We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Timbuktu

Mauritania’s first submission to the Academy Awards was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Not many nations can claim that feat. It helps that director Abderrahmane Sissako has built a reputation in cinema for his appreciation for and application of style. Herein, he tells a story of a quiet village overrun by Jihadists, putting lives at risk.

A topical film for the modern international political climate, Timbuktu has generated strong reviews, though it comes into the competition against some fierce competitors including entries from Poland and Russia. If Oscar voters find the political statements of the film more necessary than those in either Ida or Leviathan, it could come out a surprise winner. However, I think Mauritania and Sissako will have to take comfort in the fact that they got their first nomination on their first submission.