A Place in the World (film)
Encyclopedia
A Place in the World (1992
) is an Argentine
drama film
co-written, co-produced and directed by Adolfo Aristarain
. The film features José Sacristán
, Federico Luppi, Leonor Benedetto, and others.
The drama won numerous awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
, but was declared ineligible and removed from the final ballot because it had been submitted by Uruguay
, which had exercised insufficient artistic control over the film. It is the only film so far to have been disqualified from the Foreign Language Film category after having secured a nomination.
. The characters in this story argue about religion, politics, and human rights.
, liked the film and wrote, "A Place in the World is a sensitive, beautifully made coming-of-age story, set against a backdrop of Argentine politics played out on a local scale. Featuring a cast of strong characters, all driven by their deepest beliefs and passions, this is that rare case of a film that's not just lovely -- it's lively, too."
Film critic James Berardinelli wrote, "The acting is uniformly strong, with all the principal and secondary performers delivering believable portrayals. Celia Roth is especially worthy of mention for the emotion she projects through her eyes. She and Federico Luppi are perfectly matched. A Place in the World offers a frank, somewhat unusual view of the relationships that form families and communities. Although the film has a lot more meat to chew on than that, the issues presented by A Place in the World would not generate the same degree of interest without the characters who argue about and live them. It's hard to deny the effectiveness of this marriage between personalities and ideology where neither eclipses the other."
as an entry from Argentina alone, was originally submitted in the fall of 1992 to Argentina
's Oscar selection committee as a possible contender. However, the committee chose (by one vote) to submit The Dark Side of the Heart instead. A Place in the World's director Adolfo Aristarain
then asked Antonio Mercader, Uruguay
's Minister of Education and Culture, to submit the film as a Uruguay
an entry. After the minister refused, Aristarain took the matter to Manuel Martinez Carril, director of the Cinematheque of Uruguay, who agreed to sponsor the film for submission to the Academy's foreign-language film committee.
When the nominations were announced by the Academy on February 17, 1993, A Place in the World was initially included among the five nominees, and was presented as a Uruguayan submission. However, a week later, the Academy launched an investigation after it was revealed that the film was almost entirely Argentine with minimal input from Uruguayan artists. It was disqualified three days later, with the Academy saying it was essentially an Argentine production and that this violated the Academy's rules which require that there be "substantial filmmaking input from the country that submits the film". This was only the second time in the Academy's history that a film was disqualified after being nominated, the previous case being that of the documentary Young Americans (1967), which had won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature
but was later ruled ineligible after it was revealed that it had opened theatrically prior to the Academy's eligibility period. The disqualification of A Place in the World was all the more unusual as the Academy decided not to replace it with another film, leaving only four films in competition.
Aristarain, who argued that the film was an international co-production
between Uruguay and Argentina, contested the Academy's decision, and filed suit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California
on March 4. Aristarain cited the precedents set by Black and White in Color (1976), Le Bal
(1983) and Dangerous Moves (1984), all of which were French productions but which were submitted, respectively, by Ivory Coast, Algeria
and Switzerland
. After the judge determined that, while Academy procedures may have been lax, the organization had essentially followed its rules, Aristarain decided not to take the case to appeal, as ballots were already being mailed to voters and the awards ceremony was about to take place.
Because of the controversy surrounding A Place in the Worlds disqualification, the Academy adopted in the summer of 1993 new guidelines aimed at clarifying its eligibility rules for the Foreign Language Film category, and especially at making more specific the role played by each crew member. It is also worth mentioning that in its November 2001 press release listing the foreign language submissions to the 74th Academy Awards, the Academy announced that a film from Uruguay (In This Tricky Life
) had "qualified this year for the first time", thereby omitting any mention of A Place in the World.
1992 in film
The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films:-Awards:Academy AwardsGolden Globe AwardsNational Film Awards...
) is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
co-written, co-produced and directed by Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain is an Argentine film director whom Variety has deemed a "master filmmaker."After leaving Argentina Aristarain started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before...
. The film features José Sacristán
José Sacristán
José Sacristán is a famous Spanish film, theatre and television actor.He has directed three films:* Yo me bajo en la próxima, ¿y usted? * Cara de acelga * Soldados de plomo...
, Federico Luppi, Leonor Benedetto, and others.
The drama won numerous awards and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the Academy Awards of Merit, popularly known as the Oscars, handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, but was declared ineligible and removed from the final ballot because it had been submitted by Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, which had exercised insufficient artistic control over the film. It is the only film so far to have been disqualified from the Foreign Language Film category after having secured a nomination.
Plot
The film is set in 1974, following the death of Argentine President Juan PerónJuan Perón
Juan Domingo Perón was an Argentine military officer, and politician. Perón was three times elected as President of Argentina though he only managed to serve one full term, after serving in several government positions, including the Secretary of Labor and the Vice Presidency...
. The characters in this story argue about religion, politics, and human rights.
Cast
- José SacristánJosé SacristánJosé Sacristán is a famous Spanish film, theatre and television actor.He has directed three films:* Yo me bajo en la próxima, ¿y usted? * Cara de acelga * Soldados de plomo...
as Hans - Federico Luppi as Mario
- Leonor Benedetto as Nelda
- Cecilia RothCecilia RothCecilia Roth is an Argentine actress.Her father, Abrasha Rotenberg , a Jewish immigrant from the Soviet Ukraine, is an editor and a journalist. He met Cecilia's mother, an Argentinian singer of Sephardic descent Dina Rot, in Argentina. Cecilia Roth has made appearances in numerous television series...
as Ana - Rodolfo RanniRodolfo RanniRodolfo Ranni is an Italian Argentine film actor.He has made over 85 film and TV appearances since 1958. More recently he has appeared in Argentine television dramas.-External links: ....
as Andrada - Hugo Arana as Zamora
- Gastón Batyi as Ernesto
- Lorena del Río as Luciana
- Mario Alarcón as Juan
Critical reception
Critic Mick LaSalle, film critic for the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, liked the film and wrote, "A Place in the World is a sensitive, beautifully made coming-of-age story, set against a backdrop of Argentine politics played out on a local scale. Featuring a cast of strong characters, all driven by their deepest beliefs and passions, this is that rare case of a film that's not just lovely -- it's lively, too."
