Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
How the Oscars affect the international films you hear about
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Hello Reader, Even if you don’t care about the Oscars, what’s considered Oscar-worthy deeply impacts what films you hear about. Because arthouse and international distributors divide films into two categories: movies they think can win Oscars and movies that can’t. Oscar movies get massive marketing budgets, come out in the fall, and screen for months. So you hear about them. The rest get dumped in the spring and summer, and they might not even tell the press the films exist, no matter how good the movies are. More international films are being allowed into the Oscars, but it’s still a pretty narrow set. And what’s considered Oscar-worthy comes down to marketing. Did it premiere at the right festival? Did it get seen by the right people? Can you pitch the movie as a high concept in one sentence that makes you go ‘ooh’? Today’s episode is the first in a two-part series about the Oscars’ impact on what movies you hear about and can easily see featuring C.J. Prince of Acquired Cinema. Today, we talk about how and why the Oscars have become a little more international and a little more interesting in the last few years and how that affects what movies you hear about. Next time, we’ll talk about international and arthouse movies that aren’t Oscar hopefuls, even though they may have mainstream appeal. What differentiates these films? And what films can you look forward to this spring and summer? Episode 160: How the Oscars affect the international films you hear aboutHappy watching/listening! Alex P.S. I'm planning to offer a series of themed film workshops in the spring. I'd love your feedback! Please fill out this quick survey (4 minutes, 4-5 questions) to let me know which ones you're interested in joining.
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Seventh Row
Seventh Row is a nonprofit Canadian film criticism publication and publishing house. We're dedicated to helping you expand your horizons by curating the best socially progressive films from around the world and helping you think deeply about them. This newsletter is run by Seventh Row (http://seventh-row.com) but features exclusive content not found on the website.
Hello Reader, There's a persistent myth that the best way to watch movies that you'll enjoy is to watch what's already in your well-established wheelhouse. The last thing you want to do is take a risk on an unknown quantity that you might not like. I 100% understand this. You only have so much free time, and you want the movies you watch to count. But here's the truth: One of the best highs you can get from cinema is when you discover a film you wouldn't have otherwise watched and didn't...
Hello Reader, You are receiving this as a paying subscriber to The Globetrotting Watchlist (which includes Film Adventurer and Cinephile Members), a monthly newsletter that helps you expand your cinematic horizons through streaming recommendations for the best socially progressive under-the-radar films worldwide. Your support helps us pay our expenses to keep Seventh Row, a non-profit, ad-free and online. What's Inside the Globetrotting Newsletter This month, I'm recommending: Three must-see...
Hello Reader, As we teased in episode 161, this is the time of year when the best international films of the year come out in cinemas. One of the year's best films, the queer French erotic thriller Misericordia by Alain Guiraudie, is out in cinemas this week. It's definitely not for everyone, but it's an extremely well-made film that takes unexpected turns and is often very funny. Episode 165: Alain Guiraudie's Misericordia Today, on the podcast, I briefly discuss why I liked the film and...