Ivory Coast
Arthur Cohn Production
In 1976, the 21th year of the foreign-language Oscar award, the five nominees were: “Black and White in Color” from the Ivory Coast, “Cousin, Cousine” from France, “Jacob, the Liar” from the Federal Republic of Germany), “Nights and Days” from Poland and “Seven Beauties” from Italy.
“Seven Beauties,” directed by Lina Wertmueller, the first woman to be ever nominated for Best Director, and starring Giancarlo Giannini, was expected to win, but instead Jean-Jaques Annaud's satire took the top prize in this endlessly controversial category. Set during WWII, “Black and White in Color” tells the story of a group of French colonialists in West Africa, who decide to attack a German garrison.
This feature directing debut put on the map Annaud, who later helmed the popular adventures “Quest for Fire” (1979) and “The Bear” (1988), but also the disappointing literary adaptation “The Name of the Rose” (1986), followed by “The Lover” (1992) and “Seven Years in Tibet” (1997), starring Brad Pitt.
