Harvey Weinstein – who was instrumental in the unlikely success of Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist at this year’s Oscars – has said he would like to see Intouchables contend for Best Picture Oscar as well Best Foreign Language Oscar.
The Weinstein Company has made more than $7 million from the US release of the comedy, which stars François Cluzet as a wealthy tetraplegic reliant on his improverished assistant Omar Sy.
Unifrance announced last week that the film had overtaken Amélie in the global box office chart as the most theatrically viewed French-language picture in history outside of France. The film is estimated to have been seen by 23.2 million people internationally and 20 million spectators at home in France.
The selection committee for the French Oscar submission included CNC official Paul Otchakovsky – Laurens, Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux, actress Bérénice Béjo, The Illusionist director Sylvain Chomet, make-up artist Didier Lavergne, screenwriter Abdel Raouf Dafri and Haut et Court producer Carole Scotta.
The film will be released as Untouchable in the UK on Friday, while the full Oscar nominations will be revealed on January 15.
