NEWS - 2022 - INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

A page dedicated solely on the 90+ submissions entered into the Academy Awards

AND THAT'S A WRAP

APRIL 22, 2023

(Belgium - Close)

And that's an end to the 2022-2023 International Feature season. All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) ended up as the winner of the Oscar. And Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), The Quiet Girl (Ireland), EO (Poland) and Close (Belgium) were all Oscar nominees.

We managed to watch 90 of the 92 submissions and we're so thankful for the opportunity to have seen so many of these incredible, touching films. We will continue to update the status of all these films as they continue to get picked up by distributors, begin their runs in theatres and eventually find their way on video on demand.

We also ran our first ever Film Festival and we're so grateful for all the distributors/producers for trusting us to release their films on Eventive and on our platform. We're so happy that we got to share these films with audiences across Canada/USA.

We want to thank everyone for all the support and for all the guidance as we wrap up our first year running this site. And we're super excited to move on to the new season and to do this all over again.

THE 92 INTERNATIONAL FEATURE SUBMISSIONS

APRIL 4, 2023

(Iceland - Beautiful Beings)

As the season winds down, and with All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) as the latest winner, the attention slowly begins to focus on the new season. But before we do that, let's take a look at the status of all the submissions from this year.

There are now 26 films that are currently available on video on demand. The Quiet Girl (Ireland) is the latest film to be released on streaming. Other films now available include Argentina, 1985 (Argentina), Corsage (Austria), Mars One (Brazil), The Kings of the World (Colombia), Holy Spider (Denmark), Last Film Show (India), Nostalgia (Italy), Memory Box (Lebanon), War Sailor (Norway), EO (Poland), Alcarras (Spain) and so many more.

There are also 7 films right now playing in various theatres across Canada/USA. They are Return To Seoul (Cambodia), Eternal Spring (Canada), Blanquita (Chile), Where the Wind Blows (Hong Kong), Cinema Sabaya (Israel), The Blue Caftan (Morocco) and Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden). Three more films will join them soon: Joyland (Pakistan) and Pilgrims (Lithuania) on April 7th and Plan 75 (Japan) on April 21st.

Our first virtual film festival is launching in two days and here's the opportunity to watch 13 of the best films of the year, not released yet in theatres across Canada/USA. It's a unique and rare opportunity, and possibly the only chance to see these films. They are Safe Place (Croatia), Il Boemo (Czechia), A Long Break (Georgia), Magnetic Fields (Greece), Beautiful Beings (Iceland), The Exam (Iraq), Butterfly on the Windowpane (Nepal), Narcosis (Netherlands), Eami (Paraguay), Immaculate (Romania), Darkling (Serbia), Tug of War (Tanzania) and The Employer and the Employee (Uruguay).

This makes it 49 submissions that are now accessible to all fans of these incredible films.

Our focus moving forward is to possibly have some of the remaining 43 films be launched in smaller festivals throughout 2023 so that each and every film will be shown across Canada/USA. Please stay tuned for more updates.

To read about every single film, please click HERE.

OUR INTERNATIONAL FEATURE VIRTUAL FILM FESTIVAL

MARCH 30, 2023

These are the 13 official Oscar submitted films that we've carefully selected to be a part of our first ever virtual film festival across Canada/USA from April 6th to April 23rd.

Please click below for our link to Eventive to start purchasing tickets:

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

Our aim is to create more opportunities for all 92 International Feature submissions to be seen across Canada/USA and we're so thrilled to be able to bring you these 13 films that are some of the best to be released this past year. We are super excited to be a part of this wonderful community of films and we're so thankful for all the support that we've received.

This will be an annual tradition where every film lover across Canada/USA can now watch these Oscar submitted films. And who knows, maybe we'll launch another one in a couple of months.

Click to read more ...

THREE FILMS LEFT TO GO

MARCH 19, 2023

(Peru - Moon Heart)

As the Oscar season comes to a close for another year, we're still busy trying to watch every single submission from last year. This morning we were fortunate to watch 578: Shot of a Madman from Vietnam, meaning that now we have three films left to go:

Hawa (Bangladesh)
Where the Wind Blows (Hong Kong)
Moon Heart (Peru)

We're eagerly waiting to watch them all and then finish all our reviews for the 92 films submitted for the 2023 Oscars.

It's been quite an incredible season watching and falling in love with so many films. This past year may have been the best set of films ever submitted for the Oscars and it feels like year after year the quality just gets better and better. We will forever remember the incredible, fascinating, unique, brilliant films this year. From the heartbreaking Close, to the revolutionary Joyland, to the violent yet tender Beautiful Beings, to the acceptance of loss in Narcosis, to the anxiety inducing All Quiet on the Western Front, to the gut-wrenching The Blue Caftan, to the quiet Utama, to getting teary eyed whenever we see a cookie because of The Quiet Girl. From the need to find your identity in Return to Seoul, to the most unique film about two twin brothers in A Cup of Coffee, to the rage inducing film in Holy Spider, to the loss of tradition in Alcarras, to finding one's father in Harvest Moon, to longing for a home in The Kings of the World, and for the passion of films in Last Film Show. This year has produced some of the best films ever.

To read about every single film, please click HERE.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO ...

MARCH 12, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

The following 5 films were nominated for International Feature:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) - WINNER
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium)
EO (Poland)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

Germany has now won The Academy Awards for the fourth time. The Tin Drum won in 1979. Nowhere In Africa won in 2002. The Lives of Others won in 2006. All Quiet on the Western Front is the winner this year. We want to congratulate the entire cast and crew led by director Edward Berger, and the incredible set of actors including Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch and Daniel Bruhl.

The film also won the following Oscars:

Best Cinematography
Best Production Design
Best Original Score

With four Academy Awards, All Quiet on the Western Front has tied with Fanny and Alexander, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and Parasite with the most Oscars for a non-English film. It's been quite an incredible journey watching the film start slowly at the beginning of the season and then dominate the BAFTAS and then continue that momentum at the Oscars.

THE FINAL PREDICTIONS FOR THE OSCARS

FEBRUARY 26, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

These are the five excellent Oscar nominated films for 2023:

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Belgium - Close
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Poland - EO

The International Feature category began with a wide open race. It felt early on that Close was the early frontrunner coming off strong from Cannes and winning the NBR. As the season progressed, EO and Argentina, 1985 began to enter into the conversation. EO won both NY and LA. Argentina, 1985 won the Golden Globes.

But the momentum shifted once again when The Academy announced their shortlisted nominations in several categories. All Quiet on the Western Front was shortlisted for original score, make up and hairstyling, sound and visual effects. These were the early signs that the film had support from the The Academy.

Click to read more ...

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT DOMINATES THE BAFTA AWARDS

FEBRUARY 19, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

For International Feature, the following 5 films were nominated:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) - WINNER
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Corsage (Austria)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

After the BAFTA nominations were announced, the German film became the favourite to win International Feature despite not winning once at the NBR, LA, NY, Golden Globes, and Critics Choice Awards. After the Oscar nominations were announced, the Netflix film became the overwhelming favourite. Today, it confirmed itself as the one to beat as it has won the award at the BAFTA.

But it doesn't stop there. All Quiet on the Western Front won the following awards as well:

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Sound

Now the question is how many Oscars will it win on March 12th?

WHICH FILMS ARE AVAILABLE NOW?

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

(Colombia - The Kings of the World)

We always hope that every single International Feature submission will eventually be accessible for everyone across Canada/USA. As of right now, there are 17 films playing on various forms of video on demand, such as Netflix, Amazon, Mubi, iTunes and so on. There are also 12 films right now playing in select theatres, with two more being released this weekend. So as of right now, there are 31 films that can be seen, so roughly 1/3 of the submissions. We still have a long way to go but we're making good progress.

All of the shortlisted top 15 films are available now or will be available soon:

Argentina, 1985 - available on Amazon
Corsage - theatres now
Close - theatres now
Return to Seoul - theatres on February 17th
Holy Spider - theatres now
Saint Omer - theatres now
All Quiet on the Western Front - available on Netflix
Last Film Show - available on iTunes
The Quiet Girl - theatres on February 24th
Bardo - available on Netflix
The Blue Caftan - theatres on February 10th
Joyland - theatres on April 7th
EO - theatres now
Decision to Leave - available on Mubi
Boy From Heaven - theatres now

We will continue to update our Submissions page with the most up-to-date information regarding the status of each and every film. We hope that all 92 films will eventually find a distributor and therefore have the ability to be seen across various platforms for North American audiences.

Every film that's available now can be seen here.

THE FINAL FIVE OSCAR NOMINATED FILMS

JANUARY 29, 2023

The final five Oscar nominated films have been announced. The list of contenders went down from ninety-two to fifteen to the final five films. These are the films that been nominated:

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Belgium - Close
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Poland - EO

We correctly predicted 4/5 films. We thought that Decision to Leave (South Korea) would've been nominated over EO. This means that four European films have been nominated, alongside one South American film. Never count out a donkey.

All Quiet on the Western Front, Close, Argentina, 1985 and EO were all frontrunners from the beginning of the season. All four films were nominated at the NBR awards, while the German, Argentinian, and Belgium film were nominated at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. EO won NY and LA.

The inclusion of The Quiet Girl means that the "surprise" nominee continues for another year. Last year Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was nominated. The year before that The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated. We always thought that The Quiet Girl was a frontrunner, and once The Academy had a chance to watch it, they would fall in love with it. And they have indeed.

Click to read more ...

THE OTHER OSCAR NOMINATIONS ...

JANUARY 25, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

We are always hopeful that the International Feature contenders are nominated in other categories at the Oscars and this year the amazing streak continues.

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) was also nominated for the following categories:

Best Picture
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Cinematography
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Production Design
Best Original Score
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects

And Bardo (Mexico) was nominated for:

Best Cinematography

Let's hope that more and more films will continue to be nominated in more categories in the future as well.

THE OSCAR NOMINATED INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS

JANUARY 24, 2023

This morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with special hosts Riz Ahmed and Allison Williams, announced nominations for the 95th Oscars where Everything Everywhere All at Once was the year’s most-nominated film, with 11 total nominations, including Best Picture, Best Directing, and four acting nominations.

