In his latest film, Israeli writer-director Joseph Cedar has created a drama of personal controversy. He explores spirit, resilience and responsibility. “Footnote” tells the story of a father, embittered by his life and angered by the success of his son. That son, though publicly applauded, is in turn challenged by the not-fully-formed third generation—his son.
As their nations warn of war, the Israeli and Iranian directors facing off at next week\’s Academy Awards share a reluctance to see politics read into their movies, both of which are portraits of troubled families. Joseph Cedar, director of Israel\’s \”Footnote,\” and Asghar Farhadi, maker of Iran\’s \”A Separation,\” stress that their works are about human issues and not conflicted governments that seem to be slipping into ever deeper diplomatic isolation.
Casting director Heidi Levitt had to fill more than 60 character roles for “The Artist,” the Oscar-nominated film about a 1920s silent movie star (Jean Dujardin) in Hollywood whose career spirals downward with the advent of sound, just as his protégée (Bérénice Bejo) reaches the height of stardom.
For Israelis, winning the country’s first Oscar would be akin to scoring its first Olympic gold medal, which happened at the 2004 Games in Athens. “If ‘Footnote’ gets the Academy Award for best foreign language film, the reaction would be tremendous,” Katriel Schory said recently, on the phone from Tel Aviv. “We need any piece of good news, and it would cheer everybody up.”
Joseph Cedar has made four movies during his 11-year career, and the first three have represented Israel in the Oscar races for Best Foreign-Language film.
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