Mexico’s film academy has picked Cantinflas, a biopic about iconic comedian Mario Moreno, as its foreign-language Oscar submission.
Starring Oscar Jaenada alongside Michael Imperioli (The Sopranos), the Sebastian del Amo-directed Cantinflas opened in the U.S. on Aug. 29 and it will bow in Mexico on Sept. 16.
Should the film land an Oscar nomination, Cantinflas will be looking to make history as Mexico’s first winner in the foreign language category.
Mexico has won eight Oscar nominations in the category, but has walked away empty handed every time. Recent nominees include Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s drama Biutiful in 2011 and Guillermo del Toro’s dark fairy tale Pan’s Labyrinth in 2007.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce nominees on Jan. 15 and the winner on Feb. 22 at the 87th Oscar Awards.
Mexico also announced that Luis Estrada’s political satire The Perfect Dictatorship will vie for best foreign picture at Spain’s Goya Awards. The Perfect Dictatorship, set for a wide Mexico release on Oct. 16, offers a hard-hitting look at a TV network (a representation of Mexico’s Televisa) and its shady dealings with the government.