In one of the most competitive, unpredictable years, the following 5 films were nominated for International Feature:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium)
EO (Poland)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

THE BAFTA NOMINATIONS ARE OUT

JANUARY 19, 2023

(Ireland - The Quiet Girl)

For International Feature, the following 5 films were nominated:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Corsage (Austria)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

Corsage is the big surprise this morning when the BAFTA nominations were announced. All Quiet on the Western Front, Argentina, 1985 and Decision to Leave continue with their excellent, perfect seasons. And The Quiet Girl getting nominated confirms its position as a potential Oscar nominee. The two films missing out were Close and EO.

But it was a big morning for All Quiet on the Western Front. It was nominated for Best Film, Best Director, Supporting Actor for Albrecht Schuch, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Make Up and Hair, Sound, Visual Effects. It looks to continue this momentum at the Oscar nominations.

Decision to Leave was nominated for Best Director.

And what a wonderful nomination for The Quiet Girl for Adapted Screenplay.

For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

WHO WILL GET NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR?

JANUARY 15, 2023

(Belgium, Morocco, Ireland)

Usually by now we would have a solid favourite headed towards the Oscar nominations. Last year, for example, Drive My Car was the clear winner. The years before that, Another Round, Parasite and Roma were all the overwhelming frontrunners to win best International Feature. This year, however, is a little different.

The year started with two films becoming instant contenders out of Cannes Film Festival: Decision to Leave (South Korea) and Close (Belgium). The ecstatic reviews coming from their world premieres elevated them to early frontrunner status. Close also won the National Board of Review early in the award season. But as more awards started to be announced, EO (Poland) started to win a lot of the top prizes, such as LA and NY, the two top critics groups. The momentum shifted again though when All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) became shortlisted for a ton of categories, including original score, make up and hairstyling, sound, and visual effects. This shows that the film has a lot of support within The Academy. The film is now predicted to maybe be nominated for best picture and best director as well. The Golden Globes though snubbed the German film and rewarded Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) as the winner last week, throwing another curveball into the race.

Click to read more ...

ARGENTINA, 1985 WINS THE GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS

JANUARY 10, 2023

(Argentina - Argentina, 1985)

For International Feature, the following 5 films were nominated:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) - WINNER
Close (Belgium)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
RRR

This is turning out to be a very interesting year for International Feature as there is no clear frontrunner right now. EO won LA and NY. Close won NBR. All Quiet on the Western Front is the presumed frontrunner, due to all the shortlisted mentions and the guild support, but it hasn't won anything yet. Argentina, 1985 has now won the Golden Globes.

Let's see what happens next.

THE GUILDS BEGIN THEIR NOMINATIONS ...

JANUARY 9, 2023

(Mexico - Bardo)

Several guilds were announced this morning, including the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the Art Directors Guild (ADG), and the Motion Picture Sound Editors (MPSE)

Bardo (Mexico) was able to get nominated for ASC, and it's looking very solid to be a nominee for the Oscars. War Sailor (Norway) and The Quiet Girl (Ireland) also got a special mention.

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) got nominated for ADG, under best period feature film. Bardo (Mexico) got nominated for best contemporary feature film. Both films are also solid contenders to be nominated.

For MPSE, the five nominees for best International Feature are:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Bardo (Mexico)
EO (Poland)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)

The German film is probably the frontrunner for this category, as it was shortlisted as one of the top ten finalists back in December.

The Screen Actor Guild nominations, the Producer Guild nominations and the Director Guild nominations will be coming out soon as well. Let's hope that more International Feature submissions will be nominated.

BAFTA ANNOUNCES THEIR SHORTLISTS

JANUARY 6, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

The EE British Academy Of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) have announced their various longlists ahead of their final nominations on January 19th.

For Best International Feature, the films that have been nominated are:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Bardo (Mexico)
Close (Belgium)
Corsage (Austria)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
EO (Poland)
Holy Spider (Denmark)
The Quiet Girl (Ireland)
RRR

Besides RRR, all of the other 9 films have been shortlisted as the final 15 films as well.

All Quiet on the Western Front has also been shortlisted for Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Cinematography, Costume, Editing, Make Up, Original Score, Production Design, Visual Effects, Sound.

Corsage has also been shortlisted for Best Director, Costume.

Decision to Leave has also been shortlisted for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Editing.

The Quiet Girl has also been shortlisted for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay.

Saint Omer has also been shortlisted for Best Director.

HOW MANY OSCAR NOMINATIONS WILL ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT GET?

JANUARY 3, 2023

(Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front)

On December 21, 2022, The Academy announced the top 15 shortlisted films for International Feature. But it also announced the finalists for other key categories as well, including make up and hairstyling, sound, visual effects, original score and original song. Expectedly, All Quiet on the Western Front was one of the 15 films to advance to the next round for International Feature. But it also advanced to the next round in the following categories:

original score
make up and hairstyling
sound
visual effects

There are always a couple of International Feature submissions that breakthrough into other categories once the Oscar nominations are announced. The fact that All Quiet on the Western Front was shortlisted in four other categories shows that the film is being extremely well received by The Academy.

The film now has a shot of getting nominations in these following categories, along with International Feature:

director
adapted screenplay
editing
cinematography
production design
original score
make up and hairstyling
sound
visual effects

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24, 2023

THANK YOU!

DECEMBER 31, 2022

(Ireland - The Quiet Girl)

From our very first film screened this year, The Quiet Girl, to the one we watched this morning, Raven Song, we've been lucky enough to experience 88 of the 92 submissions this year. We want to take this opportunity now to thank all the producers, distributors, actors, directors and more for making this possible. Our site wouldn't exist without you.

We will forever remember the incredible, fascinating, unique, brilliant films this year. From the heartbreaking Close, to the revolutionary Joyland, to the violent yet tender Beautiful Beings, to the acceptance of loss in Narcosis, to the anxiety inducing All Quiet on the Western Front, to the gut-wrenching The Blue Caftan, to the quiet Utama, to getting teary eyed whenever we see a cookie because of The Quiet Girl. This year has produced some of the best films ever.

The goal of our site is simple: to bring awareness to each and every film that is submitted to International Feature for The Academy. These films need to be seen by the public worldwide. Our hope is that we're able to provide at least some extra exposure to these gems. We hope that one day everyone will get to watch A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On, Harvest Moon, The Exam, Safe Place and more.

It's no surprise when we say that International Feature is much more competitive and has a much higher quality than Best Picture at The Academy. It's just impossible to reduce these 92 films down to 15 films, and then down to 5. Every film is a winner.

We've been updating constantly the submissions page with updates on theatre releases, video on demand releases, new distributor acquisitions, reviews and more. We've been updating the tracker page as well with our latest predictions.

We're excited for the start of 2023 and what the future will bring. Thanks for following our journey.

THE BEST FILMS NOT SHORTLISTED

DECEMBER 27, 2022

(Albania, Netherlands, Iceland)

Before we begin focusing all our attention on the 15 films that were shortlisted, let's take a look at the 15 best films that didn't advance to the next round. With International Feature constantly getting stronger and stronger, and the quality of the submissions getting better and better, the amount of remarkable films not getting shortlisted is getting harder to accept. We want to take the opportunity to highlight these films as each and every one of them were probably incredibly close to making it to the final 15.

Click to read more ...

THE LIST GOES DOWN FROM 92 TO THE TOP 15 FILMS

DECEMBER 23, 2022

(Ireland, Belgium, Pakistan)

On December 21, the list of 92 contenders got reduced down to 15. It's a near impossible task to reduce the field down to just 15 but this is the case every year. We correctly predicted 12/15 films. But all of the shortlisted 15 films were on our top 20 tracker. Usually, there's a few surprises who make it to the final 15, like last year with Plaza Catedral and Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom. This year, The Academy played it safer.

The three films that we didn't predict were Last Film Show (India), Bardo (Mexico), and Boy From Heaven (Sweden). The three films that we thought would be shortlisted were Beautiful Beings (Iceland), Alcarras (Spain) and Klondike (Ukraine). Beautiful Beings and Alcarras met all the criteria to be shortlisted. They were amongst the highest reviewed movies of the year on Letterboxd, they're both playing in Palm Springs, and both countries have been recognized previously by The Academy. They must've fallen just short.

Palm Springs Film Festival continues its run to be the strongest predictor for the shortlisted 15 films. All 15 films are playing in the festival, along with 20 other films. Amongst Letterboxd top 15 reviewed films, 9 of them were shortlisted keeping up with the statistics as well.

High profile films continue to dominate the shortlisted list as well. As members of The Academy only need to meet a minimum viewing requirement to vote in the first round, debuting at Cannes Film Festival or Venice Film Festival, playing at all the North American film festival circuit, having Amazon and Netflix backing the film, having the money to spend on a campaign, it has proven to be essential.

Click to read more ...

THE TOP 15 SHORTLISTED FILMS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED

DECEMBER 21, 2022

This afternoon, 15 films have advanced to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Films from 92 countries and regions were eligible in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Austria - Corsage
Belgium - Close
Cambodia - Return to Seoul
Denmark - Holy Spider
France - Saint Omer
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
India - Last Film Show
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Mexico - Bardo
Morocco - The Blue Caftan
Pakistan - Joyland
Poland - EO
South Korea - Decision to Leave
Sweden - Boy From Heaven

Please stay tuned for more updates in the next few days as we begin to analyze these 15 films, but also some of the best ones that missed out as well.

A SUMMARY OF THE SIXTH SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

DECEMBER 19, 2022

(Mexico, France, Finland)

We've now had the opportunity to dive into 84 of the International Feature submissions. Here are the latest films that we've watched:

Albania - A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On
Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Chile - Blanquita
Finland - Girl Picture
France - Saint Omer
Kazakhstan - Life
Mexico - Bardo
New Zealand - Muru
Slovenia - Orchestra

The films from Argentina and France are definite contenders to be nominated at the Oscars and thus they're the two films that have the most buzz. The film from Mexico also has an extremely high profile because it's directed by Oscar winner Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. But the films from Albania and Finland are the ones we liked the most. So here's our latest breakdown on these last set of films.

Click to read more ...

HERE ARE THE CRITICS CHOICE NOMINATIONS

DECEMBER 14, 2022

(Mexico - Bardo)

The 28th Critics’ Choice Association announced their nominations for the best in film for 2022 and The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once continued its reign with a field-best 14 nods including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor and two in Best Supporting Actress.

