The Portuguese short film “Um Caroço de Avocado”, by director Ary Zara, is a candidate for nominations for the 2024 Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today.
The short film starring trans actress Gaya de Medeiros and actor Ivo Canelas has been included in the shortlist of titles that could be nominated for Academy Awards in the category of Best Live Action Short Film.
Produced by Lisbon-based Take it Easy, the short won the award for best queer film at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France) in February.
Last week, it emerged that trans actor Elliot Page, together with Matt Jordan Smith and Tuck Dowrey from his production company Pageboy Productions, have become executive producers of the short film.
The story centers on the encounter between “Larissa, a trans woman and Cláudio, a cis man”, one night in Lisbon, as the synopsis states, with production by Andreia Nunes and Frederico Serra.
Ary Zara said at the time of the award that the film is “a very simple story, free of violence and death, and thinking about new possibilities for trans people”.
The shortlist includes 14 other productions, including Pedro Almodóvar’s “Strange Way of Life”, which has Portuguese actor José Condessa in its cast. The decision on which ones will be nominated for the Oscars will be revealed in January, with the ceremony scheduled for March 10, 2024.
Another film with Portuguese participation that made it onto one of the 10 shortlists announced today is Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Creatures”, which includes Carminho’s fado song “O Quarto”.
The film has a good deal of action in Lisbon and was included in the shortlist for Best Soundtrack, as well as Best Visual Effects and Best Characterization.
Portugal’s candidate for Best International Film, “Mal Viver”, by director João Canijo, was left off the list voted on by the Academy members.
In the 2023 edition of the Oscars, a Portuguese production was nominated for the first time in the Best Animated Short Film category: “Ice Merchants”, by João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano.
The final list of nominees will be revealed on January 23, 2024, for what will be the 96th edition of the Academy Awards.