Topic: misc-news Subject: MAK-NEWS 28/03/95 (Oscars) From: "Demetrios E. Paneras" Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 18:56:36 +1000 From: Sacha Shopov Subject: MAK-NEWS 28/03/95 (Oscars) To: Multiple recipients of list MAKNWS-L ========================================================== =================== M A K - N E W S ====================== ========================================================== MAK-NEWS 28/03/95 (Oscars) ________________________________________________________________________ Contents: 1. Reuters: Macedonia Name Flap Hits Oscars. 2. Reuters: Russian Film "Burnt By The Sun" Wins Oscar . Comments: Here is the latest hot off the press. If anybody has any further reports please send them to the MAKEDON discussion group where we may followup on them. Rgds, Sacha MAK-NEWS Coordinator Sydney, Australia ============================== MAK-NEWS ============================ TITLE: Macedonia Name Flap Hits Oscars By Max Alexander HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - A last-minute flap over the name of a country has sparked new controversy over the foreign- language Oscar, and may result in a boycott of Monday's Academy Awards by the filmmakers of "Before the Rain." Milcho Manchevski, who wrote and directed the Macedonian entry, said Sunday that he and other representatives of the film have told the Academy they will not attend Monday night's ceremony if the Academy insists on calling their country "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Manchevski, along with five of the film's producers, three actors and three government officials, including the Minister of Culture, are demanding that their country be referred to simply as Macedonia. Academy president Arthur Hiller said a final decision won't come until today. While seemingly trivial, the name of Macedonia is furiously contested by Greece and has become a political hot potato in Washington and Western Europe -- and now apparently in Hollywood. Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991 and immediately drew complaints from Greece and Greek Americans over its choice of a name. Greeks contend that "Macedonia" is the ancestral name of their country and should not be adopted by the new country, which lies on the northern border of Greece and comprises 2 million people. The United States and the United Nations recognize the new nation but not the name. Both are provisionally calling it "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." That's the name the Academy decided to use over the last few days, after much hand-wringing due to the receipt of some 300 letters of complaint from Greek Americans, according to a source. But on Saturday night, producer Gorjan Tozija from Macedonian state film agency Vardar told Academy press representative Frank Lieberman that the name was unacceptable, particularly since "Before the Rain" had been billed as simply being from Macedonia until a few days ago. "In the larger picture, the name is a small thing," said director Manchevski. "But it would be like calling the U.S. 'the former British colony of America.' It's an insult to the people back there (in Macedonia)." Manchevski, a former director of TV commercials and music videos, lives primarily in New York. Ironically, "Before the Rain" is about taking sides in the Balkan conflicts, and it argues that neutrality does not prevent involvement, even for countries and individuals far from the region. The film, co-produced by Vardar, Polygram France and British Screen, won the Golden Lion at last year's Venice Film Festival. Reuter/Variety -- Editorial Comments: It is really sad that the Greek-Americans have stooped to such a low level as to politicise the Academy Awards by the way they have done, especially considering the meaning of the Macedonian movie and what it's all about. Their disgraceful graffiti on such a beautiful event will finally, if not already, show the world just how ridiculously childish and irresponsible they actually are. ============================== MAK-NEWS ============================ TITLE: Russian Film "Burnt By The Sun" Wins Oscar (ADDS details, background) LOS ANGELES (Reuter) - "Burnt by the Sun," a film that examines the painful effects of Stalinism on a Bolshevik colonel, took top honors at the Academy Awards on Monday as the best foreign film. The film, written and directed by Nikita Mikhalkov, beat out four other films, Cuba's "Strawberry and Chocolate," Macedonia's "Before the Rain," Taiwan's "Eat Drink Man Woman" and Belgium's "Farinelli: Il Castrato." During his acceptance speech, Mikhalkov paraphrased from Fellini's classic "8 1/2" and praised his daughter Nadia, who he used in the film and brought on stage with him. "I want to say the truth, which I don't know," he said. "And maybe I want to say the truth, cruel truth. But I'm absolutely sure that the cruel truth without love is a lie." Then turning his to his beaming daugther, he said: "First time in my life I didn't have problem with actress." Afterwards he told reporters he would like to continue to make movies in Russia. "That's why im criticizing my own country, not to leave it but to make it better," he said. "I don't have an idea to leave. If somebody is interested in my art and they will subsidize it, I will work anywhere, but it must be my picture, the final cut will be mine." Earlier, the legendary Italian filmmaker Michelangelo Antonioni was honored with a lifetime achievement award for films such as "La Notte," "Blow Up," and "Red Desert." Reuter/Variety Disclaimer: All articles produced without permission, unless otherwise stated - for fair use only.