The Czech Republic has selected Klára Tasovská’s documentary feature “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be” as its official entry for the International Feature Film category of the Oscars following a controversial contest.
The decision was announced Monday by the Czech Film and Television Academy.
The documentary follows the life of photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, drawing on her diaries and thousands of photographs.
It depicts the underground movement in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s, her dramatic escape to West Berlin, and fashion shoots in Tokyo.
The film had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival last year and was awarded the Czech Lion for the best documentary feature this year.
The CFTA changed its system for selecting its Oscar candidate this year, which ruffled feathers. Voting took place in two rounds.
In the first round, a CFTA committee chose three films from those that had been submitted by their producers.
The committee picked “Broken Voices,” “Caravan” and “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be,” and recommended the academy members vote for “Broken Voices,” a move that was slammed by some as being “manipulative” and “undemocratic.”
The second round of voting took place from July 8 to August 8, and all eligible members of CFTA voted.
A total of 194 votes were cast. The academy has 436 members.
More controversy was stirred when “Broken Voices” was attacked by a prominent member of the CFTA, producer Radovan Síbrt, who issued a letter claiming the movie “shouldn’t participate in the Oscar race at all” because “there was a fundamental ethical failure in its creation.”
The deadline to submit international feature selections to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is October 1. The Oscars shortlists are revealed on December 6, with 15 international films selected to be voted on by Academy members in all branches who commit to watching all 15 films. Oscar nominations will be revealed on January 22.
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