Animated feature My Favorite War directed by Ilze Burkovska-Jakobsen has been included in the list of films “eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category” of the Academy Awards. 27 animation films will compete for the next step – Oscar nomination.
Published: 03.02.2021.
On the last working day of January, the creators of the animated feature My Favorite War received happy news – their film has been included in the list of films “eligible for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category” of the Academy Awards (the list is HERE). Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) will vote for Oscar nominations from 5 to 10 March. The list of films nominated for the Award in the animation category will be announced on 15 March. Due to the pandemic restrictions, the rules for submitting and judging films for the Academy Awards have been changed this year, and the award ceremony will take place two months later than usual on April 25.
Producer Guntis Trekteris says, “Let critics and members of the Academy judge the qualities of the film, but I must admit that organizationally the pandemic made it easier for us to get so close to the Oscars. In previous years, there was a requirement to show films in the US cinemas, but now also films available on streaming platforms qualify. However, the competition in this situation is huge.”
While the authors are waiting for further developments, the international media speaks favourably about the film. One of the most respectable sources in the entertainment industry, Variety, describes the film as “impressive animated memoir”, especially highlighting the successful inclusion of archive footage in the film’s narrative (the article is HERE). “Personal and illuminating, [the film] marks its creator as a talent to watch and handles its tough subject matter with grace and sometimes even a sense of humor,” reports screen-stage.com. “This is easily one of the best animated films of the year,” columnist Joe Bendel sums up.
After the victory in the Annecy Festival competition Contrechamp in the summer of 2020, My Favorite War has been screened at more than 20 festivals around the world and has won several awards. In Latvia, it has received two national film awards Lielais Kristaps (Best Animated Film and Ilze Burkovska-Jakobsen in the Best Animation Director category), and it is also included in the list of the best animated movies of 2020 of the international film database IMDB (the list is HERE).
My Favorite War is an animated autobiography, warm-hearted and honest, a coming-of-age tale set in the absurdity of Cold War Soviet Latvia. The Latvian-Norwegian co-production was made with financial support of the National Film Centre and the State Culture Capital Foundation by Ego Media in co-operation with Tritone Studio. The creative team includes animation artists Svein Nyhus, Krišjānis Ābols, Kerija Arne, Toms Burāns, Laima Puntule, Harijs Grundmanis, Nils Hammers and Arnis Zemītis. Music is composed by Kārlis Auzāns. The film took eight years to make. In the autumn of 2019, the completion of the film was backed by the crowdfunding platform projektubanka.lv.
Watch My Favorite War on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mansmilakaiskars
Facebook profile of the film: https://www.facebook.com/mansmilakaiskars/
Instagram profile of the film: https://www.instagram.com/mansmilakaiskars
Release prepared by Ego Media
Producer Guntis Trekteris +37129219373, guntis@egomedia.lv