South Korean Animated Film Nabs Oscar Nomination

A heavy favorite for the Best Foreign Film was snubbed, unfortunately.

The short cartoon "Namoo," which translates as "tree" in Korean, by South Korean filmmaker Erick Oh was nominated for an Academy Award on Wednesday and made it onto the 94th shortlist. It was nominated in the animated short film category.

During the Academy Awards event on March 27, 2022, the Academy will unveil the final list of nominees, which will be announced on February 9, 2022.

Using stop-motion animation, Oh depicts the path of a man's life from beginning to finish, all while standing next to a tree that holds all of his memories.

Oh collaborated with renowned animation firm Baobab Studios to produce the virtual reality cartoon "Namoo." The film had its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival this year and has since been invited to a number of animation festivals, including the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France and the Ottawa International Animation Festival in Canada, among others.

This year's list also contains "Affairs of the Art" by Joanna Quinn and "Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice" by Zacharias Kunuk, as well as 14 additional animations nominated for awards.

Last year, Oh's other cartoon, "Opera," was nominated for an Academy Award in the same category but did not win. According to Oh's agency Beasts and Natives Alike, "Opera" will be presented to the Korean public in the form of a media art display next year.

Oh's animation was also nominated for two Annie Awards, in the categories of Best Special Production and Best Character Animation — Television/Media, in the 49th Annie Awards nominations, which were announced on Wednesday in the United States.

However, the Korean popular film "Escape from Mogadishu," directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, which had hoped to be included on the 94th Academy Awards shortlist for best foreign feature picture, did not make it onto the shortlist.

Sincerest congratulations from KWave!


Krees DG

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