Good News/Bad News for “Undertow”

Undertow/Contracorriente starts a run at The Varsity this Friday. Photo: Héctor Álvarez

The Good News for Javier Fuentes-León’s beautiful film Undertow (Spanish language title: Contracorriente) which starts a commercial run at The Varsity theater this Friday is that it’s been nominated for a GLAAD award for best limited release film of the year, along with the Jim Carrey/Ewan McGregor film, I Love You, Phillip Morris and Howl. Some of the other major nominations for this year’s GLAAD Awards:

OUTSTANDING FILM – WIDE RELEASE
Burlesque (Screen Gems)
Easy A (Screen Gems)
The Girl Who Played with Fire (Music Box Films)
The Kids Are All Right (Focus Features)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Universal Pictures)

OUTSTANDING FILM – LIMITED RELEASE
Howl (Oscilloscope Pictures)
I Love You Phillip Morris (Roadside Attractions)
La Mission (Screen Media Ventures)
Patrik, Age 1.5 (Regent Releasing)
Undertow (Wolfe Releasing)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
Degrassi (TeenNick)
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family)
True Blood (HBO)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Glee (Fox)
GREEK (ABC Family)
Modern Family (ABC)
Nurse Jackie (Showtime)
United States of Tara (Showtime)

OUTSTANDING INDIVIDUAL EPISODE (in a series without a regular LGBT character)
“Escape the Castle” Bored to Death (HBO)
“Innocence” Law & Order (NBC)
“Klaus & Greta” 30 Rock (NBC)
“Queen of Mean” Drop Dead Diva (Lifetime)
“Samaritan” Law & Order: UK (BBC America)

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY
8: The Mormon Proposition (Red Flag Releasing)
Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement (Sundance Channel)
Prodigal Sons (First Run Features)
“Sylvester” UnSung (TV One)
Out. The Glenn Burke Story (Comcast SportsNet Bay Area)

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
The Fabulous Beekman Boys (Planet Green)
Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys (Sundance Channel)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Top Chef: Just Desserts (Bravo)
TRANSform Me (VH1)

For a full list, go here. And, all I can say is, “Really? Burlesque? Best Picture worthy?”

But, in sadder news, Undertow/Contracorriente is now out of the Oscar race. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released their long list of potential nominees for Best Foreign Language Film, and Undertow did not make the list.

Listed alphabetically by country, the films being considered for the final five slots, to be announced Tuesday morning, January 25 are:

Algeria, “Hors la Loi” (“Outside the Law”), Rachid Bouchareb, director;

Canada, “Incendies,” Denis Villeneuve, director;

Denmark, “In a Better World,” Susanne Bier, director;

Greece, “Dogtooth,” Yorgos Lanthimos, director;

Japan, “Confessions,” Tetsuya Nakashima, director;

Mexico, “Biutiful,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director;

South Africa, “Life, above All,” Oliver Schmitz, director;

Spain, “Tambien la Lluvia” (“Even the Rain”), Iciar Bollain, director;

Sweden, “Simple Simon,” Andreas Ohman, director.