Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentFrance has rejigged its Oscar submission committee to change the group that decides which French film to submit for an international feature film Oscar.As part of the overhaul, permanent members such as Cannes Film Festival’s general deleguate Thierry Fremaux, Cesar Académie president Veronique Cayla and Unifrance boss Serge Toubiana will no longer be part of the committee.The decree was issued by the newly elected culture minister and was published in the Journal Officiel on July 27.

The decision to reform France’s Oscar commission stems from criticism over the submission of films which had premiered at Cannes but did not have the best chances of earning an Oscar nomination and going far in the race.

Last year’s selection of Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winning “Titane” over Audrey Diwan’s abortion drama “Happening” (which won the Golden Lion at Venice) crystalized frustrations within the local industry and raised concerns over potential conflicts of interests.

Going forward members of the committee will be named by the Culture Minister each year and will comprise of two sales agents, two producers, two filmmakers and one film industry figure.The presidents of the National Film Board (CNC) and Unifrance will be able to attend the commission meetings as observers.The last French Oscar submission which went on win a best foreign language award is Régis Wargnier’s “Indochine” in 1993.The CNC previously changed the guidelines for submissions to allow films to have limited, qualifying runs ahead of their official theatrical premiere if they get a temporary visa from CNC.

France Overhauls Oscar Submission Committee

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