Only if you live in North America probably. For everyone else, the film selected to represent their country in the annual Academy Awards show is on their minds quite earlier in the year.
So far, 30 countries have announced their submission for best foreign language film to this year’s ceremony. Last year, there were 65 total entries before the short list was announced. I’m not sure what the deadline is, but the nominations are announced on January 25th next year, so I imagine the deadline is much sooner than that.
So there will be a lot more titles entered I’m sure (probably about double of what is below), but for now, here’s a list of the entries so far:
Algeria – Outside the Law, directed by Rachid Bouchareb (film page)
Austria – La Pivellina, directed by Tizza Covi & Rainer Frimmel
Azerbaijan – Precinct, directed by Ilgar Safat
Belgium – Illegal, directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse
Bulgaria – Eastern Plays, directed by Kamen Kalev
Croatia – The Blacks, directed by Goran Devic and Zvonimir Juric
Egypt – Messages From The Sea, directed by Daoud Abdel Sayed
Estonia – The Temptation of St. Tony, directed by Veiko Öunpuu
Finland – Steam of Life, directed by Joonas Berghail & Mika Hotakainen
France – Of Gods and Men, directed by Xavier Beauvois (film page)
Germany – When We Leave, directed by Feo Aladag
Greece – Dogtooth, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (film page)
Hungary – Bibliteque Pascal, directed by Szabolcs Hajdu
Iran – Farewell Baghdad, directed by Mehdi Naderi
Iraq – Son of Babylon, directed by Mohamed Al-Daradji
Israel – The Human Resources Manager, directed by Eran Riklis
Japan – Confessions, directed by Tetsuya Nakashima
Macedonia – Mothers, directed by Milcho Manchevski
Netherland – Tirza, directed by Rudolph van den Berg
Peru – Undertow, directed by Javier Fuentes-León
Poland – All That I Love, directed by Jacek Borcuch
Romania – If I Want to Whistle…I Whistle, directed by Florin Serban (film page)
Russia – The Edge, directed by Aleksei Uchitel
Slovakia - The Border, directed by Jaroslav Vojtek
South Africa – Life, Above All, directed by Oliver Schmitz (film page)
South Korea – A Barefoot Dream, directed by Tae-gyun Kim
Sweden – Simple Simon, directed by Andreas Ohman
Switzerland – La petite chambre, directed by Stéphanie Chaut & Véronique Reymond
Taiwan – Monga, directed by Doze Niu
Thailand – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerathesakul (film page)
Turkey – Honey, directed by Semih Kaplanoglu
Venezuela - Hermano, directed by Marcel Rasquin
Thanks to indeiwire for the copy and paste.
Is Inception too much of an action movie to get a nomination?
Of those, I saw Bibliotheque Pascal at LAFF, but it’s unlikely to be a front-runner. I really liked it, but its subject matter seems un-Oscary. But I’m notoriously bad at predicting Foreign Language Oscars. La Pivellina and Eastern Plays also played LAFF and were on my shortlist, but I couldn’t get to them. :/
Uncle Boonmee has several of the festival awards behind it, right? Most of the others I haven’t heard of yet – which one has Nazis? Nazis are always a good bet for Foreign Language Film.
i’ve seen 7 of these, of course Dogtooth last year, three others at MIFF this year including Bibliotheque Pascal which is my fav on this list, Son of Babylon or Honey r too very good films, one will fill the child-protagonist slot in the final 5 i bet. A good film in Uncle Boonmee is a lock, as is the very strong Of Gods & Men, like every year the other three nominations will be: 1xLatin America, 1xMiddle East, 1xFar East i suspect. Korea should have won last year, that will be different this?
I would LOVE to see DOGTOOTH take it might be a bit much for Oscar audiences.
And you can add Canada to that list. It was announced earlier that Dennis Villeneuve’s INCENDIES is being submitted for consideration.
I still have not seen DOGTOOTH either. Shame on me. I caught THE EDGE (Russia’s Entry) at TIFF, it’s solid, more than solid actually, but probably not quite great enough for the statue. Didn’t get into CONFESSIONS at TIFF, the only Rush line I missed out on, and I am seeing Boonme next Monday.
I can’t see Dogtooth getting it, but I thought it was great. Of Gods and Men is a possibility, although it might be a bit slow and ponderous for the Oscars. I actually think Life, Above All is in with the best chance of those I’ve seen. It’s perfect Oscar material. I found it a bit so-so, but it’s well shot, moving yet ultimately uplifting and about AIDS – I recon those are good factors for the Oscars.
I’m definitely rooting for Dogtooth, but yeah it probably won’t get it…
Add to the list Susanne Biers “In A Better World”, a film that apparently none of you dudes felt like watching at TIFF. It’s the film of the year for me so far!
Hmm, I’ve scheduled Uncle Boonmee and If I Want To Whistle at VIFF, but a lot of the others I have not even heard of. I really, really want to see Dogtooth, but no idea when I’ll get a chance to do so unfortunately.
Henrik. Alas, I couldn’t work the Biers film in even though I really wanted to see it. Got mildly screwed in the lotto system, and then there was only one press screening of the film that simply didn’t work with my schedule. Thus is the way of doing 40+ films at a festival in a week.
And there’s over 300 films at TIFF Henrik…There was a good solid 50 or so I had on my “short list” (including In A Better World) that just didn’t work into my schedule (I saw 35). Good to hear you liked it though…
I’ve only seen Confessions from that list – a film I really liked even though I had major problems with it. No way it’ll win though – it may have done big box office in its home country, but I can’t imagine it getting votes.
You don’t have to apologize, I wasn’t being serious…. You guys can watch whatever you want.
Not an apology. I seriously wanted to see that film, but such is life at TIFF.
Kurt… 40+ films in a week is INSANNEEEE. I have a whole new respect for you now.