Parrots and survival: discover Kosovo and Czech Republic’s Oscar submissions

Kosovo and the Czech Republic have announced their submissions for the foreign-language film category at the 89th Academy Awards.

The Czech Film and Television Academy has submitted Lost in Munich, directed by Petr Zelenka, which moves from the story of an aged parrot that once belonged to a French prime minister to a mockumentary centred on the diplomatic crisis sparked by a journalist who steals the bird. While humourous – Sir P, the parrot, has a penchant for swearing – Zelenka’s film explores some pertinent issues in Czech history.

Kosovo has chosen Home Sweet Home, the debut film by Faton Bajraktari and written by Zymber Kelmendi. The Kosovo-Macedonia co-production follows the story of Agron, who was presumed dead in the Kosovo conflict but returns home alive. For official purposes, however, he must remain dead. Through a captivating combination of humour and darkness, Bajraktari examines the challenges facing a post-war society.

Find out more about Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina’s entries here, and Bulgaria, Lithuania and Serbia’s here.

Watch this space for more New East Oscars updates!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter