Charlize, Tsotsi in Oscar hunt
2006-01-31 16:39
Cape Town - South African Oscar winner Charlize Theron has been nominated once again for her role in the critically acclaimed North County.
The movie is based on the story of a monumental class-action lawsuit in 1989 that aimed to reshape gender politics in American industry.
"This goes on everywhere. This is not like something that happened in the 1960s. It's in our near past," said Theron.
She plays Josey Aimes, a mother of two who returns home to northern Minnesota to rebuild her life after fleeing an abusive husband.
"You can change the law or have a landmark case like this, but at the end of the day, you can't just change people's ideas overnight," Theron said. "I think that it's something that is going to take time."
Aimes sought financial independence in a job at a local iron mine where fathers, husbands and sons toiled for generations.
But, the few female workers are intimidated and abused by the men in this harsh, rugged world with its gritty, jagged landscapes.
Theron won the Oscar in 2004 for her portrayal of serial killer Aileen Wournos in the movie Monster.
Tsotsi, a South African film has also been nominated for Best Foreign Film award. The film, based on Athol Fugard's only novel, is going from strength to strength.
Tsotsi made the headlines last year when it won the audience prize at the Toronto Film Festival and scooped up two prizes, including the coveted audience price at the Edinburgh Film Festival in Scotland. It will start showing in South Africa on February 3 2006.
Controversial gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain also reined in a leading eight nominations at the 2006 Oscar nominations.
The Oscars will be screened on Sunday 5 March 2006.