For International Feature, the following 6 films were nominated:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Bardo (Mexico)
Close (Belgium)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
RRR

With the exception of Close, the other five films are available everywhere at the moment. They are also the most known International films of the year. This is lazy voting. As the "critics" awards, they should be doing a better job at watching more of the submissions this year like The Quiet Girl, Joyland, Klondike, Holy Spider, Return to Seoul and more. There needs to be more variety, not just copying the Golden Globes, or just picking the few films that they know.

For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

GOLDEN GLOBE NOMINATIONS ARE OUT

DECEMBER 12, 2022

(Argentina - Argentina, 1985)

The nominations for the 80th Golden Globe Awards in motion pictures and television were announced early Monday morning where Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin led the film nominations with 8, the most of any film since 2003’s Cold Mountain.

For International Feature, the following 5 films were nominated:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
RRR

Four of these are huge contenders to not only be shortlisted, but to be nominated for The Academy Awards as well. Saint Omer (France), Corsage (Austria) and EO (Poland) were the three films we also thought could've been nominated as well but they missed out this morning. RRR is not eligible.

For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ANNOUNCE THEIR WINNERS

DECEMBER 11, 2022

(Poland - EO)

The 48th Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) awards were announced today, celebrating the best films and performances of 2022.

This year, the Polish film EO has won best International Feature. EO has been having an incredible last few days, also winning the NY Film Critics last week. EO might be a serious contender to win the Oscar, as its momentum continues to build.

Saint Omer, the International Feature submission from France, was the runner-up.

EO also won best cinematography and it was the runner-up for best original score.

For the full set of winners, please click HERE.

OUR TOP TEN FAVOURITE FILMS OF THE YEAR

DECEMBER 11, 2022

(Iraq, Brazil, Albania)

This week we're taking a look at our favourite movies of the year. This has probably been one of the best set of 92 films we've ever seen. The level of quality from each and every submission has been extraordinary. And this journey to watch every single submission has been so rewarding and moving.

We've narrowed it down to twenty movies and the following ten just missed our best of the best:

20. Klondike (Ukraine)
19. A Piece of Sky (Switzerland)
18. The Exam (Iraq)
17. Girl Picture (Finland)
16. Harvest Moon (Mongolia)
15. Mars One (Brazil)
14. Corsage (Austria)
13. A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On (Albania)
12. Return To Seoul (Cambodia)
11. Holy Spider (Denmark)

Click to read more ...

NBR ANNOUNCE THEIR WINNERS

DECEMBER 8, 2022

(Belgium - Close)

The National Board of Review has announced their winners for the year and the Belgian film, Close, has picked up its first award. It has been selected as the best International Feature film of the year. The following films were also nominated:

Best International Film:

All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany)
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina)
Close (Belgium) - WINNER
Decision To Leave (South Korea)
EO (Poland)
Saint Omer (France)

It's important to note that the voters for these awards don't watch all the films submitted for International Feature so usually the most popular films will be nominated. But these six films have become definite contenders to be shortlisted.

Also, and this is exciting news, All Quiet on the Western Front won best adapted screenplay as well.

For the full set of winners, please click HERE.

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE RACE

DECEMBER 6, 2022

(Ireland, Pakistan, France)

The Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced their lineup for 2023. This year there will be 35 official International Feature submissions playing at the festival. They always pick the strongest entries in this year's Academy Awards race, according to them. The films playing this year are the following:

Ajoomma (Singapore) Director He Shuming
Alcarràs (Spain) Director Carla Simón
All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany) Director Edward Berger
Argentina, 1985 (Argentina) Director Santiago Mitre
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths (Mexico) Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Beautiful Beings (Iceland) Director Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
Blanquita (Chile) Director Fernando Guzzoni
The Blue Caftan (Morocco) Director Maryam Touzani
Cairo Conspiracy (Sweden) Director Tarik Saleh
Cinema Sabaya (Israel) Director Orit Fouks Rotem
Close (Belgium) Director Lukas Dhont
Corsage (Austria) Director Marie Kreutzer
Darkling (Serbia) Director Dušan Milić (U.S. Premiere)
Decision to Leave (South Korea) Director Park Chan-wook
EO (Poland) Director Jerzy Skolimowski
Eternal Spring (Canada) Director Jason Loftus
The Happiest Man in the World (North Macedonia) Director Teona Strugar Mitevska
Holy Spider (Denmark) Director Ali Abbasi
Il Boemo (Czech Republic) Director Petr Václav
Joyland (Pakistan) Director Saim Sadiq
Kalev (Estonia) Director Ove Musting
Klondike (Ukraine) Director Maryna Er Gorbach
Last Film Show (India) Director Pan Nalin
Mars One (Brazil) Director Gabriel Martins
Mediterranean Fever (Palestine) Director Maha Haj
Nostalgia (Italy) Director Mario Martone
The Quiet Girl (Ireland) Director Colm Bairéad
Return to Seoul (Cambodia) Director Davy Chou
Saint Omer (France) Director Alice Diop
Under the Fig Trees (Tunisia) Director Erige Sehiri
Utama (Bolivia) Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi
Victim (Slovakia) Director Michal Blaško
War Sailor (Norway) Director Gunnar Vikene
World War III (Iran) Director Houman Seyyedi
You Won’t Be Alone (Australia) Director Goran Stolevski

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OUR TOP TEN FAVOURITE MOMENTS OF THE YEAR

DECEMBER 4, 2022

(Mongolia, Ukraine, Japan)

With roughly 15 days before the list of 92 films are reduced down to 15, we right now feel that the following films will be shortlisted on December 21.

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Austria - Corsage
Belgium - Close
Bolivia - Utama
Cambodia - Return to Seoul
Denmark - Holy Spider
France - Saint Omer
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Morocco - The Blue Caftan
Pakistan - Joyland
Poland - EO
South Korea - Decision to Leave
Spain - Alcarras
Ukraine - Klondike

THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS

This week we're taking a look at our favourite scenes of the year and there are always just so many to choose from. We've narrowed it down to twenty movies and the following ten just missed our best of the best:

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NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ANNOUNCE THEIR WINNERS

DECEMBER 2, 2022

(Poland - EO)

The first major critics have announced their winners and EO from Poland has won best International Feature. The film is currently in theatres right now and it seems be gaining momentum, not only to be shortlisted, but to perhaps get nominated for the Oscars as well.

It's also interesting to note that RRR won for best director. I still fully agree with India's decision to have submitted Last Film Show as their choice this year, but wouldn't it be amazing if both films ended up getting recognized this season?

For the full set of winners, please click HERE.

OUR TOP 10 FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES

NOVEMBER 27, 2022

(Ecuador, Ukraine, Slovakia)

With roughly 25 days before the list of 92 films are reduced down to 15, we right now feel that the following films will be shortlisted on December 21. But Beautiful Beings (Iceland), Return to Seoul (Cambodia), Boy From Heaven (Sweden), Girl Picture (Finland) and Mars One (Brazil) are definitely in contention as well, amongst others.

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Austria - Corsage
Belgium - Close
Bolivia - Utama
Denmark - Holy Spider
France - Saint Omer
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Mexico - Bardo
Morocco - The Blue Caftan
Pakistan - Joyland
Poland - EO
South Korea - Decision to Leave
Spain - Alcarras
Ukraine - Klondike

This week we're taking a look at our favourite performances of the year and there are always just so many to choose from. We've narrowed it down to twenty performances (one per film), and the following ten just missed our best of the best.

Karam Taher - Farha (Jordan)
Vita Smachelyuk - Victim (Slovakia)
Anahi Hoenesien - Lo Invisible (Ecuador)
Oksana Cherkashyna - Klondike (Ukraine)
Pierfrancesco Favino - Nostalgia (Italy)
Ana Dumitrascu - Immaculate (Romania)
Linnea Leino - Girl Picture (Finland)
Ali Junejo - Joyland (Pakistan)
Chieko Baisho - Plan 75 (Japan)
Tawfeek Barhom - Boy From Heaven (Sweden)

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INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS ANNOUNCE NOMINATIONS

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

(Cambodia - Return To Seoul)

The nominations for the 38th Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced on Tuesday morning and the films nominated for best International Feature were the following:

Best International Film:

Corsage (Austria)
Joyland (Pakistan)
Leonor Will Never Die
Return To Seoul (Cambodia)
Saint Omer (France)

Corsage continues to be the one film that has been getting nominated for every single possible award right now. Congrats to Marie Kreutzer. It's incredible and thrilling to see Joyland and Return To Seoul both getting in as well. Saint Omer continues to be a threat as well. The one notable film missing is Close, but this is only the beginning of the awards season.

For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

A SUMMARY OF THE FIFTH SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

NOVEMBER 22, 2022

(Germany, Cambodia, Iceland)

We've now had the opportunity to dive into 75 of the International Feature submissions and these set of 15 films are incredible. Here are the latest 15 submissions:

Algeria - Our Brothers
Azerbaijan - Creators
Cambodia - Return to Seoul
Cameroon - The Planters Plantation
Czechia - Il Boemo
Estonia - Kalev
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Iceland - Beautiful Beings
India - Last Film Show
Norway - War Sailor
Philippines - On The Job: The Missing 8
Singapore - Ajoomma
Uganda - Tembele
United Kingdom - Winners
Venezuela - The Box

The film from Germany has the most buzz, but the Icelandic and Cambodian films are sensational and extremely moving. India and Norway have also submitted some of the strongest films of the year. So here's our breakdown on these 15 films.

All Quiet on the Western Front is the latest submission for Germany. And it’s a stunner. It’s a bleak, relentless, brutal depiction of World War I. It follows four best friends who enlist into the German army full of patriotism having no idea what’s ahead of them. Not a lot of films are made from the German perspective, and even less are made that make you feel completely sympathetic to the young German men. But these men aren’t monsters. There is no right or wrong side. They’re soldiers following orders from deranged leaders. The film perfectly captures the agony of survival, the fear of death and the humanizing of soldiers who do not fully comprehend what they’re doing. They all just want to go back home. The film is terrifyingly realistic, emotionally exhausting, and incredibly difficult to watch. Every scene slowly builds more fear for these men and for us. It's an unnerving, engaging experience that never lets up and never lets you forget why we should never start a war. The only time that we can breathe throughout the entire film are the few tiny moments when it truly is quiet on the western front.