Film critic James Berardinelli wrote, "The acting is uniformly strong, with all the principal and secondary performers delivering believable portrayals. Celia Roth is especially worthy of mention for the emotion she projects through her eyes. She and Federico Luppi are perfectly matched. A Place in the World offers a frank, somewhat unusual view of the relationships that form families and communities. Although the film has a lot more meat to chew on than that, the issues presented by A Place in the World would not generate the same degree of interest without the characters who argue about and live them. It's hard to deny the effectiveness of this marriage between personalities and ideology where neither eclipses the other."
Oscar controversy
A Place in the World, which was registered for the Golden GlobesGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
as an entry from Argentina alone, was originally submitted in the fall of 1992 to Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
's Oscar selection committee as a possible contender. However, the committee chose (by one vote) to submit The Dark Side of the Heart instead. A Place in the World's director Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain
Adolfo Aristarain is an Argentine film director whom Variety has deemed a "master filmmaker."After leaving Argentina Aristarain started working as assistant director in the Arcente cinema, and then in Europe during his short exile for Mario Camus, Giorgio Stegani and Lewis Gilbert before...
then asked Antonio Mercader, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
's Minister of Education and Culture, to submit the film as a Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an entry. After the minister refused, Aristarain took the matter to Manuel Martinez Carril, director of the Cinematheque of Uruguay, who agreed to sponsor the film for submission to the Academy's foreign-language film committee.
When the nominations were announced by the Academy on February 17, 1993, A Place in the World was initially included among the five nominees, and was presented as a Uruguayan submission. However, a week later, the Academy launched an investigation after it was revealed that the film was almost entirely Argentine with minimal input from Uruguayan artists. It was disqualified three days later, with the Academy saying it was essentially an Argentine production and that this violated the Academy's rules which require that there be "substantial filmmaking input from the country that submits the film". This was only the second time in the Academy's history that a film was disqualified after being nominated, the previous case being that of the documentary Young Americans (1967), which had won the Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
but was later ruled ineligible after it was revealed that it had opened theatrically prior to the Academy's eligibility period. The disqualification of A Place in the World was all the more unusual as the Academy decided not to replace it with another film, leaving only four films in competition.
Aristarain, who argued that the film was an international co-production
International co-production
An international co-production is a production where two or more different production companies are working together, for example in a film production...
between Uruguay and Argentina, contested the Academy's decision, and filed suit in the United States District Court for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
on March 4. Aristarain cited the precedents set by Black and White in Color (1976), Le Bal
Le Bal (film)
Le bal is a 1983 Italian-Franco-Algerian film without dialogue directed by Ettore Scola that represents the fifty-year story of the French society by way of a ballroom in France.-Cast:...
(1983) and Dangerous Moves (1984), all of which were French productions but which were submitted, respectively, by Ivory Coast, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. After the judge determined that, while Academy procedures may have been lax, the organization had essentially followed its rules, Aristarain decided not to take the case to appeal, as ballots were already being mailed to voters and the awards ceremony was about to take place.
Because of the controversy surrounding A Place in the Worlds disqualification, the Academy adopted in the summer of 1993 new guidelines aimed at clarifying its eligibility rules for the Foreign Language Film category, and especially at making more specific the role played by each crew member. It is also worth mentioning that in its November 2001 press release listing the foreign language submissions to the 74th Academy Awards, the Academy announced that a film from Uruguay (In This Tricky Life
In This Tricky Life
In This Tricky Life is a 2001 Uruguayan film directed by Beatriz Flores Silva. It was Uruguay's submission to the 74th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee...
) had "qualified this year for the first time", thereby omitting any mention of A Place in the World.
Awards
Wins- San Sebastian Film Festival: Golden Seashell, Adolfo Aristarain; OCIC Award, Adolfo Aristarain; 1992.
- Nantes Three Continents Festival: Audience Award, Adolfo Aristarain; 1992.
- Goya AwardsGoya AwardsThe Goya Awards, known in Spanish as los Premios Goya, are Spain's main national film awards, considered by many in Spain, and internationally, to be the Spanish equivalent of the American Academy Awards....
: Best Foreign Film in Spanish Language; 1993. - Argentine Film Critics Association Awards: Silver Condor, Best Actor, Federico Luppi; Best Actress, Cecilia Roth; Best Director, Adolfo Aristarain; Best Film; Best Music, Emilio Kauderer; Best New Actor, Gaston Batyi; Best Original Screenplay, Adolfo Aristarain, Alberto Lecchi, and Kathy Saavedra; Best Supporting Actor, José Sacristán; 1993.
- Fribourg International Film FestivalFribourg International Film FestivalThe Fribourg International Film Festival is an annual film festival in Fribourg, Switzerland. It is focused on selected cultural films from Asia, Africa and Latin America....
: Audience Award, Adolfo Aristarain; 1993. - Gramado Film Festival: Golden Kikito, Best Latin Film, Adolfo Aristarain; 1993.
- Ondas Awards: Film Award, Best Director, Adolfo Aristarain; 1993.
External links
..- Un lugar en el mundo at the cinenacional.comCinenacional.comCinenacional.com is a web portal and web-based database about Argentine cinema.The site provides a vast array of information, including: films, television programs, directors, actors, cinematographers, film editors, production designers, and other production professions in Argentina...
.