Oscars: 81 Films Submitted for Foreign-Language Award
by Gregg Kilday
10/8/2015 12:38pm PDT
The Oscars will be held on Feb. 28.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Thursday that 81 films have been submitted by their respective countries for this year's best foreign-language feature Academy Award. The total number of films submitted this year fell just shy of the record 83 films that were submitted in 2014.
Several of the entries have already made their mark on the festival circuit. For example, Hungary's Son of Saul, the searing holocaust drama directed by Laszlo Nemes, won the grand prix at this year's Cannes Film Festival, while Taiwan's The Assassin earned Hou Hsiao-hsien best director honors at Cannes.
But there were surprises as well: China's nod was expected to go Jean-Jacques Annaud's Wolf Totem, which had been battling it out with Jia Zhangke's Mountains May Depart to get the official blessing of the China Film Bureau. Instead, China submitted Han Yan's Go Away Mr. Tumor, the story of cartoonist Xiong Dun, which has been a popular hit in China.
The United Kingdom will be represented with the Welsh-language film Under Milk Wood, Kevin Allen's film adaptation of the Dylan Thomas play. Canada's entry is Maxime Giroux's romantic drama Felix and Meira, in which French and other languages are spoken. And Australia has submitted Greg Sneddon's Arrows of the Thunder Dragon, set in a Bhutanese village in which Dzongkha is spoken.
Paraguay is making its first foray into the foreign-language race with Arami Ullon's Cloudy Times, a documentary about the director's aging mother.
The complete list follows:
Albania, Bota, Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors
Algeria, Twilight of Shadows, Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director
Argentina, The Clan, Pablo Trapero, director
Australia, Arrows of the Thunder Dragon, Greg Sneddon, director
Austria, Goodnight Mommy, Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors
Bangladesh, Jalal’s Story, Abu Shahed Emon, director
Belgium, The Brand New Testament, Jaco Van Dormael, director
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Our Everyday Story, Ines Tanović, director
Brazil, The Second Mother, Anna Muylaert, director
Bulgaria, The Judgment, Stephan Komandarev, director
Cambodia, The Last Reel, Sotho Kulikar, director
Canada, Félix and Meira, Maxime Giroux, director
Chile, The Club, Pablo Larraín, director
China, Go Away Mr. Tumor, Han Yan, director
Colombia, Embrace of the Serpent, Ciro Guerra, director
Costa Rica, Imprisoned, Esteban Ramírez, director
Croatia, The High Sun, Dalibor Matanić, director
Czech Republic, Home Care, Slavek Horak, director
Denmark, A War, Tobias Lindholm, director
Dominican Republic, Sand Dollars, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors
Estonia, 1944, Elmo Nüganen, director
Ethiopia, Lamb, Yared Zeleke, director
Finland, The Fencer, Klaus Härö, director
France, Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director
Georgia, Moira, Levan Tutberidze, director
Germany, Labyrinth of Lies, Giulio Ricciarelli, director
Greece, Xenia, Panos H. Koutras, director
Guatemala, Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante, director
Hong Kong, To the Fore, Dante Lam, director
Hungary, Son of Saul, László Nemes, director
Iceland, Rams, Grímur Hákonarson, director
India, Court, Chaitanya Tamhane, director
Iran, Muhammad: The Messenger of God, Majid Majidi, director
Iraq, Memories on Stone, Shawkat Amin Korki, director
Ireland, Viva, Paddy Breathnach, director
Israel, Baba Joon, Yuval Delshad, director
Italy, Don't Be Bad, Claudio Caligari, director
Ivory Coast, Run, Philippe Lacôte, director
Japan, 100 Yen Love, Masaharu Take, director
Jordan, Theeb, Naji Abu Nowar, director
Kazakhstan, Stranger, Yermek Tursunov, director
Kosovo, Babai, Visar Morina, director
Kyrgyzstan, Heavenly Nomadic, Mirlan Abdykalykov, director
Latvia, Modris, Juris Kursietis, director
Lebanon, Void, Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors
Lithuania, The Summer of Sangaile, Alanté Kavaïté, director
Luxembourg, Baby (A)lone, Donato Rotunno, director
Macedonia, Honey Night, Ivo Trajkov, director
Malaysia, Men Who Save the World, Liew Seng Tat, director
Mexico, 600 Miles, Gabriel Ripstein, director
Montenegro, You Carry Me, Ivona Juka, director
Morocco, Aida, Driss Mrini, director
Nepal, Talakjung vs Tulke, Basnet Nischal, director
Netherlands, The Paradise Suite, Joost van Ginkel, director
Norway, The Wave, Roar Uthaug, director
Pakistan, Moor, Jami, director
Palestine, The Wanted 18, Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors
Paraguay, Cloudy Times, Arami Ullón, director
Peru, NN, Héctor Gálvez, director
Philippines, Heneral Luna, Jerrold Tarog, director
Poland, 11 Minutes, Jerzy Skolimowski, director
Portugal, Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One, Miguel Gomes, director
Romania, Aferim!, Radu Jude, director
Russia, Sunstroke, Nikita Mikhalkov, director
Serbia, Enclave, Goran Radovanović, director
Singapore, 7 Letters, Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin, Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors
Slovakia, Goat, Ivan Ostrochovský, director
Slovenia, The Tree, Sonja Prosenc, director
South Africa, The Two of Us, Ernest Nkosi, director
South Korea, The Throne, Lee Joon-ik, director
Spain, Flowers, Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors
Sweden, A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence, Roy Andersson, director
Switzerland, Iraqi Odyssey, Samir, director
Taiwan, The Assassin, Hou Hsiao-hsien, director
Thailand, How to Win at Checkers (Every Time), Josh Kim, director
Turkey, Sivas, Kaan Müjdeci, director
United Kingdom, Under Milk Wood, Kevin Allen, director
Uruguay, A Moonless Night, Germán Tejeira, director
Venezuela, Gone With the River, Mario Crespo, director
Vietnam, Jackpot, Dustin Nguyen, director