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WHICH CONTENDERS MIGHT GET OTHER OSCAR NOMINATIONS?

NOVEMBER 19, 2022

(Ireland, South Korea, Belgium)

Right now, with around a month to go before the list of 92 films are reduced to 15, we are predicting that the following films will be nominated for the Oscars:

Argentina - Argentina, 1985
Belgium - Close
Germany - All Quiet on the Western Front
Ireland - The Quiet Girl
Spain - Alcarras

At the moment, it feels like Close is the current frontrunner. No other film this year has had such an impact on viewers. It's devastatingly raw and the film seems to be leading the pack right now ahead of the other 91 films in contention. Following right behind is Argentina, 1985 and All Quiet on the Western Front. Both have been receiving a lot of momentum lately, and being released and available on Amazon and Netflix does nothing but help both films. Alcarras is also getting some of the best reviews of the year and Spain is always a contender so we feel like it's in for now. There's also always a "surprise" nominee and this year we feel like it's between The Quiet Girl or Joyland. Both films are the best of the best, and both films have been winning award after award on the festival circuit. They're receiving some of the best reviews of the year. For now, we feel like the Irish film will get nominated.

Along with Joyland, it feels wrong to not include Decision to Leave, Saint Omer, Corsage and Holy Spider but with so many great films submitted this year, some will miss out, unfortunately.

Now recently more and more International Feature contenders have been getting nominated in other categories as well. Last year alone, Drive My Car was nominated for best picture, best director, best adapted screenplay. The Worst Person in the World was nominated for best original screenplay. The year before that Another Round was nominated for best director. And in 2020, Parasite won best picture, best director, and best original screenplay and it was nominated for best editing and best production design. Pain and Glory was nominated for best actor.

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JOYLAND BANNED IN PAKISTAN

NOVEMBER 15, 2022

(Joyland - Pakistan)

Ever since we watched Joyland at the Vancouver International Film Festival, we've been raving about it and we can't stop thinking about it. We immediately considered it to be a favourite to be shortlisted, which would be incredible for Pakistan.

Joyland was scheduled to be released in theatres across Pakistan on November 18th, in order to meet its eligibility for the Oscars. Every film needs to be released for at least seven consecutive days in a commercial motion picture theatre with paid admission before November 30th. On November 12th, Pakistan's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced that they would be banning the film due to "highly objectionable" material, reversing their decision made on August 17th.

Ever since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, the film has been generating a ton of buzz. Directed and co-written by Saim Sadiq, the film is about Haider, the youngest son of the Rana family, who while working as a background dancer, falls in love with Biba, a transgender woman. The film is about acceptance and love, the complete opposite of what's happening now with the ban in their country. Everyone involved with the film were super excited to officially premiere their film in theatres in front of the Pakistani public, a film made for them.

Luckily, The Academy has made it more easy for films to meet the theatrical exhibition requirement. The Academy will allow films to qualify outside the country of origin, provided the film is theatrically exhibited outside of the U.S. and its territories. Joyland has confirmed that it will be played in France before November 30th.

The hashtag #releasejoyland is now trending. Let's hope that this incredible film will one day be released in Pakistan.

THE CURRENT STATE OF THE RACE AND THE POTENTIAL SHORTLISTED FILMS

NOVEMBER 12, 2022

(Iceland, Netherlands, Cambodia)

With roughly 40 days before the list of 92 films are reduced down to 15, we right now feel that the following films will be shortlisted on December 21.

But this is a category that tends to be very unpredictable. Last year, for example, there were three films that made the shortlisted top 15 that most critics didn't predict: Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Playground and Plaza Catedral. This week we're taking a look at the films that are flying under the radar. The films that have mostly skipped the North American film festival season. The films that most critics aren't predicting because they haven't yet seem them.

We've now watched 70 of the submissions so we've had the opportunity to watch these films before most of the public. The Academy members are now watching these films as well. So these are the top ten films that we feel might be shortlisted and take critics by surprise. These are some of the best films, and definitely contenders.

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EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS NOMINATIONS

NOVEMBER 8, 2022

(Spain - Alcarras)

The 35th European Film Awards nominations have been announced. The nominations in the key categories of Film, Director, Actor and Actress are voted by the 4,400 members of the academy.

Best Film:

Alcarras (Spain)
Close (Belgium)
Corsage (Austria)
Holy Spider (Denmark)
Triangle of Sadness

Best Director:

Lukas Dhont - Close (Belgium)
Marie Kreutzer - Corsage (Austria)
Jerzy Skolimowski - EO (Poland)
Ali Abbasi - Holy Spider (Denmark)
Alice Diop - Saint Omer (France)
Ruben Ostlund - Triangle of Sadness

Vicky Krieps (Corsage) and Zar Amir Ebrahimi (Holy Spider) are also nominated for best actress, while Eden Dambrine (Close) and Pierfrancesco Favino (Nostalgia) are nominated for best actor.

The awards ceremony will take place on December 10 in Reykjavik. For the full set of nominations, please click HERE.

A SUMMARY OF THE FOURTH SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

NOVEMBER 5, 2022

(Austria, Denmark, Morocco)

We've now had the opportunity to dive into 60 of the International Feature submissions and these set of 15 films are some of the best films we've watched this year. Here are the latest 15 submissions:

Austria - Corsage
China - Nice View
Denmark - Holy Spider
Hungary - Blockade
Iraq - The Exam
Kosovo - Looking For Venera
Lebanon - Memory Box
Lithuania - Pilgrims
Mongolia - Harvest Moon
Morocco - The Blue Caftan
Nepal - Butterfly on the Windowpane
Senegal - Xale
Serbia - Darkling
Thailand - One For the Road

These set of 15 films were such a joy to watch. The films from Denmark and Austria are the two films with the most buzz, but the Moroccan film is sensational and extremely moving. Iraq, Mongolia and Lithuania have also submitted some of the strongest films of the year. So let's dive right in.

Leading the group from these fantastic 15 films is The Blue Caftan. It is super thrilling that Morocco has submitted this touching movie about love, and about acceptance. A happily married couple, Halim and Mina run a caftan shop right in the middle of their city. With Mina struggling with her health they decide to hire a young apprentice to help with the store. As Halim begins to train this young man, Mina begins to notice that her husband seems to be attracted to him. This sets up this masterpiece of a film directed by Maryam Touzani. It's a stunning achievement. And a film that is truly devastatingly beautiful in every way possible.

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THE UNOFFICIAL LIST HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED - 92 FILMS TO CONTEND

OCTOBER 31, 2022

(Belgium - Close)

Today The Wrap announced that 92 films have been submitted this year for International Feature. The article can be found HERE. We're just short of the record of 93 films set back in 2020 and which was tied last year.

The Academy will officially announce the list in early December. They're still checking to see if any films will get disqualified.

The Academy voters have been set their required-viewing assignments of around 12-15 films each. The top votes in each group will proceed to make it to the shortlisted 15 films which will be announced December 21, 2022.

From the list it looks like China has submitted Nice View. Australia has submitted the horror film You Won't Be Alone. And Azerbaijan has submitted Creators. None of these films were previously announced until this morning.

But one film seems to be absent from the list: Carmen from Malta. We're checking to see if this film was missed or if the film ended up not being submitted due to having too much English. We'll keep you updated.

For now, please take a look at all the submissions HERE.

WE'VE REACHED THE MAGICAL NUMBER OF 90 SUBMISSIONS

OCTOBER 30, 2022

(Mongolia - Harvest Moon)

We always hope that we'll get 90 submissions for International Feature and with two countries announcing their films super late we've finally reached it. The Academy still hasn't officially announced their list but we're hoping that it'll be next week.

The latest countries to announce their films are Mongolia and Saudi Arabia.

Mongolia has submitted the fantastic film Harvest Moon which debuted a couple of weeks ago at the Vancouver Film Festival. We've been lucky to watch it already and it's one of the best of the year. Harvest Moon explores the inner world of a child and of a man, and their relationship to their fathers. For more information, please click HERE.

Saudi Arabia has announced that their film will be Raven Song. There isn't much information on the film yet and it hasn't debuted either. The film is about Nasar who is dared by his best friend to reach out to a mysterious woman by singing a love poem. For more information, please click HERE.

With China and Australia supposedly announcing films as well, we're super anxious to see the official list. As soon as it's announced we'll let you know.

AND THE SEASON BEGINS - THE GOTHAM NOMINATIONS ARE ANNOUNCED

OCTOBER 26, 2022

(Austria - Corsage)

The Gothams have announced their nominations and they're always the start to the Oscar season. This year they have nominated the following six films:

Athena
The Banshees of Inisherin
Corsage (Austria)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
Happening
Saint Omer (France)

The Banshees of Inisherin, Athena and Happening (it should've been France's submission last year) are not competing for International Feature. That leaves three films left: Corsage (Austria), Decision to Leave (South Korea) and Saint Omer (France). These awards don't really have an impact with The Oscars, but it's always good to start getting mentioned to increase the film's buzz. Let's see what happens next.

For our current predictions, please click HERE.

WE'RE UP TO 88 SUBMISSIONS

OCTOBER 24, 2022

(Cambodia - Return To Seoul)

The official list of films from The Academy has still not been announced but there have been three more submissions.

Cambodia has finally announced that Return To Seoul would be their pick. The film debuted to fantastic review at the Cannes Film Festival as it currently has a Metacritic score of 83. This film has become another contender. It's about a twenty five year old French woman who returns to Korea, the country she was born before being adopted by a French couple, for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn. For more information, please click HERE.

The United Kingdom has picked Winners as their submission. The film made its debut at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August. The film takes place in a small provincial Iranian town, where the children work hard to support their families. One day, nine year old Yahya and his friend Leyla find a precious statue. For more information, please click HERE.

And Cameroon has picked The Planters Plantation. The film has only played so far in local theatres in Cameroon so we're excited to hear more about it in the upcoming months. The film takes place in a West African plantation in the 1960s. A young determined girl must battle family and external forces to preserve her late father's legacy. For more information, please click HERE.

Continue to check HERE for all the latest information.

