France Oscar Shortlist Includes Cannes Pics But No Polanski; Sky Boards Felicity Jones-Voiced ‘Dragon Rider’ — Global Briefs

Click here to read the full article.

France’s shortlist for its best international film Oscar submission includes Cannes hits Les Miserables and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and recent Toronto premiere Proxima. The selection committee, which is overseen by the country’s National Cinema Centre, will make its final selection on Friday, September 20. There was no place for Roman Polanski’s Venice title An Officer And A Spy, perhaps less of a surprise given the Academy’s expulsion from its ranks of the six-time Oscar-winning director in 2018. France’s selection committee includes producers Rosalie Varda and Jean Bréhat, sales agents Agathe Valentin and Muriel Sauzay, directors Danièle Thompson and Pierre Salvadori, Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux, UniFrance president Serge Toubiana and Cesar president Alain Terzian. France has been one of the most successful countries in the foreign language category: more than half of their Oscar submissions have achieved nominations and nine have won the award.

Comcast-owned Sky today announced a new addition to its Sky originals UK film slate in the shape of family animated-adventure film Dragon Rider, which is due for release in mid-2020. The film will be available on Sky Cinema on the same day as its theatrical release. Based on the novel by Cornelia Funke, the movie follows the exploits of a silver dragon named Firedrake and his friends as they search for a mythical safe-haven hidden in the Himalayas. It is voiced by Felicity Jones, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Patrick Stewart and Freddie Highmore. Sky acquired the Constantin-produced film from Timeless Films. Sarah Wright, Director of Sky Cinema and Acquisitions at Sky UK & Ireland, said, “Following the runaway success of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil & Vile, I’m delighted to add Dragon Rider to the originals film slate at Sky Cinema. Our customers love seeing a wide range of brand new films on the service at the same time as in the cinema. This action packed movie is a perfect example of great storytelling with an all-star cast.”

More from Deadline

• Picturehouse Nabs UK Rights To Alice Winocour Buzz Pic 'Proxima' Starring Eva Green -- Toronto

• Comcast-Owned Sky Promotes Sarah Wright To Director Of Sky Cinema Following Ian Lewis Departure

• 'The Late Late Show' And James Corden Do Crosswalk Style 'Les Misérables' In Paris

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.