The Oscars

:00:00. > :00:26.Now with a preview of this weekend's Oscars, it is Talking Movies.

:00:27. > :00:33.Hello from Hollywood and welcome to our special Oscars preview edition

:00:34. > :00:36.of Talking Movies. I am Tom Brook. In today's programme, everything you

:00:37. > :00:45.need to know about the Academy Awards. The big-name stars in the

:00:46. > :00:52.running. It does not mean -- doesn't mean a lot due to get this

:00:53. > :00:56.recognition? Obviously. Always. There are document is in

:00:57. > :01:05.foreign-language films vying for a prize. Will protest over President

:01:06. > :01:10.Donald Trump's policies take centre stage? This could be the most

:01:11. > :01:15.politicised Oscars we have had. Plus our predictions on who will win the

:01:16. > :01:26.top prizes. All of that and more in our special Oscars preview edition

:01:27. > :01:30.of Talking Movies. The 89th annual Academy Awards is about to get under

:01:31. > :01:37.way, and the big question, it seems, is how many trophies will La La Land

:01:38. > :01:41.take time? This ode to a Hollywood's golden age of musicals has many

:01:42. > :01:48.ardent supporters. It dominates the Optus deal with its four

:01:49. > :01:58.denominations. This match is all about Eve and Titanic. -- dominates

:01:59. > :02:02.the Oscars field. La La Land has won the hearts and minds of many in the

:02:03. > :02:08.lead into the options. Its creator, Damien Chazelle, for six years to

:02:09. > :02:15.bring it on the screen. It stars, Emma Stone Orions Gosling. It is a

:02:16. > :02:20.shot that with all was gone. -- Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. It is very

:02:21. > :02:24.special that it happened. And I think that the audience is

:02:25. > :02:28.connecting. Most of the other best pitches nominees are less dreamy

:02:29. > :02:31.than La La Land, and several when they come to storytelling and

:02:32. > :02:39.casting display diversity. Last year, the Oscars was the siege by

:02:40. > :02:46.protest. This year, there are many feel is rooted in black expresses

:02:47. > :02:56.that largely black casts, like fences, Moonlight, and Hidden

:02:57. > :02:59.Figures. I think it is great that we have had more nominees across all

:03:00. > :03:08.categories from acting nominations to cinematography and director and

:03:09. > :03:16.screenplay, but obviously, Oscars Are White is about not just the

:03:17. > :03:20.blacks, but people of all races who are not white. There were surprise

:03:21. > :03:24.nubs and inclusions within the nominations this year. One of the

:03:25. > :03:29.biggest exclusions was Amy Adams, the star of Arrival, who was widely

:03:30. > :03:40.expected to read best actress on a seat. -- Best actress nominee. But

:03:41. > :03:43.lives in movie got a nomination. A surprise inclusion was Mel Gibson

:03:44. > :03:47.for his work on Hacksaw Ridge as director. That was also nominated as

:03:48. > :04:00.Best Director. He expected nomination suggests a degree of

:04:01. > :04:04.rehabilitations Hollywood. Another possibility is people using the

:04:05. > :04:06.awards podium to express their frustration over President Donald

:04:07. > :04:10.Trump and his policies. This could potentially be the most politicised

:04:11. > :04:14.Oscars that we have ever had. Because they think people are so

:04:15. > :04:20.scared and angry at what is happening in our country. And I

:04:21. > :04:26.think for the first time, a mass number of actors feel that perhaps

:04:27. > :04:30.their role as citizens in this is very important. And they will speak

:04:31. > :04:38.out. The protest extends beyond American shores. The Iranian

:04:39. > :04:42.director of The Salesman has decided not to come to the country based on

:04:43. > :04:46.Donald Trump's Executive Order and emigration. Many are expressing

:04:47. > :04:52.their displeasure with the administration. We are living in a

:04:53. > :04:57.politicised moment. I think people have things they want is a Banega

:04:58. > :05:02.platform, they will say them. What you said the people that do not

:05:03. > :05:05.think that it is the appropriate arena for is pressing process? I

:05:06. > :05:10.think art is inherently political. I think the Oscars as a platform to

:05:11. > :05:15.the art. And I think politics goes without art. So I think it is

:05:16. > :05:22.appropriate. Here in LA, the murdered trial of O.J. Simpson more

:05:23. > :05:30.than 20 years ago mesmerised the local population and much of the

:05:31. > :05:34.world. Those events have inspired a film that has been nominated as a

:05:35. > :05:40.strong contender in the best of major category. That is our focus

:05:41. > :05:49.now. You could I do everything you have done, man. If nothing else,

:05:50. > :05:54.this is a hugely ambitious work. It is the commendation of a 5-part TV

:05:55. > :05:58.series runs late hours. It covers the trial of more than 20 years ago,

