Oscars: Belgium Picks ‘Omen’ as International Feature Submission
Belgium has picked Omen, the first feature from rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji to be its official entry for the 2024 Oscars in the best international feature category.
The magical realist drama follows Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man who, after years of living in Belgium, returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa hoping to reconnect with his family. Koffi was born with a large Rorschach-esque birthmark that frightened his mother, Mujila (Yves-Marina Gnahoua), who labeled him a sorcerer and banished him to Europe. Over the course of the film, Baloji intertwines four stories of people ostracized by their communities and navigating accusations of witchcraft and sorcery. Lucie Debay, Eliane Umuhire and Marcel Otete Kabeya co-star.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
A Belgian-Dutch-Congolese-French-South African co-production, Omen premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, where it won Baloji the New Vision Award. In her review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye called the film “an artful and intriguing take on the African diasporic experience.
Special Touch Studios, Wrong Men, New Amsterdam Film Company, Tosala Films, RadicalMedia, Serendipity Films and Big World Cinema produced the film. Omen is set for theatrical release in Belgium on Nov. 15. Pan Distribution is rolling out the movie in France. Memento International is handling world sales.
Belgium scored an Oscar nomination in last year’s race with Lukas Dhont’s Close. Belgium has racked up 8 Oscar nominations but has never won in the best international feature category.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the films on the shortlist for the best international feature category and other categories on Dec. 21. The five nominees in the international feature category will be announced with the rest of the 2024 Oscar nominations on Jan. 23. The 2024 Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 10.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
