Canuck Co-Pro 'The Wanted 18' is Palestine's Oscar Bid

Three moos to a great choice! The Arab Press reports that The Wanted 18 is Palestine's official submission in the race for Best Foreign Language Film. The film is a co-production between Palestine, Canada, and France and is co-produced by the National Film Board of Canada. The Wanted 18 is an ingenious documentary about some unsung crusaders, dairy cows, in Palestine's fight for independence. The film, directed by Amer Shomali and Paul Cowan, features interviews with farmers and rebels as well as animated episodes that let the cows tell their own story in an amusing--and unexpectedly moving--caper. The film gives an empowering story through the parable of self-sustainability and agency afforded by the cows. The Wanted 18 premiered at last year's Toronto International Film Festival (review for Point of View) and previously made this blog's list of the Top 10 Canadian films of 2014. This unconventional film is an inspired choice for the race, since documentaries often struggle against dramas in the foreign film field, but it's a great one to root for alongside Canada's own official bid whenever it's announced.