Oscars: Russia Enters Andrey Zvyagintsev’s ‘Loveless’ In Foreign Language Race

Russia has selected Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Cannes Jury Prize winner Loveless as its entry into the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. This is the director’s third time repping his country after 2003’s Venice Golden Lion winner The Return and 2014’s Leviathan. The latter took the Best Screenplay trophy in Cannes that year, as well as winning the Foreign Language Golden Globe and scoring an Oscar nomination.

Sony Pictures Classics acquired all North and Latin American rights to Loveless in the first domestic deal on a Competition title in Cannes in May.

Producer Alexander Rodnyansky told the Interfax news agency today that the Russian selection committee had chosen the film by “an overwhelming majority.” Rodnyansky earlier told Interfax he was “sure we have a shot” at winning. A family drama, it’s also critical of Russian society — much as was the case with Leviathan.
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Loveless revolves around Zhenya and Boris, who are going through a vicious divorce marked by resentment, frustration and recriminations. Already embarking on new lives, each with a new partner, they are impatient to start again, to turn the page – even if it means threatening to abandon their 12-year-old son Alyosha. But when Alyosha disappears after witnessing one of their fights, the pair must come together.

Loveless is co-written by Zvyagintsev and Oleg Negin. Producers are Non-Stop Production, Fetisoff Illusion, Why Not Production, Les Films du Fleuve and Senator Film Production with support from Eurimages, Arte, Canal+, WDR and Cine+. Wild Bunch has international sales.

Here’s the updated running list of submissions so far:

2017 Foreign Language Film Oscar Submissions

• Albania – Day Break – Gentian Koçi
• Algeria – Road to Istanbul – Rachid Bouchareb
• Austria – Happy End – Michael Haneke
• Azerbaijan – Pomegranate Orchard – Ilgar Najaf
• Belgium – Racer and the Jailbird – Michaël R Roskam
• Bosnia and Herzegovina – Men Don’t Cry – Alena Drljevića
• Brazil – Bingo: King of the Mornings – Daniel Rezende
• Bulgaria – Glory – Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov
• Cambodia – First They Killed My Father – Angelina Jolie
• Chile – A Fantastic Woman – Sebastian Lelio
• Colombia – Guilty Men – Iván Gaona
• Croatia – Quit Staring at My Plate – Hana Jušić
• Czech Republic – Ice Mother – Bohdan Sláma
• Denmark – You Disappear – Peter Schønau Fog
• Dominican Republic – Woodpeckers – José Maria Cabral
• Egypt – Sheikh Jackson – Amr Salama
• Estonia – November – Rainer Sarnet
• Finland – Tom of Finland – Dome Karukoski
• France – BPM (120 Battements Par Minute) – Robin Campillo
• Georgia – Scary Mother – Ana Urushadze
• Germany – In the Fade – Fatih Akin
• Greece – Amerika Square – Yannis Sakardis
• Hong Kong – Mad World – Wong Chung
• Hungary – On Body and Soul – Ildikó Enyedi
• Iceland – Under the Tree – Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson
• Iraq – The Dark Wind – Hussein Hussan
• Ireland – Song of Granite – Pat Collins
• Israel – Foxtrot – Samuel Maoz
• Japan – Her Love Boils Bathwater – Ryota Nakano
• Kosovo – Unwanted – Edon Rizvanolli
• Kyrgyzstan – Centaur – Aktan Abdykalykov
• Laos – Dearest Sister – Mattie Do
• Latvia – The Chronicles of Melanie – Viestur Kairish
• Lebanon – The Insult – Ziad Doueiri
• Lithuania – Frost – Sarunas Bartas
• Luxembourg – Barrage – Laura Schroeder
• Mexico – Tempestad – Tatiana Huezo
• Morocco – Razzia – Nabil Ayouch
• Nepal – Seto Surya (White Sun) – Deepak Rauniyar
• Netherlands – Lalya M – Mijke de Jong
• Norway – Thelma – Joachim Trier
• Pakistan – Saawan – Farhan Alam
• Palestine – Wajib – Annemarie Jacir
• Peru – Rosa Chumbe – Jonatan Relayze
• Poland – Spoor – Agnieszka Holland
• Portugal – Saint George – Marco Martins
• Romania – The Fixer – Adrian Sitaru
• Russia – Loveless – Andrey Zvyagintsev
• Serbia – Requiem for Mrs J – Bojan Vuletić
• Slovakia – The Line – Peter Bebjak
• Slovenia – The Miner – Hanna Antonina Wojcik Slak
• South Korea – A Taxi Driver – Jang Hoon
• Spain – Summer 1993 – Carla Simon
• Sweden – The Square – Ruben Östlund
• Switzerland – The Divine Order – Petra Volpe
• Taiwan – Small Talk – Huang Hui-chen
• Thailand – By the Time It Gets Dark – Anocha Suwichakornpong
• Turkey – Ayla: The Daughter of War – Ca Ulkay
• Ukraine – Black Level – Valentyn Vasyanovych
• United Kingdom – My Pure Land – Sarmad Masud
• Venezuela – El Inca – Ignacio Castillo Cottin
• Vietnam – Father and Son – Lương Đình Dũng