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“El Clásico” was named the best picture of the 2016 Asian World Film Festival, which presented 20 of the Oscar foreign-language competitors and 18 other movies over nine days in Los Angeles. The film, Iraq’s Oscar entry, was directed by Halkawt Mustafa and is the feel-good story of two little people attempting to bring a pair of Kurdish slippers to the soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. Other Oscar entries that won prizes were the Turkish film “Cold of Kalandar” (special jury prize, best male lead to Haydar Sisman), South Korea’s “Age of Shadows” (best female lead to Ji-min Han), Nepal’s “The Black.

Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards. Yemen is a first-time entrant.

The 2016 submissions are:

Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;

Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;

Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;

Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;

Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;

Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;

Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;

Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;

Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;

Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;

Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;

Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;

Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;

China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;

Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;

Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;

Croatia, “On the Other Side,...

Eighty-five countries have submitted a film for consideration in the 60th anniversary year of the foreign language film category.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.

The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.

Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions

(Country, Title, director)

Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;

Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;

Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;

Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;

Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;

Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;

Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;

Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;

Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.

Bulgaria, Losers, [link...

Joachim Trier’s drama Louder Than Bombs won four prizes including Best Director, while The Wave scooped Best Film.Scroll down for full list

Joachim Trier’s Louder than Bombs [pictured] starring Jesse Eisenberg and Gabriel Byrne won four Amanda awards at the 44th Norwegian Film Festival (Aug 20-16), including Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Editing.

In 2015, the film was the first Norwegian feature to play in competition at Cannes for 36 years.

Marking the first English language film made by Trier, Louder Than Bombs follows a father and his two sons who are made to come to terms with the death of their mother, a notable war photographer.

Roar Uthaug’s The Wave took the night’s top prize, Best Norwegian Film in Theatrical Release. Submitted by Norway to last year’s Academy Awards for the best foreign-language category, it depicts the 1934 Tafjord Tsunami which resulted in the death of 40 people.

Rune Denstad Langlo’s [link...

Drama centres on two little people from a town in Kurdish Iraq who risk their lives to deliver shoes to Cristiano Ronaldo.

International sales outfit LevelK has picked up international sales for Norwegian-Kurdish director Halkawt Mustafa’s El Clásico.

The film had its world premiere at Dubai International Film Festival last December 2015 and screened at Tribeca Film Festival, where it was awarded best cinematography in an international narrative feature film. It will next screen at Munich International Film Festival on Sunday (June 26).

Halkawt Mustafa is also nominated for an Amanda for best director at the Norwegian Film Awards in August. El Clásico had its theatrical release in Norway on April 15 through Euforia and recorded more than 10,000 admissions.

El Clásico centres on brothers Alan and Shirwan, two little people from a town in Kurdish Iraq, who are willing to risk their lives to deliver a pair of shoes to football star Cristiano Ronaldo, which Alan believes...

Benedikt Erlingsson, Gréta Olafsdóttir and Margrét Jónasdóttir in the arms of Frédéric Boyer Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Tribeca Film Festival Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer met me for a conversation at Benedikt Erlingsson's The Show Of Shows at MoMA PS1's Vw Dome, where Michelangelo Frammartino's Alberi, Tsai Ming-liang's Journey To The West and Celia Rowlson-Hall's Ma premiered. Parents came to mind as a theme with Halkawt Mustafa's El Clásico, Lorene Scafaria's The Meddler, Robert Schwartzman's Dreamland, Jason Bateman's The Family Fang, Kadri Kõusaar's Mother, Bart Freundlich's Wolves and Christian Tafdrup's Parents (Forældre). Andrew Rossi's The First Monday In May, John Dower's My Scientology Movie, Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai's Reset, Benjamin Ree's Magnus, Ferne Pearlstein's The Last Laugh and Dylan Harvey and Ian Roderick Gray's The Banksy Job are some of the original documentaries of note.

Top brass at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival presented by At&T have announced selections in the Us Narrative, International Narrative and Documentary Competition strands.

The films comprise 55 out of 110 features that will play during the 15th edition of the New York festival from April 13-24. The festival will present features films in the Spotlight, Midnight, and Special Sections on March 8.

Also included in Wednesday’s announcement are the out-of-competition Viewpoints titles.

The world premiere of Bill Ross and Turner Ross’ Contemporary Color will open the World Documentary competition on April 14, while the world premiere of Kicks by Justin Tipping will open the Us Narrative competition.

The world premiere of Madly directed by Gael García Bernal, Mia Wasikowska, Sebastian Silva, Anurag Kashyap, Sion Sono, and Natasha Khan will open the International Narrative Competition. Viewpoints will open with the world premiere of Nerdland directed by Chris Prynoski.

One third of the festival’s feature films are directed by women...