock is the highest grossing Chinese language film of all time and most likely beat out Zhang Yimou’s Under the Hawthorne Tree with ease. The melodrama, which is directed by Feng Xiaogang, gives us a look at the separation of families after the occurrence of the 1976 Tangshan earthquake.

While I have never seen Aftershock I can already tell that it will become a must-see Chinese film and until then I can’t objectively support Echoes of the Rainbow even though deep inside I want it to take the Oscars by storm.

Expect the competition to heat up in the foreign film category as more Asian countries and many of the European countries announce the films that will represent their country in this year’s foreign-language race.

Source: Filmbiz.asia