'Neruda' to represent Chile at Oscars

Chile's entry in the competition for the best foreign film Oscar will be Pablo Larrain's "Neruda", while "Aqui no ha pasado nada", by Alejandro Fernandez, is to represent the Andean nation in Spain's Goya awards.

Culture Minister Ernesto Ottone on Tuesday announced the choices during a ceremony at the official residence of Spain's ambassador to Chile Carlos Robles Fraga, EFE news reported.

Larrain's film focuses on the period in the life of Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda when the poet and politician went underground amid a crackdown on the Chilean Communist Party.

"Aqui no ha pasado nada" (Nothing happened here) is inspired by the case of the son of a Chilean politician who fled the scene of a car accident in which he fatally ran over a poor farmer.

Noting that both films are now playing in Chile, Ottone said he hoped the nominations would spur more people "to see films made by Chilean directors".

The minister lamented that Chilean films draw bigger audiences abroad than at home.

"Our films are enjoying a success beyond our borders that we have not fully appreciated," Ottone said.

Larrain may have more than one entry in the Oscar sweepstakes.

"Jackie", starring Natalie Portman in the role of Jacqueline Kennedy, has been well received at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.

--IANS

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