:05:59. > :06:01.in which O.J. Simpson was a man tried and then acquitted of

:06:02. > :06:05.murdering his ex-wife. The director sees his film to the story of

:06:06. > :06:10.America through the lens of O.J. Simpson. He was a star athlete, a

:06:11. > :06:14.plain earing commercial pitchman. He was a Hollywood star. So before he

:06:15. > :06:23.became infamous, he was already someone who had broken barriers,

:06:24. > :06:28.especially for black athletes. -- plain

:06:29. > :06:41.-- pioneering. Another groundbreaking documentary is The

:06:42. > :06:46.13th. It covers the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution. The

:06:47. > :06:55.documentary maker says that slavery still exists. The 13th Amendment

:06:56. > :06:59.abolishing it, but not for those who committed crimes. It has been

:07:00. > :07:04.politically and deliberately exploited for profit. This has been

:07:05. > :07:12.used for everyone but black people for along time. How is -- household

:07:13. > :07:16.goods, guidance systems for weapons are being put together by inmates

:07:17. > :07:22.and convicted people, who are not being paid for it. That is very

:07:23. > :07:36.labour, and is slavery. Race is also as central theme in I Am Not Your

:07:37. > :07:40.Negro. The film is based on the work of a Northern who died 30 years ago.

:07:41. > :07:45.What your role is and what your future is in this country... His

:07:46. > :07:49.voice is quite important today. I think it is at a time where we have

:07:50. > :08:03.huge black clouds in front of us. His guidance and his wisdom is

:08:04. > :08:07.really important. Fire At Sea, and attained a matter, is also in the

:08:08. > :08:13.running. It is a cinematography profile of an island that becomes an

:08:14. > :08:18.entry point for African refugees seeking a home in Europe. If Volkers

:08:19. > :08:24.is not just on refugees, but also the islanders, some affected by the

:08:25. > :08:34.influx, and others not. -- it focuses not just on. And Life,

:08:35. > :08:39.Animated is the last document to nominated, about an autistic boy

:08:40. > :08:46.that was able to communicate with his parents by using the lines of

:08:47. > :08:50.the difficulty loves. The family realised they could draw when out of

:08:51. > :08:54.his autism, and he learned not only to talk, but to connect with the

:08:55. > :08:59.world through these classic Disney animated cells. With a host of

:09:00. > :09:15.clinical awards already under its belt, O.J. Simpson: Made in America,

:09:16. > :09:23.appears to be at the front runner. It still resonates with audience

:09:24. > :09:30.today. The Academy Awards are the most sought after it is in industry.

:09:31. > :09:35.Not only for actors. It is a priser can enhance career prospects. So

:09:36. > :09:38.with that in mind, let's take a look at who is in the running the best

:09:39. > :09:51.actor and actress categories this year. The best actor prize is

:09:52. > :09:59.looking like it could go to Denzel Washington. He also directed the

:10:00. > :10:07.film. It is based on the prize-winning play at the same name.

:10:08. > :10:13.Fences. It is an honour and a privilege to be part of it. First as

:10:14. > :10:19.Troy is an actor, and now to be given the responsibility if you will

:10:20. > :10:23.of interpreting it. I think the idea was that you would relocate. The

:10:24. > :10:27.Best Actor trophy can also go to 41 your old Casey Affleck, who is

:10:28. > :10:33.running neck and neck with Denzel Washington, for his betrayal of a

:10:34. > :10:39.handyman haunted by his past in Manchester by the Sea. A complete

:10:40. > :10:44.character. You was so difficult. I really felt like I learnt a lot. The

:10:45. > :10:52.next I might do a movie, I will take all that stuff that I learnt on to

:10:53. > :10:56.the next movie. Ryan Gosling is in the running for playing a passionate

:10:57. > :11:01.jazz musician who dances and Singsin La La Land. Britain's Andrew

:11:02. > :11:08.Garfield is also up for a Best Actor opera for his role in Hacksaw Ridge.

:11:09. > :11:14.-- Oscar. And then there is Viggo Mortensen who wants his children to

:11:15. > :11:17.grow up off the grid in Captain Fantastic. The best actor category

:11:18. > :11:27.is seen as almost a dead heat between Casey Affleck and descent

:11:28. > :11:32.Washington. -- Denzel Washington. With best actress, Emma Stone seems

:11:33. > :11:37.to be the clear favourite for playing an aspiring actress in La La

:11:38. > :11:44.Land. There is something special about this grand, larger-than-life

:11:45. > :11:46.musical also being something that is relatively small and heartbreaking

:11:47. > :11:53.about love and dreamers in a relationship. It kind of

:11:54. > :11:58.encapsulates both of those. In recent times, it has been uncommon

:11:59. > :12:03.for the best actress prize to go to someone who isn't a non-native

:12:04. > :12:08.English speaker, but it could go to Isabelle Huppert for a woman who