A SUMMARY OF THE THIRD SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

OCTOBER 18, 2022

(Pakistan, Belgium, Netherlands)

We've now had the opportunity to dive into half of the International Feature submissions and these set of 15 films are some of the best films we've watched this year. Here are the latest 15 submissions:

Armenia - Aurora's Sunrise
Belgium - Close
Brazil - Mars One
Bulgaria - In the Heart of the Machine
Dominican Republic - Bantu Mama
Indonesia - Missing Home
Italy - Nostalgia
Jordan - Farha
Kyrgyzstan - Home For Sale
Moldova - Carbon
Netherlands - Narcosis
North Macedonia - The Happiest Man in the World
Pakistan - Joyland
Palestine - Mediterranean Fever
Poland - EO

Here are our thoughts on these 15 films:

These three films touched us immensely. They made us cry, a lot. They're all superb, breathtaking, fantastic pieces of work. They're the films that keep you awake at night. And weeks after watching them they're still on our minds.

Leading the group is the film from Belgium called Close. Director Lukas Dhont has created a portrait of grief and loss. And the necessity to somehow move on. It is about two best friends who are inseparable. They do everything together. They're one and the same. But when school begins their friendship takes an unexpected turn for the worse. As students begin to question their friendship as being "too close" it begins to wedge a gap in their once unbreakable friendship. The film is raw. It's a rollercoaster of emotions. It's a story of a friendship that could be something more, as the two boys stumble into manhood.

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HOW TO GET STARTED?

OCTOBER 17, 2022

(Kosovo - Looking For Venera)

We've been getting lots of questions about how we are able to watch so many of the International Feature submissions. Here are five tips to help you get started:

1. First, start by watching all the submissions that are already available on video on demand. Right now, for this season, there are six films already playing. To see which ones they are click HERE. And there are also four films playing in theatres right now, so these films will eventually be playing on video on demand soon as well. That's ten films already. And more films will be released soon.

2. Check out your local film festivals around your area. If you're fortunate to live in a larger city like Vancouver, Toronto, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles etc., there will usually be between 5-15 submissions playing. I recommend to skip the English films and concentrate solely on the International Feature submissions. The English films will usually always be released in theatres and video on demand eventually. The International Feature submissions might not.

3. Check out Eventive and Elevent. They will usually have some submissions playing virtually at some point. We just watched Mars One on Elevent as it's playing virtually across the USA right now. Keep checking their sites constantly to see which new films are available online.

4. Save your money for the Palm Springs International Film Festival. They always play around 40-50 submissions per year. This is the film festival for the International Feature films.

5. Be patient. Most of these films will eventually find a distributor but they take longer than usual. Casablanca Beats, for example, was a submission last year and they just got released in theatres one year later. These films will be available, but maybe in 2023. Continue to check HERE for all the latest information.

THESE COUNTRIES ARE OUT OF THE RACE, OR ARE THEY?

OCTOBER 14, 2022

(Cambodia, South Africa, Azerbaijan)

We now have 85 submissions. We're eagerly waiting for The Academy to announce the official list of films. Every year there are some submissions that weren't announced officially. There are some films that ended up not being submitted. There are some that ended up being disqualified. And there are sometimes some rare situations where a country ended up submitting another film than the one that they announced previously.

As of right now, the following countries have not submitted a film yet, even though they submitted a film last year:

Australia
Azerbaijan
Bhutan
Cambodia
Cameroon
Chad
China
Egypt
Haiti
Malawi
Malaysia
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
South Africa
United Kingdom
Uzbekistan

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WELCOME BACK TO THE RACE

OCTOBER 10, 2022

(Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania)

We're always thrilled to have countries back into the race for International Feature. This year we have 9 new countries:

Guatemala - The Silence of the Mole
Moldova - Carbon
Nepal - Butterfly on the Windowpane
New Zealand - Muru
Pakistan - Joyland
Philippines - On the Job: The Missing 8
Senegal - Xale
Tanzania - Tug of War
Uganda - Tembele

Guatemala took a break last year from submitting a film. Their last film La Llorona made the shortlisted top 15 so it's amazing to have them back again with the documentary, The Silence of the Mole.

Moldova hasn't submitted a film since 2014 with The Unsaved. Their newest submission, called Carbon, is only their 3rd submission ever. We're excited to have them back and hopefully they'll continue to submit more films in the future.

Nepal is back after not submitting a film for two years. Their newest submission Butterfly on the Windowpane is getting great reviews so we're excited to see this one.

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WHICH WERE THE BEST FILMS THAT WEREN'T SUBMITTED THIS YEAR?

OCTOBER 7, 2022

(R.M.N.)

Every country can only submit one film to be eligible for International Feature, so there will always be fantastic films that miss out. This year, these are the five films that we feel could've been strong contenders:

Tori and Lokita could've been selected for Belgium in any other year, but with Close being a frontrunner it never really had a chance. It currently has a Metacritic score of 74, it's been playing the festival circuit, and it's been very well received. It's about a young boy and an adolescent girl who have travelled alone from Africa to Belgium.

One Fine Morning looked like it would've been picked for France for most of the year, but it got surpassed right at the end by Saint Omer. This film has a Metacritic score of 84 and would've been an easy candidate to be shortlisted. It's about a young woman who lives with her eight year old daughter. With her father suffering from a neurodegenerative disease, they struggle to secure a decent nursing home.

The Eight Mountains suffered, we think, from having the possibilities from being submitted by Belgium or by Italy. Belgium chose Close. Italy chose Nostalgia. This film also has an impressive score of 78 on Metacritic. It's a film about young men, who despite trying to erase the footprints of their fathers, always end up returning home.

Broker is another film that could've been picked by two countries: South Korea and Japan. But Decision to Leave is another frontrunner right now, and since the entire cast is South Korean, despite having a Japanese director, it wasn't enough to be submitted by Japan as well. The film is about two men who run an illegal business together by stealing babies from the church's baby box.

The biggest surprise for us was R.M.N. missing out for Romania. Director Cristian Mungiu's newest film wasn't selected despite having fantastic reviews. He's the director for Beyond the Hills and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. We think that Romania wanted to "spread the wealth" so his film missed out entirely.

Five other films also missed out: R.R.R. for India, Nightsiren for Slovakia, and Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush for Turkey, Godland for Iceland, and Sick of Myself for Norway.

LETTERBOXD AND THE TOP 15

OCTOBER 5, 2022

While we wait for The Academy to officially announce the films eligible for International Feature, let's start predicting who can make the shortlisted top 15 in December. The past 2 years, with Letterboxd, 9-11 of the highest rated films have been selected for the top 15. If we take a look at the current top 15, we can begin by choosing the 11 films that are most likely to make it based on the country, the buzz surrounding the film, and whether it's been picked up by a distributor:

Argentina, 1985 - Argentina
Mars One - Brazil
The Quiet Girl - Ireland
Close - Belgium
Joyland - Pakistan
Decision to Leave - South Korea
Alcarras - Spain
All Quiet on the Western Front - Germany
The Blue Caftan - Morocco
Beautiful Beings - Iceland
Utama - Bolivia

The four films that we didn't include were from Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines and New Zealand. Ngeri-Ngeri Sedap is getting great reviews but the reason why we think it has an outside chance is because their submission last year, Yuni, was also amongst the highest rated films on Letterboxd and it missed out as well. The film from Nepal, Butterfly on the Windowpane, is still relatively unseen so it's a little early to see where it'll land once more people start watching it. On the Job, from the Philippines, is roughly 3 hrs 30 minutes long, which unfortunately will be a detriment to it. The film from New Zealand, Muru, is the one that has the best chance to get shortlisted. We didn't include it only because they've never been shortlisted before. But it looks fantastic.

From there, let's take a look at the next set of films that are generating a lot of attention:

Corsage - Austria
Holy Spider - Denmark
Girl Picture - Finland
Saint Omer - France
World War III - Iran
Bardo - Mexico
War Sailor - Norway
EO - Poland
Klondike - Ukraine

That's 20 films. Right now these are the films we feel that will be competing to make the shortlisted top 15. We of course can replace these with another amazing 20 films, but right now this is where we feel that the category is heading. For all the submissions, please click HERE.

MEXICO, PAKISTAN, SENEGAL AND MALTA ENTER THE RACE

OCTOBER 1, 2022

(Mexico - Bardo)

Four more films have entered the race now, bringing up to the total to 79.

When Bardo debuted back at the Venice Film Festival it was received with tepid reviews and we were unsure if Mexico would still submit it, or if they would go with a lesser known film but with better reviews. Yesterday, the Netflix backed film was announced as their representation. Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu, Bardo is about a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker who returns home and works through an existential crisis as he grapples with his identity, familial relationships, and the folly of his memories. For more information, please click HERE.

We are super thrilled that Pakistan has chosen Joyland. It is so remarkable the strides being made in this country - thank you to the amazing committee that chose it to represent their country. The film is about the happily patriarchal Rana family, who are craving for the birth of a baby boy. The youngest of the Rana men though secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and finds himself falling for a fiercely ambitious trans starlet. For more information, please click HERE.

Malta has now submitted two films in a row. Last year's submission Luzzu was an amazing accomplishment and one of the best films of last year. This year they have picked Carmen. The film takes place in a small Mediterranean village where Carmen has looked after her brother, the local priest, for her entire life. When the Church abandons Carmen, she is mistaken for the new priest. Carmen begins to see the world, and herself, in a new light. For more information, please click HERE.

Senegal is back in the race and we're super happy that they've picked Xale as their film. The film is about Awa, a 15 year old schoolgirl, who is happily living her teenage years alongside her twin brother Adama who dreams of Europe. When their grandmother dies, her aunt Fatou and her uncle Atoumane promise to marry in order to preserve the family union. For more information, please click HERE.

The deadline is this Monday and we're still expecting to hear from Australia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Dominican Republic, Lebanon, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and United Kingdom. Some countries also submit their films without any press. Keep following us to see the last films to be submitted for this year.

