Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., February 29, 2008 Adar1 23, 5768 | | Israel Time: 20:17 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Israeli Oscar-nominated director Joseph Cedar. (Reuters) Last update - 10:31 25/02/2008 Olmert: Time for Israel to win an Oscar By The Associated Press Tags: Joseph Cedar, Israel  U.S.-born Israeli director Joseph Cedar's hopes of winning the Oscar for Best Foreign film with 'Beaufort' were dashed early Monday, as the prize went to Austrian movie 'The Counterfeiters'. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday ended his opening statement at the weekly cabinet meeting by saying he was pulling for Israel's entry at Sunday night's Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood. "The time has come for an Israeli movie to win the Oscar," he told his m Advertisement inisters. "This movie definitely represents an ability, quality and depth that deserve recognition, and I wish for Yossi [Joseph] Cedar, the director, and all his actors to receive this recognition and that the wars of Israel will become topics for movies and not our daily reality." Beaufort, directed by U.S.-born Israeli Joseph Cedar, tells the story of a small group of Israel Defense Forces soldiers stationed in an outpost in the final days prior to the IDF withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. It is nominated in the category of Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. Cedar met his competition Saturday as the five directors in the foreign-language category gathered together. The five showed clips from their movies - little-seen so far in the U.S. - and talking over the joys and frustrations of international production. Four of the five nominees vying for the foreign film Oscar are set in the past and revolve around war, with the Russian entry 12 the exception. Israel's entry Beaufort sparked a national controversy because one-third of the actors - depicting soldiers during Israel's 2000 withdrawal from Lebanon - had not completed the country's mandatory three years of military service. Cedar said that actually helped them more deeply depict war's effects on the psyche because veterans are prone to getting used to something that is terrible and accepting it as normal. Israel has been nominated for an Academy Award before - last in 1984 for Behind the Walls, about life in an Israeli prison - but has never won an Oscar. Beaufort was a 12th-century Crusader castle used as a fort by Lebanese militia until taken over in a bloody battle in the early 1980s with IDF soldiers, who turned it into an army base. The film is based on If Heaven Exists, a book by Israeli writer Ron Leshem. The competition Veteran Polish director Andrzej Wajda explained that his Katyn, about the 1939 massacre of Polish military officers and intelligentsia in the titular forest, was intensely personal. His father, Jakub, a cavalry officer, was among the more than 15,000 killed by Soviet authorities. But because Jakub Wajda's name never showed up on a list of the dead, he said, "My mother waited for my father my whole life ... (she) had forever hoped that one day he would return home. Austria's entry, The Counterfeiters, brings a fresh look at World War II concentration camps, using documentary-style handheld camera and quick zooms to tell of a master forger forced to work for Nazis. Director Stefan Ruzowitzky said he got full cooperation from the real-life camp survivor on whom his main character is based, Adolph Burger, who was in the audience Saturday. Sergei Bodrov said his epic Mongol, Kazakhstan's entry, was shot in Mongolia over the course of two years, with two separate cinematographers. Inspired by Sidney Lumet's 1957 film Twelve Angry Men, the Russian film 12 depicts a jury deliberating over whether a young Chechen murdered his Russian stepfather. "I just don't know how I even ended up here today", said director Nikita Mikhalkov, gesturing to the oversized Oscar statues decorating the theater where the motion picture academy was sponsoring a Saturday symposium on the foreign film nominees. "This is such a deeply Russian, personal, local story that I don't even understand." Related articles: My son, the Oscar nominated mensch Israeli film Beaufort nominated for Oscar for Best Foreign Film Israeli wins best director award at Berlin International Film Festival Bookmark to del.icio.us   Power to the people Egypt plans to provide all of Gaza's electricity, to wean dependency on Israel. Calculated escalation Hamas has been trying for some time to create a balance of deterrence with Israel.   