Catch up on the Oscars undercard with OKCMOA in February

Last Updated on January 30, 2024, 11:08 AM | Published: January 30, 2024

The Academy Awards nominations for 2024 are dominated by some of the biggest, most successful films of recent memory, with the nearly billion dollar-grossing “Oppenheimer” leading the pack and the way-more-than-billion-dollar-grossing “Barbie” raking in nods as well.

If you’re needing to catch up on the Best Picture race, Harkins Theatres in Bricktown is running the entire ten-film pool on a rotation between now and the awards ceremony on Sunday, March 10th. 

But if you want to experience a selection of some of the thoughtful, groundbreaking, and often deeply emotional films in the far less buzzed-about categories on the big screen, Oklahoma City Museum of Art has you covered.

Throughout February, the museum’s Sam Noble Theater will be presenting a curated slate of undercard nominees, including entries from Documemtary Feature, Animated Feature, and International Feature Film.

Let’s take a look at just some of the films facing off in categories you might not be watching as closely.

‘The Boy and the Heron’ – January 19th through February 4th

What more can be said about this heartfelt, dreamlike return-to-cinema from one of animation’s greatest and most awarded masters, Hayao Miyazaki?

Miyazki already has two Oscars (one for modern classic “Spirited Away” and one honorary) but he’s also caused a stir in the past by refusing to attend the ceremony in which “Spirited Away” was awarded in opposition to American military action at the time. Anyone that knows Academy politics knows that can have an effect on his chances this year, especially as the Academy is no doubt hoping to minimize contentious political statements or activism this year.

Still, this characteristically wondrous and imaginative tale of a boy in post-WWII Japan exploring a mysterious, magical parallel world has enchanted viewers worldwide, and might well fly away with the Best Animated Feature award in its clutches.

‘Four Daughters’ – February 2nd and 3rd

Surely the most boundary-pushing and convention-defying entry into the Best Documentary Feature field this year is Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters.”

Hania blends true-life documentary elements with planned, semi-scripted recreations of the past to help a family dig into their own recent history in an attempt to understand how the two eldest daughters of four were radicalized by Islamic extremists before disappearing completely.

With professional actresses standing in for the missing young women, the family’s remaining members – centering heavily on their grieving mother – recreate staged moments from their lives in the hopes of understanding the forces that tore their family apart.

“Four Daughters” has already collected praise and awards the world over, including a Best Documentary win at Cannes, making it a strong contender for the Oscar come awards night.

‘The Eternal Memory’ – February 4th

The tragedy and horror of Alzheimer’s has been something of an Oscars hot topic in recent years, from Julianne Moore’s win for “Still Alice” to Sir Anthony Hopkins’ win for the staggering masterclass that was “The Father.”

But while those films were undeniably powerful and dramatically rich, no fiction can quite capture the true human toll and emotional complexity of a real-life Alzheimer’s battle.

That’s what “The Eternal Memory” offers a glimpse into as it observes the struggle of Chilean journalist Augusto Góngora’s diagnosis and decline, and the immortal love between himself and his wife Paulina.

In a cruel twist of fate, Góngora was one of the unyielding journalistic voices that opposed notorious Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet Ugarte’s regime and his attempt to destroy Chile’s history and national memory. Góngora worked tirelessly throughout Pinochet’s 17-year rule to preserve and protect the nation’s memories, only to see his own deteriorate in his late life.

The heartbreaking tale won big at Sundance and could take top honors in the Documentary Feature category once again on Oscar Night.

‘The Teacher’s Lounge’ – February 22nd and 23rd 

Germany’s entry into the International Feature field has an uphill battle, as it’ll be competing in the category against Best Picture nominee “The Zone of Interest,” but you shouldn’t count out “The Teacher’s Lounge” (feature photo.)

It swept the German Film Awards, even taking the country’s top prize of Best Picture.

The film follows a young, idealistic school teacher as she descends further and further into the web of secrets, bureaucracies, and dramas beneath the public school system in her quest to solve a series of thefts at her school.

If “The Wire” taught us anything (and it taught us a lot) it’s that the public school system is a microcosm of society at large, and a repository for some of our world’s most egregious and unreasonable examples of corruption, racism, and power abuse, and “The Teacher’s Lounge” faces that reality head-on.

For a complete list of Academy Award-nominated films showing at OKCMOA, and for showtimes, tickets, and more information on these films and more, visit okcmoa.com. 

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