“Ice Merchants”, a film by João Gonzalez, is one of the 5 nominees for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, whose winners will be known on March 12th. It is the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema that a film reaches this stage of the American Academy Awards.
Ice Merchants, has a unique path: it was the first Portuguese animation film to be awarded at Cannes; was one of 5 nominees for the European Film Awards; won 9 Oscar-qualifying festival awards from the American Academy; won 45 other awards and special mentions at film festivals; exceeds the 100 official selections in festivals around the world, in less than a year on the circuit.
And now, for the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema, it is one of the 5 nominees for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film at the 95th edition of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences awards. The results were announced live today by the American Academy. The final award ceremony takes place on March 12th.
Ice Merchants tells the story of a man and his son, who jump by parachute every day, from their cold and vertiginous house perched on top of a precipice, to move to the village that is located in the plain below, where they sell the ice they produce at night.