Seven films supported by the EU’s MEDIA film program will compete in thirteen categories at the film Academy Awards this Sunday.
- Slumdog Millionaire has received many nominations, including Best Film and Best Director;
- Entre les Murs, winner of the Palme d’Or at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, and Waltz with Bashir have been nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category;
- Happy Go Lucky is nominated for Best Screenplay, The Duchess is nominated for Art Direction and Costume Design, and Man on Wire is competing in the Documentary Feature category.
“The diversity and richness of European film is well reflected in this year’s Oscar nominations,” said Viviane Reding, EU Media Commissioner. “I see this as a great pay-off for the European Union’s efforts to make European cinema more competitive by supporting the development of films made or co-produced in Europe, their distribution across borders, as well as the use of digital new technologies.”
The EU’s MEDIA program plays a crucial role in supporting Europe’s audiovisual sector through the development and distribution of thousands of films, and through training activities and support to festivals and promotion projects throughout Europe. Nine out of every ten feature films in Europe distributed outside their home country received MEDIA support. In January, the European Commission proposed a MEDIA MUNDUS program to fund projects submitted by audiovisual professionals from the EU and third countries.