The Oscar goes international. Will the Israeli representative also benefit?

A Brazilian producer estimates that within five years, international films will account for 60% of Best Picture Oscar nominations. Meanwhile, Moshe Rosenthal's 'Independence' begins its journey as Israel's Oscar entry, amid changes in the American Academy's composition that is becoming more international.

Brazilian producer Rodrigo Teixeira, behind Oscar winners like 'I'm Still Here' and 'Call Me by Your Name', estimated at the San Sebastian Festival that within five years, international films could capture about 60% of the slots in the Best Picture category at the Oscars. Teixeira argues that the change in the American Academy's composition is already practically altering the type of films that reach the center of the race. This assessment comes at an interesting time for Israeli cinema: Moshe Rosenthal's film 'Independence', which won ten Ophir Awards including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, begins its journey as Israel's representative in the race for the International Feature Oscar. Israel has recorded ten Oscar nominations in the international category but has never won; the last time an Israeli film reached the final five nominees was in 2012 with Joseph Cedar's 'Footnote'. The article notes that the Academy itself is becoming more international: out of 529 film professionals invited to join this year, 53% come from 60 countries outside the United States, and about 22% of Academy members come from outside the U.S. Teixeira's forecast does not directly address the chances of 'Independence', but points to a broad change that may be relevant to Israeli cinema.