Two films supported by Doha Film Institute have won Monday's Oscar nominations.
The Cave, a Syrian civil war film directed by Feras Fayyad have been nominated in best documentary feature category, while Brotherhood, by Montreal-based filmmaker Meryam Joobeur won the nomination in best live action short films.
“Congratulations to the entire teams of The Cave and Brotherhood, two DFI-granted films that earned #Oscar noms today! #Qatar #Oscars,” Doha Film Institute tweeted.
The Cave tells the story of Syrian doctor Amani Ballour who worked in a fortified underground hospital called ‘the cave’ where she and her team defied constant bombardments to save thousands of lives during the five-year siege of eastern Ghouta region.
The Cave director Feras Fayyad was nominated in 2018 too for his “Last Men in Aleppo” but was unable to attend the Oscars when his visa was rejected because of President Donald Trump's travel ban.
A press release issued by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences after the nomination on Monday describes Brotherhood as telling the “poignant story of a rural Tunisian father caught in between loyalty to his family and his rigid moral principles.” Selected at the Sundance Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, where it won best Canadian short award, the film has won 60 awards in 48 countries.
With these two films, the number of DFI-linked films that got Oscar nomination rose to nine in the last six years. In 2019, DFI co-financed films, Capharnaum and Of Fathers and Sons, have been nominated for Oscars. In 2015 Timbuktu received an Oscar nomination, while Theeb and Mustang made it in 2016 and The Salesman in 2017. In 2018 it was Loving Vincent.
The 92nd Academy Awards will take place on February 9 in Los Angeles at the Dolby Theatre.