Jio MAMI 19th Mumbai Film Festival: Watch these international films submitted for Oscars 2018

The lineup of films submitted for this year’s edition of the Oscars is exciting not just because of the works that have been picked, but also because the highest number of submissions has been recorded. Ninety-two films will compete for the nomination list in the Best Foreign Language Film category, setting a new record. In 2016, 89 films were submitted by countries all across the globe. Additionally, this year also marks the first time that Haiti, Honduras, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mozambique, Senegal and Syria have submitted films in the category. Many of these films are being screened at the 19th edition of MAMI, which begins on 12 October. Here are some of the noteworthy picks: Thelma (Norway) [caption id=“attachment_4132427” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  A still from Thelma. Image from Facebook/@thelmafilm[/caption] Thelma is a supernatural horror-thriller which tells the story of a girl who moves to Oslo and falls in love with another girl. Over the course of their relationship, she begins having seizures and violent episodes, which she soon realises are triggered by her feelings for her girlfriend. Directed by Joachim Trier and starring Eili Harboe, this film was also screened at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. It has been described as visually striking and adeptly making references to classic films by Variety. Loveless (Russia) Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless is about how two parents, who are separated and whose relationship is devoid of any feelings, briefly come together because their child goes missing. Previously, this director’s critically acclaimed film Leviathan won the Best Foreign Language Film award. Loveless had to be made with international support because Leviathan earned the ire of many Russian authorities for its portrayal of citizens as being stereotypical, vodka-swigging people. The Square (Sweden) The Square is a satirical drama centered on an art curator who finds his progressive world views shaken up when his mobile phone is stolen. It also makes comments about a sense of community, the egocentric tendencies of affluent people and moral courage, writes Deadline. It stars Elizabeth Moss, who has been praised for her performance in Madmen, and more recently in The Handmaid’s Tale. This film, directed by Ruben Östlund, won the Palme d’Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. A Fantastic Woman (Chile) Sebastián Lelio’s drama tells the story of a trans woman struggling to deal with the death of her lover, as well as the simultaneous discrimination and alienation she faces at the hands of the lover’s family. It stars Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes in the lead roles, and won the Best Feature Film and Silver Bear for Best Screenplay awards at the Berlin International Film Festival. Notably, Vega is a newcomer transgender actress. November (Estonia) This film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, and is based on the best-selling novel by Andrus Kivirahk. Director Rainer Sarnet tells the story of a poor Estonian hamlet, and draws from indigenous mythologies and pagan beliefs. It is said to have a mix of dark humour, magic and romantic love. Find the full schedule of films being screened at MAMI here.