:12:09. > :12:14.behaves in an unusual manner after being raped in the psychological

:12:15. > :12:18.thriller, Elle. Was attractive to me was that I did not have to choose

:12:19. > :12:24.one side of her persona rather than the other. She is so complete and

:12:25. > :12:33.that is what makes us so worthwhile, being an actor. Natalie Portman, who

:12:34. > :12:42.has won an actor at -- and Oscar before has been nominated one more

:12:43. > :12:50.time for her role in Jackie. Ruth Negga has also been nominated for

:12:51. > :12:56.her role in the film Loving. This covered the story that led to the

:12:57. > :13:00.ban of interracial marriage being lifted. And finally, there is Meryl

:13:01. > :13:05.Streep, for her record 20th nomination for playing tone deaf

:13:06. > :13:12.opera singer for playing Florence Foster Jenkins in the film the same

:13:13. > :13:17.name. If she went, it will be her fourth, matching the wings of Audrey

:13:18. > :13:20.Hepburn. The prize is widely expected, however, to go to Emma

:13:21. > :13:33.Stone. One often overlooked Oscars

:13:34. > :13:36.category, at least by the inward looking American media, is that of

:13:37. > :13:46.best foreign-language film. All five this year as strong candidates. If

:13:47. > :13:55.cinema is, as the late critic Roger Ebert put it, energy generating

:13:56. > :14:00.machines, foreign films often do the most heavy lifting. Of the five

:14:01. > :14:09.films up for a foreign language film Oscar, the Australian entry takes

:14:10. > :14:13.place in a monster location. It is a Romeo and Juliet style story and the

:14:14. > :14:19.cast is made up of locals. The dialogue is in a distinct native

:14:20. > :14:30.language. Sweden is represented in the Oscars sweepstakes, the story

:14:31. > :14:36.that blossoms as a result of the relationship he forms with his newly

:14:37. > :14:43.arrived Persian neighbour. In this Trump era it does have a certain

:14:44. > :14:47.appeal in that it's a -- about a Conservative in and who initially

:14:48. > :14:51.presents and does not like his middle eastern neighbours, but then

:14:52. > :14:54.grows to find they are good people. This could be one that people choose

:14:55. > :15:04.for political reasons as well settled -- sentimental ones. One of

:15:05. > :15:14.the strongest Oscar contention is in the foreign film race may be the

:15:15. > :15:19.German picture macro -- Toni Erdmann. It is a funny film that

:15:20. > :15:23.serves as a critique of modern corporatism. Although when I make a

:15:24. > :15:25.film I don't say, yes, I want to be critical about this or that, I don't

:15:26. > :15:44.like to judge people or things. Another contender is Land of Mine,

:15:45. > :15:47.which comes from Denmark and is set in the aftermath of World War Two. A

:15:48. > :15:49.key element is the relationship between a tough Danish sergeant and

:15:50. > :16:05.German teens. The fifth foreign language entry is

:16:06. > :16:09.a film called The Salesman, from Iran, which observes the

:16:10. > :16:14.relationship between a couple after the wife is attacked. The director

:16:15. > :16:22.sees the film as both drama and social criticism. TRANSLATION: It's

:16:23. > :16:25.a realism drama, so the audience follows the story and tries to

:16:26. > :16:31.understand what will happen, but at the same time there is another angle

:16:32. > :16:39.because it's a family in society, set it can talk about society as

:16:40. > :16:43.well. He was planning to go to the Oscars but criticised the Trump's

:16:44. > :16:48.travel ban and has decided not to attend the ceremony. This could if

:16:49. > :16:52.humanitarian chief in EU when the left-leaning Academy descender

:16:53. > :16:57.message to the president. As Oscar nominees, all of these films will

:16:58. > :17:02.benefit from more public city and -- increased exposure. Their message

:17:03. > :17:06.will be received by a larger audience than those that failed to

:17:07. > :17:17.make the cut. In this case it really is an honour just to be nominated.

:17:18. > :17:24.The Best Picture award is the most coveted trophy of all and this year

:17:25. > :17:27.there are nine films in the running. It seems that La La Land is the

:17:28. > :17:34.favourite to win, but there are several other deserving candidates.

