When the 95th Academy Awards ceremony starts in Los Angeles on Sunday evening, João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano will be at the Dolby Theatre savouring a nomination that felt like a victory after an intense campaign promoting the short film “Ice Merchants”.
“This nomination for us has already been a huge victory”, said João Gonzalez told Lusa in the lobby of the ceremony. The duo, composed of the director and producer Bruno Caetano, will be accompanied by family members and members of the team who have since arrived in Los Angeles.
“We are already happy to have got this far, and the most important thing is that, whatever comes out of that envelope, it will be a day of celebration for the whole team,” said Gonzalez.
The Portuguese filmmaker mentioned that the favourites to win are “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”, which has J.J. Abrams as one of the producers and Apple TV+ distributing, and “My Year of Dicks” by Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon.
“Neither Bruno nor I nor anyone else on the team is exactly expecting to get there and have that surprise,” he stressed. “If it happens, it’s amazing, but we’re not going there with high expectations, we’re going to enjoy the moment, and if it happens, it will be an amazing bonus.”
Producer Bruno Caetano gave a “very positive” balance of the last few weeks in Los Angeles, during which the duo worked intensely to promote “Ice Merchants”, nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film.
“We have had quite busy days, and when we don’t have anything from the Academy or any partner, we try to find a way to be with people who have helped us,” said Caetano. The Portuguese managed to secure monetary help to fund this final phase of the campaign and have already received the funds assured by the Ministry of Culture. They also highlighted the enormous support they have received.
“The love and affection we are feeling coming from Portugal have undoubtedly given us strength in these days here, quite far away,” said João Gonzalez. “We are full of nostalgia for our country, but that warmth has helped us to keep our feet on the ground and continue this adventure,” he added. “Whatever happens, thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.”
As well as meetings with Portuguese people who are in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, the pair have been to the studios of companies such as Disney, DreamWorks and Netflix and attended an Oscars Week event at the Academy Museum, where the nominated short films were screened, and a panel moderated by animator and illustrator Glen Keane, creator of characters such as Pocahontas, considered a legend of Disney and the world of animation, took place.
“Besides the panel, we had the opportunity to speak with him both before and afterwards, and it was incredible to see a person we respect like Glen Keane talking about the most ‘small details’ of the film,” Bruno Caetano pointed out. “He knows the film inside out. He told us about the shots he liked the most and why he liked them. I think that was the highlight of our week.”
Gonzalez and Caetano also had access to the nominees’ “Gift Lounge”, a space where various brands explain what they do and promote their products. “We met guys who are good at design, super talented and who are making their brands stand out,” the producer mentioned.
In one of the few moments of downtime, the duo also managed to visit Griffith Park, an iconic area of Los Angeles where the Griffith Observatory is located, the scene of action in films such as “The Terminator Relentless” or “Jurassic Park”.
“It was a very beautiful moment,” Gonzalez considered. “We’re trying to strike a healthy balance between all this hustle and bustle and having some breathing space and keeping our feet on the ground, which is something quite important at this stage.”
In recent days, the duo also received the news that “Ice Merchants” is nominated for four Quirino awards from Iberoamerican animation and continues its journey at animation festivals with one more choice. “This film has constantly given us good news, it has constantly surprised us,” Caetano said. “The good news is daily.”
Wishing to live the Oscar ceremony intensely with their loved ones in attendance, as they said, the Portuguese artists are grateful for everything that has been happening and mention how incredible the situation is, but without dazzlement.
“We continue to be who we are,” João Gonzalez stressed. “Our goal, above all, is to keep making films.”
“Ice Merchants” is the first Portuguese film to be nominated for the Oscars. It was produced by the Portuguese cooperative Cola Animation, in co-production with France and the UK, and had a budget of around 100,000 euros.
It competes for the Oscar of Best Animated Short Film with “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse”, which has J.J. Abrams as one of the producers and Apple TV+ distributing “The Flying Sailor”, by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, “My Year of Dicks”, by Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon, and “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”, by Lachlan Pendragon.
The 95th Academy Awards ceremony starts at 17:00 Los Angeles time, 01:00 in Lisbon and will take place at the Dolby Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.
