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Having discovered Amour is ineligible for several top gongs, director wants to give other Austrian film-makers a chance

Michael Haneke's Oscar-tipped, Palme D'Or-winning Amour may be the most high-profile film of 2012 from an Austrian film-maker, but it will not be featuring in the annual Austrian film awards. Haneke has decided not to enter his French-language drama about an elderly couple dealing with the aftermath of a devastating stroke after being told it would not be eligible for several top categories.

Amour is Austria's entry for the Academy Award for best foreign-language film, where it is expected to be one of the frontrunners. But because it is filmed in French and does not meet other required criteria (including an Austrian certificate of origin, delegate producer and evidence of "significant Austrian cultural influence") it would only have been considered for directing, screenplay and editing prizes by the Afa.

Haneke is said...

Montreal’s Festival Du Nouveau Cinema (10.10 – 10.21) announced their line-up today for their 41st edition and among the smorgasbord of subtitle offerings dating back to this year’s Rotterdam, Berlin, Cannes, Locarno, Venice and Tiff editions, we’re knee-deep in avant-garde world cinema from the established auteurs Assayas, Vinterberg, Ozon, Sang-Soo, Joao Pedro Rodriguez, Larrain, Loach, Reygadas, Ghobadi, Mungiu and Miguel Gomes. Heavy on offerings from Quebec and France, the fest also manages to offer a stellar snapshot of the up-and-comers from all corners of the globe. Among the notable titles in the (Competition category) International Selection we’ve got Pablo Berger’s Blancanieves, Ursula Meier’s Sister, Brian M. Cassidy and Melanie Shatzky’s Francine (which received its theatrical release earlier this month) and Rodrigo Plá’s La Demora. Loaded in Cannes items, the Special Presentations is the fest’s A-list selections (see filmmakers named above) and the one pic...