:17:35. > :17:38.I remember the last time I saw you. Moonlight, seen as a low-budget

:17:39. > :17:41.wonder, one of the most praised films of recent times, has eight

:17:42. > :17:47.nominations. It was put together on a shoestring and shot in 25 days. It

:17:48. > :17:54.begins in a neighbourhood in Miami, the story of a young, gay, black

:17:55. > :18:00.man. It is the journey of a boy becoming a man, finding himself in

:18:01. > :18:04.the process. Arrival, also with eight nominations, is an alien

:18:05. > :18:09.invasion movie with a twist. It chronicles what happens to a

:18:10. > :18:14.linguist who learns the aliens' language. Through this encounter,

:18:15. > :18:20.learning the language, this particular language will change her

:18:21. > :18:25.life and I should maybe not say that on camera, was it is one of the keys

:18:26. > :18:30.of the movie, but it is really a film about our relationship with

:18:31. > :18:35.nature also. I've dreamt about being a doctor... With six nominations,

:18:36. > :18:43.Hacksaw Ridge is also up for Best Picture. Lyon also has six

:18:44. > :18:47.nominations. It is the feelgood tale of a young Australian man of Indian

:18:48. > :19:00.heritage who uses his Google Earth to find his birth mother in India.

:19:01. > :19:04.The boy gets very lost. This is a boy who was struggling for survival

:19:05. > :19:08.on the streets of India. He is torn away by his family and the first

:19:09. > :19:13.half of the film is about him using his instincts to escape danger and

:19:14. > :19:18.predators in the city. Manchester by the Sea also has six nominations.

:19:19. > :19:28.The story is emotionally powerful and some would say brilliant cinema.

:19:29. > :19:33.Other Best Picture include Fences, an adaptation of a play. And Hell or

:19:34. > :19:39.High Water which could be described as a modern Western, as two bank

:19:40. > :19:42.robbing brothers Robert bank. One of the most liked Best Picture

:19:43. > :19:47.nominees, with three and nominations, is Hidden Figures, the

:19:48. > :19:52.story of three African American women who battled sexism at NASA in

:19:53. > :19:58.the 1960s. Their mathematical tabulation is played a pivotal role

:19:59. > :20:03.in a manned space programme. And back to our Best Picture

:20:04. > :20:07.frontrunner, La La Land, for each filmmaker who is very likely to win

:20:08. > :20:11.for best director. It is a personal story. In a young artist trying to

:20:12. > :20:15.make it today and trying to deal with how do you balance streams with

:20:16. > :20:20.reality? That was the story I wanted to tell the story that I felt was

:20:21. > :20:24.rooted for a musical and I just hope it will connect with other people.

:20:25. > :20:30.You've never seen it! I've never seen it. Odd makers predict it will

:20:31. > :20:34.take the Best Picture trophy. If not, the prize will go to Moonlight

:20:35. > :20:44.or Manchester by the Sea, but it seems it will be a big night for La

:20:45. > :20:54.La Land. SINGS: Here's to the fuss we made... Now, let's look into the

:20:55. > :21:04.Talking Movies crystal ball and come up with the guesses for who will win

:21:05. > :21:08.the best prizes. It seems the prize for best supporting actor will go to

:21:09. > :21:13.Mahershala Ali for playing a tenderhearted drug dealer in

:21:14. > :21:19.Moonlight. He is kind, gentle, why is. Loving. He is also someone who

:21:20. > :21:24.comes from really challenging circumstances and so in some anyway

:21:25. > :21:28.is he reflects a lot of people that I knew growing up and it's why I am

:21:29. > :21:33.attracted to it, why I was so attracted to playing the part.

:21:34. > :21:36.Moving onto Best Supporting Actress, nominees Michelle Williams, Octavia

:21:37. > :21:40.Spencer, Nicole Kidman and Naomie Harris or give excellent

:21:41. > :21:45.performances. But it is expected the sky will most definitely go to buy

:21:46. > :21:50.all Davies, who portrays the matriarch in Fences, opposite Denzel

:21:51. > :21:54.Washington in some powerful things. I think the script was perfect and I

:21:55. > :21:59.think he broke a role that is absolutely completely in her

:22:00. > :22:04.narrative. Her journey is complete, her journey can't be any more

:22:05. > :22:09.specific, so all I did was I was courageous enough to just dive into

:22:10. > :22:12.her life. In a major best actor, best actress prizes, expect both to

:22:13. > :22:20.go to Denzel Washington and Emma Stone. Best director, that of La La

:22:21. > :22:27.Land, will take that one. The best film could be a salesman or Toni

:22:28. > :22:30.Erdmann. Best adapted screenplay will be awarded to Moonlight and

:22:31. > :22:40.Manchester by the Sea will and up with best original screenplay. Best

:22:41. > :22:43.documentary feature will go to OJ Simpson: Made in America. And

:22:44. > :22:53.finally we think Best Picture will go to La La Land, the film as a

:22:54. > :22:56.whole getting ten statuettes. That brings our special Oscars preview

:22:57. > :23:00.edition of talking movies statuettes. A close. We hope you've

:23:01. > :23:06.enjoyed the show. Remember you can always reach us online. And you can

:23:07. > :23:12.find us on Facebook as well. From me and the rest of the talking movies

:23:13. > :23:16.macro production crew, goodbye. But remember you can catch me reporting

:23:17. > :23:24.live from the red carpet on Oscars night.