THE QUESTION
The Academy Awards are coming, and an Indian movie, "Slumdog Millionaire," could win best picture. But what are we overlooking? What's the best non-Hollywood movie you saw this year?
Posted by David Ignatius on February 9, 2009 12:34 PM
FROM THE PANEL
'Firaaq' Holds a Mirror to National Healing
Nandita Das's absorbing film, "Firaaq" is a realistic view of vulnerable people in urban India during times of strife and turmoil.
Posted by Salil Tripathi |Feb 11, 2009 at 2:17 PM
Leon Krauze is a Mexican blogger and a founder of letraslibres.com.
"Waltz with Bashir": Israel's Heavy Burden
In "Waltz with Bashir", an Israeli filmmaker's unflinching willingness to look the brutality of war directly in the eye.
Posted by Leon Krauze Mexico |Feb 9, 2009 at 2:42 PM
Miklós Vámos is a Hungarian novelist, screenwriter and talk show host. He is one of the most read and respected writers in his native Hungary. He has taught at Yale University on a Fulbright fellowship, served as The Nation’s East European correspondent, worked as consultant on the Oscar-winning film Mephisto, and presented Hungary’s most-watched cultural television show. Vámos has received numerous awards for his plays, screenplays, novels and short stories, including the Hungarian Merit Award for lifetime achievement. The Book of Fathers is considered his most accomplished novel and has sold 200,000 copies in Hungary.
The Un-Hollywood Activity House Committee
The Academy's system is over-Americanized and overrated. This is the official opinion of the Un-Hollywood Activity House Committee.
Posted by Miklos Vamos Budapest, Hungary |Feb 9, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Carlos Alberto Montaner is a Cuban-born writer, journalist, and former professor. He is one of the most influential and widely-read columnists in the Spanish-language media, syndicated in dozens of publications in Latin America, Spain and the United States. He is also vice president of the Liberal International, a London-based federation devoted to the defense of democratic values and the promotion of the market economy. He has written more than twenty books, including Journey to the Heart of Cuba; How and Why Communism Disappeared; Liberty, the Key to Prosperity; and the novels A Dog's World and 1898: The Plot. He is now based in Madrid, Spain.
"Couscous": Pursuing the French Dream
"Couscous" is a heart-wrenching French film that tells the story of Arab immigrants in France and their pursuit of the "French dream."
Posted by Carlos Alberto Montaner Madrid, Spain |Feb 9, 2009 at 1:30 PM
READER RESPONSE
» eruffing | Couple of my favorite were "Happy, Go Lucky' and "Frozen River". was very pleased to see both actresses receive recognition during the awards season. ...
» mjg-law | "The Edge of Heaven" by the Turkish director Fatih Akin is a stunning film. It is shocking to me that the Academy totally ignored it....
» mharwick | "TELL NO ONE" AND "IN BRUGES" the former being a great film.
When SAG gets through arguing with the producers maybe Hollywood will get back to work a...
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