Last month at Awards Daily, Oscar pundit Sasha Stone entertained the idea of Attack the Block having Oscar potential, even if it's a long, loooong, longshot given its modest box office returns and Academy-alienating genre trappings. Where it could conceivably pick up steam, however, is with critic groups like LAFCA, who in previous years embraced studio-released genre pics like Black Swan, Inception, District 9, and Pan's Labyrinth, though each of those honorees enjoyed a great deal more mainstream attention and acclaim.
The critically-embraced Attack the Block seems an appropriate contender for LAFCA's New Generation Award, as it's Joe Cornish's feature debut. Even its techno-flavored score, contributed by Basement Jaxx, could contend in the Best Music category. And there are always critics groups' Top 10 lists, which couldn't hurt this relatively small film's chances of picking up steam, even in home video release. (The DVD and Blu-ray hit shelves October 25.)
Technically, the Attack the Block screeners arrived without the usual "For your consideration..." verbiage, making the intent even more vague. Earlier this year, Attack the Block took home the Midnight Feature Award at SXSW and the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival. It's currently vying for the Audience Award at the Gotham Independent Film Awards, which is voted on publicly at the festival's website.
Screen Gems did not respond immediately to Movieline's request for comment, but keep an eye on this space for more as the story develops.