Foreign films in rough waters to reach pass Oscar (Reuters)

BEVERLY HILLS, California (Reuters) – Acclaimed Mexican Director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-knew he was in poor condition, when the film critics who loved his drama "biutiful" kept calling her bleak, dark and depressing.

These adjectives is frightened by distributors, in particular in the United States, where the Director said "everyone was really scared of the film" about a dying man, starring Javier Bardem.

It took four months to find a distributor in the United States, but now "biutiful" is playing in the major cities and is a front-runner

for the best foreign film at the Oscars on Sunday, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Bardem, Spanish Oscar winner, is nominated for best actor.

But the Director of "Babel" and "21 grams still said it was" very difficult ".

Gonzalez-Inarritu is the best known of the five directors who met Saturday for a pre-Oscar Symposium, but as his fellow nominees suffers solicitations do film away from comfort of Hollywood studio system.

If it is difficult to digest matter or ultra-low budget, these directors fought some battles on their way to Hollywood's biggest night.

Greek Director of bizarre family drama "Dogtooth," yorgos lanthimos, works on a laughably low budget but now cannot get the State funding because of Greece's debt crisis.

Rachid Bouchareb Algerian "Outside the Law" had to fight to get his film screened at the Cannes Film Festival, due to political opposition in France for its representation of Algerian struggle for independence.

Susanne Bier, Director of the Danish "a better world," on young guys battling Bullies and families split, used its financial limitations for greater attention to the boys.

Denis Villeneuve, Canada, Director of the dark drama "Incendies", filmed in the Middle East, amended before he shot to reduce waste on the floor cutting.

ESPECIALLY GRIM YEAR

Each year, the Oscars briefly shine the spotlight on the exotic world of foreign language films, which often offer a departure from the mainstream film and commercial productions widely palatable of United States.

This year is no different. Foreign language films for Oscar contention are bleak, dark and depressing.

In fact, 66 film presented at the Academy, one was a comedy. The day "Simple Simon of Sweden" projected to the selection Committee, it was met with strong will, but no appointment, unfortunately.

"What has really struck me this year was what we saw in 66 movies ... a seriousness, grimness and even darkness which I don't remember in our recent past," said Hollywood producer Mark Johnson, President of the Committee for foreign language film award.

For Johnson, the lack of prominence in these films reflects both the minds of filmmakers and the State of the world.

Mind of Gonzalez-Inarritu was the last 75 days of a human being. He was fortunate to get support for the $ 20 million "Biutiful" when the economy was still a little rosy financial.

"I started to shoot a month before the economic collapse in 2008," he said. "This film would never again be funded. A guy who is dying? It is impossible ".

(Editing by Todd Eastham)

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