(Photograph credit: Netflix)
The Spanish Cinema Academy has selected Basque feature “The Endless Trench” to represent Spain in the race for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars.
It premiered at the 2019 San Sebastián International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Shell for Best Director and the Jury Prize for Best Screenplay and Netflix distribution seems to make the film familiar to many around the world already.
So it only makes that sense that they went with the film that has received support from both audiences and critics alike.
The official plot is: “At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936, young newlyweds Higinio and Rosa are worried about the risk of reprisal killings, as Higinio is a Republican. He hides in a hole underneath their house with his wife’s help.
Despite the constant threat of discovery, as the Falangists search for him, the couple’s love helps them to remain resilient.” A similar subject on Topo was also explored in the film “The Blind Sunflowers” (2008) which was also a Spanish submission for Oscars but didn’t make it in, Filmiere.com reports.
However, Spain is usually doing fine with the Oscars, their last nomination being as recent as this year for Almodovar-directed “Pain and Glory”, starring Antonio Banderas. We’ll see how Spain will do at the race this year.
Credit: Mensur Zeinal