Ready for my favourite prime time of the year? And hopefully yours as well🙃
Yay🙌 It’s…OSCARTIME🎬🎦🎥🎞️
Unfortunately no fellow Belgians nominated at this 96th edition of the Academy Awards. No worries ArtistCongratz has some foreign favourites to share with you. Amidst the Barbenheimer frenzy there is one particular underdog or outsider we’d like to cheer for. The nomination of “Past Lives” by Celine Song is so well deserved.
The catchy last name of the director couldn’t be more appropriate. She truly made a movie like a love song. 🎵
This is an absolute must see till The very End. The baseline of this gem? “InYun”, which means providence or fate in Korean.
Reality and imagination rule side by side in this heartbreaking, semi-autobiographical universal lovestory about what could have been for two childhood sweethearts. So many of these characters’ words and lines remain left unspoken in a way rarely seen before.
Fandango’s Oscarpredictions in CBSnews do not mention “Past Lives”, but ArtistCongratz does 🙂
It’s D-Day for Baloji and his first feature film Augure. In cinema’s across Belgium this November 15th.
Just last month, Augure was presented at Filmfest Ghent in the official selection, following Cannes in Spring.
Augure, being the French word for omen, tells the story of exactly that.
A small omen to the members of The Academy perhaps ? A good one.
Our filmmakers won’t budge. Once more presenting a fine opportunity to “Oscarize” a filmgem by a multitalented Belgian artist.
Omen To Be Continued
ArtistCongratz
Director Baloji and his main cast at the Belgian premiere of Augure/Omen at this years 50th edition of Filmfest Ghent
Four characters, considered witches or wizards by their families and communities, see their paths cross in a magical-realist Congo. Only through mutual aid and reconciliation can they escape the curse that rests on them. Cast: Lucie Debay, Marc Zinga, Eliane Umuhire
We had high hopes but once again Oscar won’t land on Belgian soil this year. Film history is written though. Lukas Dhont and his cast and crew have definitely left their mark on Hollywood. Close might not have won the little statue but all the more hearts in cinemas worldwide 🌺🎞
Dear Lukas, Michiel, Angelo, Eden, Gustav & Cie, Belgium could not be more proud of your outstanding ambassadorship through this film. A cinematographic gem to cherish and already a classic.🙌
ArtistCongratz just for that! And a symbolic “screensilver oscar” to go with it. As a token from all viewers, touched by Remi and Leo’s story around the globe. Your very own magnificent once-upon-a-time-in-Hollywood to remember. As in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” 🎞🌺
Ok maybe not all at once 😉 but you will be back 🙌 for more. To be continued.
Which brings us to the ultimate highlight of Oscarnight. This film seems to have it all. Starting by the title. As inspiring as Close, poems might emerge. ArtistCongratz can’t wait to see leading ladies Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis acting their way to Oscar and parallel universes in “Everything, Everywhere, All at Once”
Ke Huy Quan, best actor in a supporting role, gave the most moving speech of the evening honoring his 84 year old mom back home. His story reads like a fairytale. Almost four decades after his role as Short Round along Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw (Mrs. Steven Spielberg) in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the former child actor wins an Oscar for his role as Waymond in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Congratz !
Which Oscarmovies besides Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, you consider absolute mustsees? Feel free to let us know, we will add them to this list.
These should be on 🔝 , according to ArtistCongratz ⤵️
🎬 Top Gun: Maverick, for obvious reasons, inspiring this years Oscarhost Jimmy Kimmel for a sky high entry 🪂 Lady Gaga performed her latest signature song live at the Dolby theatre
🎬 All Quiet on The Western Front, winning epic war saga, unfortunately all too topical still today
🎬 Women Talking, a revealing story about abused women in an isolated colony, written and directed by Sarah Polley, starring Frances McDormand and Claire Foy, aka the young Queen Elisabeth in The Crown 👑
🎬 The Whale, starring an amazingly transformed Brendan Fraser, best actor in a leading role.
