'And So It Begins' misses Oscars 2025 shortlists
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines' entry to the 2025 Academy Awards "And So It Begins" failed to make the cut of the shortlists for the upcoming ceremony.
Apart from the International Feature Film category, "And So It Begins" was also vying to qualify for the Documentary Feature category but it also missed out on the shortlist.
As a result, the wait continues for a Filipino movie to be nominated at the Academy Awards.
Leading the International Feature Film category is among the eyed frontrunner "Emilia Perez" from France, "I'm Still Here" from Brazil, "Kneecap" from Ireland, "Vermiglio" from Italy, "From Ground Zero" from Palestine, and "How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies" from Thailand.
The Documentary Feature category saw "Will & Harper" make the cut, as well as other Netflix-distributed entries, "Daughters" and "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin." The documentary also made the shortlist for Original Song.
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"Emilia Perez" appeared five other times on the other shortlists — Makeup and Hairstyling, Sound, and Original Score. It appeared twice for Original Song, while another perceived favorite, "Wicked," with four appearances.
Also appearing in multiple shortlists were "Gladiator II," "Dune: Part Two," "The Wild Robot," "Blitz," "Challengers," "Deadpool & Wolverine," "Twisters," "Mufasa: The Lion King," "Nosferatu," "Better Man," "Dahomey," "Kneecap," "Sing Sing," and "Six Triple Eight."
"And So It Begins" was the Philippines' first time to field a documentary to the Academy Awards since it started sending entries to the prestigous awards with "Genghis Khan" for the 1954 Oscars.
It was also just the fourth time a Philippine entry was directed by a woman. Ramona Diaz joins the ranks of Marilou Diaz-Abaya (who had three submissions in "Karnal," "Milagros," and "Sa Pusod ng Dagat"), Rory Quintos for "Anak," and Hannah Espia for "Transit."
The documentary revolves around the grassroots "pink" movement of former vice president Leni Robredo during her presidential bid at the 2022 national elections, as well as journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa in her continuous fight for press freedom.
The 97th Academy Awards will take place in Los Angeles, California, on March 2, 2025 (the 3rd in the Philippines).
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