A SUMMARY OF THE SECOND SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

(Bolivia, Spain, Iran)

We’ve now had the opportunity to watch 30 of the submissions. We are extremely thankful for everyone who's made this possible. Every single film is super special and made with so much passion and love. We feel it every time we watch a new film. Here are the newest 15 gems:

Bolivia - Utama
Bosnia and Herzegovina - A Ballad
Costa Rica - Domingo and the Mist
Iran - World War III
Israel - Cinema Sabaya
Luxembourg - Icarus
Montenegro - The Elegy of Laurel
Portugal - Alma Viva
Romania - Immaculate
Slovakia - Victim
Spain - Alcarras
Sweden - Boy From Heaven
Switzerland - A Piece of Sky
Tanzania - Tug of War
Tunisia - Under the Fig Trees

Here are our thoughts on these 15 films:

World War III completely shocked us and surprised us. It's the film that we haven't been able to stop thinking about and it's the reason why it tops our list. It's about a man who finally gets the opportunity of a lifetime to be an actor in a film. And at the same time he begins to fall in love with a woman. When these two worlds collide with one another, the outcome is as unpredictable as it comes. The way that director Houman Seyyedi has created this impeccable film that starts out as a comedy but ends up being one of the most frightful endings is something that is rarely achieved. This is the reason why we watch movies.

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TWO BOLD, BRAVE, PERFECT SUBMISSIONS FROM MOROCCO AND DENMARK

SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

(Morocco - The Blue Caftan)

With six days to go before the deadline, Morocco and Denmark have entered the race.

Morocco has decided to go with The Blue Caftan, a film that received raves coming out of the Cannes Film Festival. Directed by acclaimed director Maryam Touzani this film has been generating a lot of buzz. It's about a couple, Halim and Mina, who run a traditional caftan store in one of Morocco's oldest medinas. In order to keep up with demanding customers, they hire a talented young man as an apprentice. Slowly Mina realizes how much her husband is moved by his presence. For more information, please click HERE.

While Denmark has also gone with another Cannes Film Festival favourite: Holy Spider. Ali Abbasi has directed a sensational film about a journalist who descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer," who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners. For more information, please click HERE.

Both films could've easily been overlooked by their committees so we're so thrilled that these two contenders have become official submissions.

With a few more days to go, we're still waiting to hear back from Australia, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Egypt, Lebanon, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and more. Continue following us for all the up-to-date news.

NORWAY, ITALY, ARGENTINA AND ESTONIA ENTER THE RACE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

(Italy - Nostalgia)

We have exactly one week to go now before the deadline and we're up to 68 films.

There were two films that were in contention for Italy: Nostalgia and The Eight Mountains. The latter received raves in its debut and it was a film that could've been submitted for Belgium, Italy or France. And that may have been their problem in the end. Their last hope of being submitted is gone as Italy chose their other highly acclaimed film Nostalgia. It's about Felice who after 40 years of absence, he returns to his hometown: Naples. He rediscovers the places, the codes of the city and a past that eats away at him. For more information, please click HERE.

The Amazon produced film Argentina, 1985 has been chosen for Argentina. The film debuted to stellar reviews at the Venice Film Festival. It's being released in theatres this weekend, before being released on Amazon end of October. It's about a team of lawyers who take on the heads of Argentina's bloody military dictatorship during the 1980s. For more information, please click HERE.

There was also a two-way battle for Norway between Sick of Myself and War Sailor, and the latter ended up prevailing. Directed by Gunnar Vikene, it's about a sailor, Alfred, who is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean when World War II breaks out. For more information, please click HERE.

And Estonia has picked the film Kalev. As the Soviet Union is likely to collapse and the Baltic nations struggle to take back their lost independence, the Soviet Union basketball championship is set to begin. For more information, please click HERE.

We have around 22 films or so to go. Let's see who will end up being the last set of films to be submitted.

MOTHER DISQUALIFIED, A NEW FILM IS CHOSEN FOR BULGARIA

SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

(Bulgaria - In the Heart of the Machine)

A couple of weeks ago, Bulgaria announced that Mother would be their entry for International Feature. The film was sent to The Academy for approval, and a few days later it was revealed that the film has more than 50% in English. It was immediately disqualified and Bulgaria had to go back and pick a new film.

We are super glad that The Academy is super strict with their rules. This category in the Oscars are for films that have the majority spoken in a non-English language. And this rule needs to be maintained. We know that this makes it super difficult for countries like Nigeria and South Africa etc., to find a film to submit some years, but countries like Ireland, Australia, Canada are always able to find one for submission. If this becomes waived then what will stop Ireland from submitting a film like Brooklyn in the future. Or can the UK choose The King's Speech? This is why The Academy needs to enforce their rules.

Bulgaria has now picked In the Heart of the Machine as their entry. And this film meets all the criteria. For more information, please click HERE.

VENICE SENSATION SAINT OMER IS CHOSEN FOR FRANCE

SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

(France - Saint Omer)

Five more countries have entered the race now, bringing up the total number of films to 60. We have around 30 or so to go.

It seemed like the film One Fine Morning was going to be the submission for France back in August. But then Saint Omer made its debut at Venice and the film received instant raves. This morning France confirmed that the Venice hit would be their submission. It follows Rama, a novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly at the Saint-Omer Criminal Court. She wants to use these proceedings as her story to write a modern-day adaptation of the ancient myth of Medea, but things don't go as expected. For more information, please click HERE.

Like France, Sweden also had a tough decision to make but they choose Boy From Heaven. It also received very good reviews in its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. It takes place on the first day back after the summer holidays. The grand imam collapses and dies in front of his students in a prestigious university in Cairo. This marks the start of a ruthless battle for influence to take his place. For more information, please click HERE.

Two animated film have also been submitted. Luxembourg has chosen Icarus as their entry. It takes place on the island of Crete, under the reign of King Minos, where humans worship and fear the Gods of Olympus. For more information, please click HERE. And Kenya has chosen TeraStorm as their entry. It is the world's first feature film produced entirely in a game engine. For more information, please click HERE.

And Moldova has chosen the film Carbon, which just had its world premiere. It's a dark comedy set in the late 90s during the Transnistria War. For more information, please click HERE.

Deadline to submit a film is October 3rd.

FIVE MORE COUNTRIES ENTER THE RACE

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

(Tanzania - Tug of War)

Five more countries have entered the race now, bringing up the total number of films to 55.

Tanzania is back! They haven't submitted a film since 2001. It's about a rebellious young revolutionary who becomes involved with a young Indian-Zanzibari girl who is escaping an oppressive arranged marriage. We're excited to have them back into the Oscar race. For more information, please click HERE.

In what most people consider an upset, India has chosen Last Film Show as their entry and not the extremely popular film RRR. It's important to note that Last Film Show is getting incredible reviews and its entry into this category is fully warranted. The film is about a young boy named Samay. When the magic of movies conquers nine-year old Samay's heart, he moves heaven and earth in pursuit of his 35mm dreams, unaware of the heartbreaking times that await him. For more information, please click HERE.

Serbia has picked the film Darkling to represent them. It's about a letter that's read at the United Nations from a girl from Kosovo. It publicly addresses the difficult life of Serbs, especially Serb children in the enclaves. We've been hearing great things about this film. For more information, please click HERE.

Mediterranean Fever was always the frontrunner for Palestine, and this morning it was confirmed as their entry. It's about a man, Waleed, who dreams of a writing career. While suffering from depression, he develops a relationship with his neighbour, a small time crook. While the scheme turns into an unexpected friendship, it leads them into a journey of dark encounters. For more information, please click HERE.

Bosnia and Herzegovina has chosen A Ballad, from acclaimed director Aida Begic. It's about a woman, Merjem-Meri, who is an unambitious 30 year old homemaker and mother to a 8 year old girl Mila. She decides to move back to her parental home after her 10 years of marriage is coming to an end. For more information, please click HERE.

We have around 40 more submissions to go. For the list of all the films, please click HERE.

A SUMMARY OF THE FIRST SET OF FILMS THAT WE'VE WATCHED

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

(South Korea, Ukraine, Ireland)

We’ve now had the opportunity to watch 15 of the submissions and we’ve been nothing but amazed at the quality of every film we’ve watched. Here they are:

Eternal Spring - Canada
Safe Place - Croatia
Lo Invisible - Ecuador
A Long Break - Georgia
Magnetic Fields - Greece
The Silence of the Mole - Guatemala
The Quiet Girl - Ireland
Plan 75 - Japan
Birthday Boy - Panama
Eami - Paraguay
Decision To Leave - South Korea
Goddamned Asura - Taiwan
Kerr - Turkey
Klondike - Ukraine
The Employer and the Employee - Uruguay

There are several key themes that are recurring with these films. So let’s dive right in:

The Quiet Girl is at the top of our list. It’s a film about a girl who’s neglected and feels alone not only from her peers but from her family as well. She has the opportunity to spend the summer with her Uncle and Aunt. And the girl slowly begins to blossom. The Quiet Girl is the reason why we watch movies. We fall in love with them. And months later we still get teary eyed thinking about them. It’s impeccable filmmaking from start to finish. It’s a slow buildup to a perfect emotional ending that makes it one of the best films of the year.

Click to read more ...

50 SUBMISSIONS HAVE NOW BEEN ANNOUNCED

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

(Iceland - Beautiful Beings)

Iceland has officially become the 50th country to be submitted for International Feature. It was a tight race between Beautiful Beings and Godland, two very well received films. Beautiful Beings is about a teenage boy raised by a clairvoyant mother who takes a bullied kid into his gang of violent outsiders. For more information, please click HERE.

New Zealand is back in the race after skipping last year. They have picked Muru as their entry. Inspired by actual events, Muru is the story of a local police sergeant who must choose between his badge and his people, when the government launches an armed raid through his Ruatoki community on a school day. For more information, please click HERE.

Nepal is also back in the race after not submitting a film last year. Their entry is called Butterfly on the Windowpane. The film is about a studious Bidya as she prepares for her further studies, but her juvenile brother Basanta distracts her with his antics. For more information, please click HERE.

Romania always has a lot of great films to choose from and this year it was R.M.N. who was eliminated as Immaculate was chosen as their entry. The film is about a young Daria who enters rehab. Her perceived innocence gains her the protection of the mostly male junkies inside, but she soon finds out that this special treatment comes at a great price. For more information, please click HERE.

Portugal has decided to go with Alma Viva. Like every summer, little Salome returns to a family village in the mountains. Suddenly her beloved grandmother dies. While the adults are fighting over the funeral, Salome is haunted by the spirit of the one who was considered a witch. For more information, please click HERE.