🎬 The Fabelmans, a coming of age drama film by Steven Spielberg, starring Michelle Williams. And the also nominated Judd Hirsch at a dazzling age of 88🙌
🎬Triangle of Sadness: which won the Palme d’or in Cannes
🎬 And Close of course, a moving story about a close friendship between two young boys. From the same director as Girl, Lukas Dhont. His flower run scene will stay with you.🌺
Close, directed by Lukas Dhont, screenplay by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens. Cast: Eden Dambrinne, Gustav De Waele, Emelie Dequenne, Kevin Janssens…
But from all “women talking” at this years Oscars, the one and only best Actress 👸🏻 in a leading role wins again with this quote ❤️⤵️
“And, Ladies, Don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever passed your prime”
Michelle Yeoh
Prime Rhyme we might add. You might wanna read some poetry in motion, written by yours truly as a tribute to these 95th Oscars.
Say what? Amen to that, & ArtistCongratz Michelle Yeoh!
Starting by Lady Gaga and her most intimate performance, a breath of fresh air at the Oscars. Far from glam, but all the more captivating.🎶
Rihanna was one of the other popicons performing live on Sunday. Lenny Kravitz paid tribute to the legends we lost, after John Travolta’s moving introduction. His way to honour his legendary co-stars Kirstie Alley and Olivia Newton John. Remaining « hopelessly devoted, always »
Composer Volker Bertelmann won the Academy award for best original score in All Quiet On the Western Front. The German Netflix-remake of the original movie (1930) based on the 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque is probably the one movie keeping Belgium’s Close from winning the Oscar in the category best foreign film.
And then there was this moment when Hollywood turned into Bollywood 🇮🇳
Prepare for an even greater music hype following this years best Oscarsong. You won’t sit still to Naatu Naatu, it’s too catchy. An instant TikTok-revelation, even before the nomination. The song is from the blockbuster RRR, an entirely fictitious story about two Indian revolutionaries, dancing their way through three hours of spectacle. To be added to our previous wishlist 🎬
Warning for people with social-media-sensitive-epilepsy: This music-act is not TikTok-proof
At Filmfest Ghent, it’s come as Close as it can get. Tonight is “Homerun-night” for “Close”.
This refined Belgian motion picture just might be our next production to make it to the stage of the Dolby Theatre on March 12th 2023.🍒
But let’s not get too far ahead. ArtistCongratz discovered the film in an exclusive preview just yesterday.
The only way to capture completely what it was that touched so many filmhearts in Cannes last Spring. And will touch many more in the months to come.
Writing a review that does this gem justice is not an easy task, but certainly not too much to ask.
ArtistCongratz has made an ultimate wishlist why you absolutely should go see this movie📩
1. Director Lukas Dhont and screenwriter Angelo Tijssens tell a story that concerns us all.
2. Close is close in more ways then one. Be prepared to be glued to the screen.
3. In this film cinema meets visual arts and poetry in all its simplicity 🌺 some things are left unspoken. But the director understands the art of making the viewer read between the lines.
4. The acting performances of the entire cast are stunning. Eden Dambrinne plays the leading role like a pro, although this is his debut. AC would like to invent him a nickname: #Silverscreenblender with eyes like a reindeer.
5. One of the most moving breaking-scenes in a supporting role is played by one of our Belgian fetisj actors, Kevin Janssens.
6. Every school and every student should go see this film and by that we don’t mean just filmstudents.
7. Leo & Remi’s “flower run” will become legendary.
8. This is not only queercinema at its best. Close is cinema at its closest to closure after devastating events.
9. Be able to say you saw it even before it was nominated for an Oscar.
10. Although it will also touch you on TV, this film is made for the big screen. The cinematography is mindblowing.
Close is a Lumière-production. Directed by Lukas Dhont. Written by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens. Cast: Eden Dambrinne (Leo), Gustav De Waele (Remi), Igor Van Dessel (Charlie), Emilie Dequenne (Sophie), Léa Drucker (Nathalie), Kevin Janssens (Peter).
ArtistCongratz 