Four Official Selections of the 2020 Fargo Film Festival Nominated for Oscars

BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN

The nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards left much to be discussed, dissected, and celebrated. Among the list of names and movies, which included nominations for titles like Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, and Joker, were several films that made the list of official selections and winners at the upcoming 20th Fargo Film Festival.

NDFS co-founder Greg Carlson shared the news on Facebook after the nominations announcement. Along with his congratulations to the films and filmmakers, Carlson acknowledged the narrative short chair and animation chair in his remarks. “Cheers to narrative short chair Michael Stromenger and animation chair Sean Volk and all the members of their respective juries for bringing these stories to Fargo.”

Of the four films that overlap the Oscars and the Fargo Film Festival, Marshall Curry’s The Neighbors’ Window is the sole FFF winner, having been named the Best Narrative Short winner in December. Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood received a Narrative Short Honorable Mention.

The 20th Fargo Film Festival is set to take place Tuesday, March 17, 2020, through Saturday, March 21, 2020. Click here for more information. The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 9, 2020.

BROTHERHOOD
Montreal-based filmmaker Meryam Joobeur’s Brotherhood tells the story of a rural Tunisian father caught in between loyalty to his family and his rigid moral principles. The film has already competed at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival (where it won Best Canadian Short). Leading up to the Oscars and the Fargo Film Festival, the short film has already won 60 awards in 48 countries.

DCERA (DAUGHTER)
The animated Dcera (Daughter) finds the titular character in a hospital room, recalling a childhood moment when as a little girl she tried to share her experience with an injured bird with her father. The film’s director, Daria Kashcheeva, studies the complexity of human emotions by combining beautiful stop motion animation and a documentary-style feel. The film was in the running for the Short Film prize at 2019’s Sundance Film Festival.

THE NEIGHBORS’ WINDOW
When two free-spirited twenty-somethings move in across the street from Alli and her husband, the mother of young children can’t take her eyes off of the things going on inside.Written and directed by Marshall Curry, the film is inspired by a true story and touts the acting chops of actress Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black, While We’re Young). Curry’s nomination here is in addition to his three previous nominations as a documentary filmmaker. The film was an official selection at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and will screen at the Fargo Film Festival as the Narrative Short winner.

SISTER
Siqi Song directed the stop motion animated short film, Sister, as her graduation film at CalArts. The film follows a man who thinks back to his childhood memories of growing up with an annoying little sister in China in the 1990s. Prior to its Oscar nomination and inclusion at the Fargo Film Festival, Sister won awards at several festivals, including the Austin Film Festival.