We have around 40 more submissions to go. For the list of all the films, please click HERE.

THE CURRENT FRONTRUNNER? MAYBE. BELGIUM CHOOSES CLOSE

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

(Belgium - Close)

Belgium had a trio of films to choose from this year: Close, The Eight Mountains (it can still be picked for Italy), and Tori and Lokita. But despite the tough competition, it always felt like Close would be picked as it received critical acclaim after its debut earlier this year. It's about the intense friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi which suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Leo approaches Sophie, Remi's mother.

Close becomes Belgium's 47th entry, and they've been having lots of success lately. They've been nominated seven times already, including in 2011 for Bullhead and 2013 for The Broken Circle Breakdown. More recently, they made the shortlist for The Brand New Testament in 2015 and last year for Playground. Close will continue that momentum.

The film made a huge splash with its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. It's played in Sydney, Karlovy Vary, New Zealand, Melbourne, the mighty Telluride Film Festival, Vancouver, and more. It's already been picked up by A24 and it'll start its theatrical run in France in November 2022.

For more information, please click HERE.

SUBMISSION #40 BELONGS TO THE SUNDANCE HIT UTAMA FROM BOLIVIA

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

(Bolivia - Utama)

After it's huge debut at Sundance Film Festival back in January 2022, we knew that Bolivia would submit Utama. It takes place in the Bolivian highlands, where an elderly Quechua couple has been living the same daily life for years. During an uncommonly long drought, Virginio and his wife face a dilemma: resist or be defeated by the environment and time itself.

Utama is the 14th submission now for Bolivia. They've never been nominated or made the shortlist before with The Academy but this is the year that might be their breakthrough. With a current Metacritic score of 80, and raves all around this might be the time for Bolivia to receive their first nomination.

The film, as mentioned, debuted at Sundance, and it's played in Seattle, Sydney, Minneapolis and numerous other film festivals. It's next playing at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2022. They also have Kino Lorber as their distributer, so a USA release date should happen soon.

For more information, please click HERE.

FOUR MORE COUNTRIES ENTER THE RACE

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

(Georgia - A Long Break)

Another four countries have entered the race, making the grand total of films submitted up to 39. We're almost at the halfway mark now with around 15 days to go.

Kazakhstan has selected Life as their entry. It's about a tech company that digitizes memories and experiences but they suffer a catastrophic loss. The film is nearly three hours long. Kazakhstan has made the shortlist twice for Kelin in 2009 and Ayka in 2018. For more information, please click HERE.

The Georgian entry this year is A Long Break. After 13 years, Tsitsi initiates a reunion with his former classmates with a seemingly harmless cause: they have not seen each other since graduation and the reason for the gathering is to remember school and have a drink but Tsitsi has a secret motivation. Georgia made the shortlist back in 2014 for the wonderful Corn Island. For more information, please click HERE.

The Elegy of Laurel is the entry for Montenegro. The film is about Filip, a sophisticated professor, who goes on vacation with his wife despite knowing that their marriage is over. To escape from his problems, he heads deep into the forest, where he meets his mother and falls in love with a girl that was once a snake. We're intrigued. For more information, please click HERE.

And Kosovo has entered Looking For Venera. It's about a quiet teenager, Venera, who lives in a small town in Kosovo. At home, there are three generations that are crawling together in a small house, creating a place without any privacy for the young girl. Kosovo had a major breakthrough last year when Hive made the shortlisted top 15 list. For more information, please click HERE.

The next couple of weeks will be super busy as 40+ submissions will be announced. We'll keep you updated with everything that's happening.

IS IT A SAFE PLACE FOR CROATIA? WE THINK SO.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

(Croatia - Safe Place)

Another film has been announced today and it's another film with a ton of buzz. Safe Place has been chosen for Croatia. It follows Damir, who's trying to take his own life while his family wants to save him. Everything happens over a period of just 24 hours.

Safe Place is the 31st submission for Croatia. They've unfortunately never been nominated yet for The Academy, nor have they made the shortlist, but they've been submitting such high quality films lately, that it feels like this is the time that they can get noticed. Last year, they released one of the best films with Tereza 37.

Directed by Juraj Lerotic, Safe Place debuted to great reviews at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2022 and it followed up with the Sarajevo Film Festival a few weeks later.

For more information, please click HERE.

A TRIO OF TOP CONTENDERS ARE ANNOUNCED TODAY

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

Three festival favourites were announced as official submissions this morning: Girl Picture from Finland, Corsage from Austria and Alcarras from Spain.

Girl Picture from Finland is about three young women who try to defy the persistent winter darkness in Finland. In the process, they move between dreams, reality, friendship and relationships, and try to make sense of the whole mess. It debuted to great reviews back in January 2022 at the Sundance Film Festival. It followed that up with numerous film festivals, including Berlin and Seoul. It was picked up by Strand and released in theatres in August 12, 2022 and it's now available on iTunes in Canada. With The Fencer and Compartment No. 6 having made the shortlisted top 15 the past few years, let's see if Girl Picture can continue the streak. With a high Metacritic score of 80, it's definitely a contender to be shortlisted later this year. For more information, please click HERE.

Vicky Krieps is the star in Corsage, the latest submission from Austria. Having won the Academy Awards twice for Amour and The Counterfeiters, Austria is always a contender. Last year they were super close at a nomination with Great Freedom. Corsage is about a fictional account of the later years of Empress Elisabeth of Austria. On Christmas Eve 1877, Elisabeth turns 40 and is officially deemed an old woman and starts trying to maintain her public image, once idolized for her beauty. It debuted at Cannes in May 2022 to raves, it was picked up by IFC Films, and it's scheduled to be released in theatres December 23rd. With a current Metacritic score of 81, it can definitely get a nomination. For more information, please click HERE.

Spain shortlisted three potential films to be their next submission: Alcarras, Lullaby and The Beasts. This morning the frontrunner was chosen with Alcarras. It follows the life of a family of peach farmers in a small village in Catalonia. When the owner of their large estate dies and his lifetime heir decides to sell the land, suddenly their livelihood is threatened. It debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and quickly became a frontrunner for International Feature. It got picked up by Mubi, and with a Metacritic score of 87, it feels like a nomination might be possible. Spain has won the Oscar 4 times, they made the shortlist last year for The Good Boss and was nominated for Pain and Glory in 2019. For more information, please click HERE.

AND IT'S NARCOSIS FOR THE NETHERLANDS

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

(Netherlands - Narcosis)

Netherlands also announced a shortlist of eleven films back in August 2022, which included Along the Way, The Last Ride of the Wolves, and Pink Moon. The film that ended up on top was Narcosis, directed by Martijn de Jong. The film is about a young family that is hit by a terrible tragedy and has to deal with it in its own unique way.

As the 55th submission for Netherlands, Narcosis hopes to continue with the success the country has had with The Academy. They've won the big prize three times for The Assault in 1986, for Antonia's Line in 1995, and for Character in 1997. They've been nominated four more times, with most recently Zus and Zo in 2002 and Twin Sisters in 2003. They've also been shortlisted three times: in 2006 for Black Book, in 2009 for Winter in Wartime and in 2014 for Accused.

The film is making its world-wide premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival in September 24, 2022, followed by a theatrical release across The Netherlands.

For more information, please click HERE.

CZECHIA GOES FROM 15 SHORTLISTED FILMS DOWN TO IL BOEMO

SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

(Czechia - Il Boemo)

Czechia, back in August 2022, announced 15 films that were in consideration as their submission. They included Borders of Love, Nightsiren and Victim. This morning it was announced that Il Boemo would represent them, and from the looks of the first set of images released, it looks incredibly beautiful. Nightsiren, Victim and a few other films on this shortlist might still be eligible for Slovakia. Il Boemo is about a man Josef, who while looking for work as a violinist, he comes into orbit with a rich young woman. She introduces him to a hedonistic existence free from religious intolerance.

Il Boemo is now the 29th submission for Czechia. And they've been doing really well recently. The fantastic films The Painted Bird and Charlatan both made the list of shortlisted films with The Academy in 2019 and 2020. They also won the Oscar back in 1996 for Kolya. They were also shortlisted in 2000 for Divided We Fall and in 2003 for Zelary.

The film will make its worldwide premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival on September 19th, followed by a theatrical release in Czechia in October.

For more information, please click HERE.

IT WAS A HARD CHOICE BUT TURKEY PICKS KERR

SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

(Turkey - Kerr)

Turkey is a country that always has a lot of films to choose from. Last month, they shortlisted nine films for consideration. They were the following: Allah Yazdiysa, Bandirma Fuze, Bergen, Burning Days, It's All About Peace and Harmony, Kerr, Klondike, Silenced Tree and Time of Impatience. Klondike was picked for Ukraine, which removed itself from consideration. Many thought Burning Days was the frontrunner after that, but it was revealed that Kerr would be their choice in the end. It's about a man who witnesses a murder in a small town and is not allowed to leave after his testimony with the police.

Kerr becomes the 29th submission for Turkey. Despite having a ton of acclaimed films, they've only been shortlisted once before for Three Monkeys back in 2008. Some of our other favourite films include Once Upon a Time in Anatolia and The Wild Pear Tree. Kerr, directed by Tayfun Pirselimoglu, might be their second time being shortlisted.

Kerr debuted back in March 2021 in Bari, and then proceeded to play in Antalya in October 2021. It's been a part of the Warsaw Film Festival and the Montpellier Film Festival. It debuted in theatres in France, Turkey and Greece in April 2022. It'll debut in Mubi Turkey at the end of September.

For more information, please click HERE.

CANNES FILM DOMINGO AND THE MIST IS SUBMITTED FOR COSTA RICA

SEPTEMBER 10, 2022

(Domingo and the Mist - Costa Rica)

After its debut at Cannes Film Festival, we were fairly certain that Costa Rica would choose Domingo and the Mist as their entry. It takes place in a small town where Domingo lives. It is being threatened by thugs hired by a developer to expel its inhabitants and pave the way for the construction of a highway. But Domingo's land hides a secret: the ghost of his wife who visits him within the mist.