1.   cedar/oscar 17:41  |  rolfkitty 24/02/08   2.   get out of imaginary world and back into reality 18:08  |  S. Dae Rote 24/02/08   3.   It`s time Israel won an Oscar? 21:00  |  Chas, 24/02/08   4.   Chas 21:12  |  Big Sooz 24/02/08   5.   rolfkitty - NO 21:33  |  ChanahS 24/02/08   6.   Katyn! 21:42  |  John Bull Capistrano 24/02/08   7.   It`s time for Israel... 22:10  |  Oscar 24/02/08   8.   Olmert LIVES in a movie 23:15  |  Yuval 24/02/08   9.   And the Oscar for Best Liar goes to...... 00:08  |  Clickfool 25/02/08   10.   It`s time? 00:55  |  Hanoman 25/02/08   11.   Its actually a pretty crap film 02:20  |  Tarik 25/02/08   12.   The only oscar Israel deserves is the oscar for evil 02:20  |  Chanalau, Tova 25/02/08   13.   Yes it`s time 04:05  |  ron 25/02/08   14.   #!12Chanalu 04:21  |  Tobia 25/02/08   15.   CLICKFOOL OSCAR FOR MONEY STOLEN 04:35  |  TOBIA 25/02/08   16.   #s 1 thru12 all good comments 04:50  |  No Dope 25/02/08   17.   #12; Chanalau, Tova, really?that`s news to the world 05:15  |  Doc Holliday 25/02/08   18.   #12; The Oscar for evil should go to you! 05:35  |  Palestiniansareamyth 25/02/08   19.   Obviously Mossad is behind the nomination 06:18  |  Rightster 25/02/08   20.   I thought jews were behind Hollywood, as quoted here once 07:28  |  Alain 25/02/08   21.   # 17 You know the numbers you computer uses for operability? 07:44  |  Kris 25/02/08   22.   # 6 Beware of the 11th commandment 07:52  |  Kris 25/02/08   23.   congratulations Yossi Cedar 08:03  |  Daniel 25/02/08   24.   Excellent 08:10  |  Israeli citizen 25/02/08   25.   # 12 chanalau tova 08:30  |  danny 25/02/08   26.   Israel blinding 08:35  |  Howard 25/02/08   27.   WELL DONE #11 (Tarik) 08:40  |  Jim Strauss 25/02/08   28.   Foreign Oscar goes to Austria 23:19  |  not surprised 25/02/08   29.   It`s Time Israel won an OscaE....? says Olmert..... 17:47  |  Dolly 29/02/08

Today Online MKs call for Gaza invasion in wake of escalation Responses: 118 Aanalysis: Uncompromising Hamas is in trouble Responses: 85 Bradley Burston: True Islam will spell defeat for the Jihadists Responses: 20 When McCain and Obama face off, Israel may find itself in the eye of the storm Responses: 31 German Jewish leader urges Merkel to back Israel's stance on Iran Responses: 20 Rosner's Domain McCain, Obama gear up for face off over Iraq Battle of Ohio: from James Garfield to Hillary Clinton Voters: Obama's not "tough enough" on foreign policy (WTR) Poll: Your solution for the situation in Gaza Prosecutor in AIPAC case to leave before trial? (WTR) More Headlines 19:38 Barak: Hamas will pay for its escalation in the south 19:55 Two people lightly wounded in Qassam barrage on Sderot 20:11 Egypt FM calls for cease-fire, end to IDF actions in Gaza Strip 17:31 Court rejects petition against ban on Habash memorial rally 15:50 When McCain and Obama face off, Israel may find itself in the eye of the storm 09:45 Jerusalem & Babylon / Ignoring Durban summit not an option 12:35 Palestinians say five hurt in Israeli air strikes in Gaza Strip 11:10 ANALYSIS / Uncompromising Hamas is in trouble 06:38 Former diplomat: Assad seeks to restart talks with Israel 09:42 Sapir College licks its wounds after student killed by rocket 13:27 Britain's Prince Harry withdrawn from Afghanistan due to news leak Previous Editions Select Day 28 feb 27 feb 26 feb 25 feb 24 feb 22 feb 21 feb 20 feb 19 feb 18 feb 17 feb 15 feb

Special Offers Advertisement Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Long-term Israel programs MASA is your gateway. More programs. More grants. NEW! Dan Boutique Jerusalem Hotel Hip Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Attractive Introductory Rates 7589 rockets fired so far HELP US TO HELP THEM Marina Royale Herzelia Pituach Your Luxurious Suite While Staying in Israel Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Dead Sea Salt Beauty and skin care from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 10% off! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved