Animation 'Chico & Rita' gets Oscar nod

Spain will be present at the 84th Academy Awards with three films. Chico & Rita is up for Best Animated Film; the Basque composer Alberto Iglesias has been nominated for his score for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy; and Midnight in Paris, a Spanish co-production directed by Woody Allen, has received four nominations, including one for Best Picture.

Javier Mariscal, who co-directed Chico & Rita with Oscar-winner Fernando Trueba, heard about the nod in Barcelona.

"We all know the Oscars are a lottery, but credit goes out to the people who rewarded an independent animation film for adults like ours," he said. "They gave their backing to a movie that is not part of the industry, and that's taking a risk."

Iglesias was nominated in 2006 for The Constant Gardener and in 2008 for The Kite Runner.