WALL-E,Persepolis,Waltz With Bashir BAFTA Noms
Disney/Pixar Competes With Sony Pictures At British Film Awards
Jan 19, 2009
Disney/Pixar's WALL-E is going up against two foreign animated films at this year's BAFTA ceremony.
According to the British Academy of Film and Television Arts' official website, Persepolis and Waltz With Bashir will compete with Andrew Stanton's CGI adventure in the category of Best Animated Film.
Much like at this year's Oscar ceremony, there are only 3 films nominated in that category.
Although a win for WALL-E seems assured, the BAFTA pitted it against two films that many industry professionals would love to see win, simply because they feature more adult themes than Disney/Pixar's robot love story.
Persepolis is based on Marjane Satrapi's acclaimed series of graphic novels. It's the autobiographical tale of a young woman who grows up during, and after, the Islamist revolution in Iran. It won the Jury Prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, earning the unending emnity of the Iranian government who has tried to get it banned at subsequent film festivals.
Waltz With Bashir is also a highly autobiographical animated film. It follows director Ari Folman, a former Israeli soldier, who struggles to remember his role during the 1980 Lebanon War, specifically what he was doing during the 1982 Sabra and Shatila Massacres. Lebanese Christian Phalangists slaughtered thousands of Palestinians after Syria-backed assassins murdered the CP's leader, president-elect Bashir Gemayal. Israel nominated the film for the 2009 Oscar Awards ceremony.
Sony Pictures Classics distributes both films in North America
WALL-E Also Gets Best Music, Best Sound Design Nominations
WALL-E composer Thomas Newman received a Best Music nomination. He's up against fellow composers Alexandre Desplat (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard (The Dark Knight), ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (Mamma Mia!), plus A. R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire).
Revered sound engineer Ben Burtt (Star Wars) – along with Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Matthew Wood – received nods for Best Sound for their work on WALL-E.
They take on Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz and Gregg Rudloff (Changeling), Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick and Gary Rizzo (The Dark Knight), Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith and Mark Taylor (Quantum of Solace), plus Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers and Ian Tapp for Slumdog Millionaire.
Persepolis, Waltz With Bashir Receive Best Foreign Language Film Nominations
However, even if WALL-E takes the Best Animated Film BAFTA, the other two still have a chance at taking home some kind of award: Persepolis and Waltz With Bashir are also competing in the Best Foreign Language Film category (officially called Best Film Not in the English Language).
They take on Germany's The Baader Meinhof Complex, Italy's Gomorrah and France's I've Loved You so Long.
The BAFTA Awards will occur February 8th, at the Royal Opera House in London.
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