“Aire: Just Breathe“ has been selected as the Dominican Republic’s official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards, set to take place on 2 March 2025 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, USA.
The film is by Dominican director Leticia Tonos. It is her fourth time representing the Dominican Republic. Her previous attempts to secure an Oscar nomination were “The Love Child,” “Cristo Rey,” and “Mis 500 Locos.”
“Aire” is her first sci-fi thriller. The film is set in 2147 and follows a biologist who attempts to save humanity by inseminating herself using artificial intelligence.
The film had its world premiere at Rotterdam and has also screened at Cannes, Bucheon and Galway festivals. The film is produced by Producciones Línea Espiral, Lantica Media and Spain’s Contrasentido PC.
“Aire” boasts a talented cast, including Sophie Gaëlle as Tania and Jalsen Santana as Azarías. Paz Vega lends her voice to the AI companion, Vida. The film’s production was ambitious, with a meticulously crafted bunker set built at the renowned Lantica (Pinewood) Studios.
The Dominican Republic has submitted 16 times to the Foreign Film Oscar Award with no nominations.
For the 2025 event, the shortlist of 15 foreign film finalists is scheduled to be announced by the organizers of the Oscar Awards on 17 December 2024, with the final five nominees announced on 17 January 2025.
An international feature film is defined as a feature-length motion picture (over 40 minutes) produced outside the US with a predominantly (more than 50%) non-English dialogue track and can include animated and documentary features.
Submitted films must have been released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 November 2023, and 30 September 2024. The deadline for submissions to the Academy is 2 October 2024.
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Diario Libre
Screendaily
3 October 2024