“A Fantastic Woman” has always looked odds on for an Oscar nomination.
Shortly after it premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, 2017 it picked up the Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay, and was nominated for the Golden Bear, too, while in the last few months “A Fantastic Woman” has only added to its nominations and awards, with successes at the Havana Film Festival, National Board Of Review, and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
But, obviously, those involved in “A Fantastic Woman” weren’t just expecting to be given an Academy Award nomination. Instead, director Sebastian Lelio was just hopeful. Which is exactly why he reacted so hysterically when “A Fantastic Woman” was indeed nominated in the Best Foreign Language category.
“It was like 1030 in Santiago, and I was with my friends and my producers and the TV was on, and no-one was able to stand still. We were walking around the house like crazy,” Lelio told me earlier this week when I asked him to recall his reaction to the news.
“Then we heard the words A and F from the title and we were jumping and hugging each other. We missed the other nominations for three categories because of the excitement. It was a great moment.”
“Because it felt like beautiful recognition and it has been such an amazing year for the film. Of course this was a peak in the journey, and of course Daniela is coming, and we will be there, too.”
If you’re in New York, you can now go and see “A Fantastic Woman” for yourself and decide whether it deserves its nomination.
“A Fantastic Woman” will reach Philadelphia on February 16, while the 90th Academy Awards will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and unfold on March 4.
