Erick Oh’s ‘Namoo’ makes 94th Oscar shortlist

South Korean director Erick Oh’s short animation “Namoo,” which means tree in Korean, on Wednesday made it onto the 94th Oscar shortlist after being nominated in the animated short film category.

The Academy Awards will announce the final list of nominees on Feb. 9 and the awards ceremony will take place on March 27, 2022.

Oh’s new animation follows the journey of a man’s life -- from beginning to end -- next to a tree that collects all of his memories.

Oh created the VR animation “Namoo” with global animation studio Baobab Studios. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and has been invited to multiple animation fests including Annecy International Animated Film Festival in France and Ottawa International Animation Festival in Canada.

There are 14 other animations nominated on the list that includes “Affairs of the Art” by Joanna Quinn and “Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice” by Zacharias Kunuk.

Last year, Oh’s other animation, “Opera,” was listed in the same Oscar category but failed to win. Oh’s agency Beasts and Natives Alike said “Opera” will meet audiences in Korea through a media art exhibition next year.

Oh’s animation was also listed as nominees in two categories, Best Special Production and Best Character Animation -- TV/Media, in the 49th Annie Awards’ nominations unveiled on Wednesday in the US.

However, the Korean hit movie “Escape from Mogadishu,” directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, which had hoped to make the 94th Oscar shortlist as best international feature film, did not make the cut.


By Song Seung-hyun (ssh@heraldcorp.com)