Domingo and the Mist is now the 11th film to be submitted for Costa Rica. Their first ever entry was back in 2005 and they've now been consistently submitting films ever since. Unfortunately they haven't been nominated yet, nor made the shortlist. The highly acclaimed film from last year, Clara Sola, was probably very close. Let's see what happens with this film, who was directed by Ariel Escalante.

As mentioned, the film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022, and then it was screened at the Neuchatel Festival in July 2022. Its next festival will be in Toronto next week.

For more information, please click HERE.

THE DREAMY UNDER THE FIG TREES WILL REPRESENT TUNISIA

SEPTEMBER 9, 2022

(Under the Fig Trees - Tunisia)

Under the Fig Trees was the frontrunner for Tunisia after it made its debut last year, and this morning it was confirmed that this gorgeous film would represent its country. Director Erige Sehiri's film is about young women and men who are working the summer harvest who begin to develop new feelings, who begin to flirt, and who begin to try to understand each other with deeper connections, under the trees.

This film will be Tunisia's 9th submission for International Feature. As a relatively new country, they have already received an Oscar nomination. The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated in 2020. Let's see if Under the Fig Trees can make it their second nominee.

The film debuted at the Venice Film Festival in September 2021, and then continued its hot streak by entering the Cannes Film Festival in May 2022. It also played at the Munich International Film Festival, and it'll play in Toronto in a couple of weeks.

For more information, please click HERE.

WAR MOVIE KLONDIKE IS THE OFFICIAL SUBMISSION FOR UKRAINE

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

(Klondike - Ukraine)

Last month, Klondike was listed as one of the shortlisted films for Turkey, and then earlier this week it was also listed as the hopeful submission for Ukraine. It was uncertain which country would submit this fantastic film, but this afternoon Ukraine announced it as their choice. It's about the story of a Ukrainian family living on the border of Russia and Ukraine during the start of the war. Irka refuses to leave her house even as the village gets captured by armed forces. Shortly after they find themselves at the centre of an international air crash catastrophe on July 17, 2014.

Maryna Er Gorbach's film becomes the 15th submission for Ukraine. They haven't been nominated before nor made the shortlist, which is a shame because the last few films that they've submitted have been outstanding, including Donbass and Atlantis.

Klondike made a huge splash at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, before continuing its journey to Berlin, Cleveland, Seattle and Milwaukee. It's already played in theatres in Brazil and it plans to screen in Ukraine in November 2022.

For more information, please click HERE.

SLOVENIA HAS SUBMITTED ORCHESTRA, WHILE HUNGARY SUBMITS BLOCKADE

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

(Orchestra - Slovenia)

Director Matevz Luzar and his film Orchestra has been selected to represent Slovenia this year for International Feature. It's about a small town orchestra who goes on tour to Austria, which for many of them it's an occasion to escape their everyday lives, indulge in heavy partying and to try to connect with their true emotions.

Slovenia has unfortunately never been nominated or made the shortlist with The Academy. Orchestra will be its 26th submission. Early reviews indicate that this film is excellent, so we're hoping that this is the year that Slovenia will get its first nomination.

Orchestra debuted at the Cottbus Film Festival in Germany in November 2021, before heading to the Trieste Film Festival in January 2022, and it just screened at the Beijing International Film Festival last month. For more information, please click HERE.

Hungary has also submitted their film today and they're going with Blockade. It takes place in 1990 where Prime Minister Jozsef Antall faces the most difficult test of his life: taxi drivers are blockading the whole country as a protest against the drastic rise in petrol prices.

Blockade becomes the 58th submission for Hungary. And they've had a lot of success. Son of Saul won the Oscar in 2015 and Mephisto won in 1981. They've been nominated a further eight times, including in 2017 with On Body and Soul. And just recently they've made the shortlist in 2013 with The Notebook and in 2019 with Those Who Remained.

The film hasn't debuted yet, but it's planning to be released in theatres in Hungary next month in October 2022. For more information, please click HERE.

ALGERIA AND GREECE ENTER THE RACE

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

(Our Brothers - Algeria)

This morning Algeria has announced that Our Brothers will represent them this year for International Feature. The film is about Malik Oussekinean, a 22 years old student, whose death is believed to have happened by police violence after several weeks of student protests against a university reform bill. The acclaimed director of this film is Rachid Bouchareb.

Our Brothers will be Algeria's 24th submission. And as mentioned, Rachid Bouchareb has already been nominated three times for the Oscars: 1995 for Dust of Life, 2006 for Days of Glory, and 2010 for Outside the Law. Will his latest film continue this amazing streak? Algeria also won the Academy Award back in 1969 for Z.

Our Brothers debuted at Cannes Film Festival this year. For more information, please click HERE.

Greece has submitted the film Magnetic Fields. It's about a man and woman, who having met by chance on the way to an island, decide to wander around together in search of a good place to bury a metallic box.

Magnetic Fields has become the 42nd submission for Greece. Yorgos Lanthimos' film Dogtooth, the director of The Favourite, is the last time Greece was nominated back in 2010. They've had some pretty remarkable movies after that, including Apples and Chevalier. Let's see what happens with this latest entry.

Magnetic Fields debuted at the Thessaloniki Film Festival in November 2021. For more information, please click HERE.

MARS ONE WILL FLY FOR BRAZIL

SEPTEMBER 5, 2022

(Mars One - Brazil)

Around a week ago, Brazil announced a shortlisted list of six films to choose from which were the following: Charcoal, Mars One, The Mother, Pacified, Paloma and Pedro, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. And this morning, we're thrilled to announce, that Mars One has been chosen. The film is about a lower class family of four who try to continue their lives following the election of a right-wing president. The president represents everything they are not.

Mars One will be the 52nd submission for Brazil. The last time they were nominated was back in 1998 for Central Station. They were also nominated the year before, in 1997, for Four Days in September, and in 1995 for O Quatrilho. They also made the shortlisted list in 2007 for The Year My Parents Went on Vacation. They should've received more recognition for some fantastic films like City of God, The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao and Private Desert. Let's hope that Mars One will make an impact this year.

Mars One, directed by Gabriel Martins, made its world debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and has then continued to screen at several other festivals, including Tribeca, Edinburgh and Goteborg. The film already has a distributor in the USA, Magnolia, so let's hope that'll be released soon in theatres.

For more information, please click HERE.

GOODBYE AUGUST - HELLO SEPTEMBER

SEPTEMBER 4, 2022

(The Eight Mountains)

August has come and gone and we're now in September. So far, we've had 12 submissions, which is relatively low for this time of the year. This means that the next 4 weeks will be crazy busy as around 80 submissions will be announced. The deadline to submit is October 3rd so we're less than a month away.

We've been lucky to have watched 7 of the submissions so far, and the quality this year is astounding. All of our reviews can be read by clicking HERE.

You can also check HERE to see if the official submissions are currently playing at film festivals, if they've found a distributer, if they're scheduled to be released in theatres, or if they're already streaming on video on demand, like Netflix, Amazon or iTunes.

We're slowing updating the tracker section of our page. Our projected top 15 will begin once more submissions have been announced. The projected top 15 will be based on who we think will be nominated and not based on our favourite films.

Keep checking us out as more submissions are announced.

THE TRIBECA HIT JANUARY WILL REPRESENT LATVIA

SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

(January - Latvia)

When January debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year, it quickly became the favourite to represent Latvia at the Oscars, and this afternoon it has been confirmed. It focuses on a young-aspiring filmmaker right during the backdrop of Latvian independence.

As the 14th submission for Latvia, January is hoping to become the first film from its country to get shortlisted for the Oscars. They've been submitting high quality films the past couple of years, like The Mover and Blizzard of Souls, so they've come close. It only takes one film to bring a ton of attention to a country's film industry so let's see if January can be that film.

As mentioned earlier, January made its worldwide debut at Tribeca in June. There's no other mention of upcoming dates or festivals so let's see what happens in the next couple of months.

For more information, please click HERE.

ANOTHER CANNES FAVOURITE IS SUBMITTED - JAPAN PICKS PLAN 75

SEPTEMBER 2, 2022

(Plan 75 - Japan)

When Decision to Leave was chosen for South Korea, the attention was brought to Japan to see if they would nominate Broker, the latest film from director Hirokazu Koreeda. But this morning the last hope for the film being submitted for International Feature was gone when Plan 75, the other top contender for Japan was submitted instead. Plan 75 is about a government program who encourages senior citizens to be euthanized to remedy an aged society. The film centers on three people: an elderly woman whose means of survival are vanishing, a pragmatic Plan 75 salesman, and a Filipino laborer.

Plan 75 is the 65th submission for Japan, and as we all know, they won the Academy Award last year for Drive My Car. Their other Academy Award win came in 2008 for Departures. In 2018, Koreeda's film Shoplifters was nominated, and they've been nominated 11 other times.

Plan 75 made a huge splash at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and shortly after it was released in theatres in Japan. It has also screened at the Jerusalem and Taoyuan Film Festivals. It's hitting theatres in Singapore and Taiwan shortly as well.

For more information, please click HERE.

PANAMA'S BIRTHDAY BOY CAN CELEBRATE

AUGUST 31, 2022

(Birthday Boy - Panama)

This morning Birthday Boy, the official submission for Panama, became the 10th film to be submitted for International Feature. Directed by Arturo Montenegro and starring Albi De Abreu, it follows a man named Jimmy who has invited his intimate circle of friends to a weekend at his beach house to celebrate his 45th birthday. But, he has been keeping a secret from them all. Does the birthday boy have a reason to celebrate his birthday?

Panama is really new to submitting films, as Birthday Boy becomes the 8th submission for them. Arturo Montenegro has already been submitted for Everybody Changes in 2019 and last year Plaza Catedral by Abner Benaim had a major breakthrough for the country, having made the shortlisted top 15 films. Let's hope that Birthday Boy can continue the momentum.

The film hasn't had an official screening yet but it's scheduled to be released in theatres in Panama on September 15th. From there, it'll start debuting at international film festivals.

For more information, please click HERE.

CANNES FAVOURITE EO IS POLAND'S SUBMISSION

AUGUST 30, 2022

(EO - Poland)

Earlier this month, Poland announced their shortlisted films, which included The Balcony Movie, Broad Peak, EO, Fucking Bornholm, Silent Land and Woman on the Roof. This morning they picked the early and Cannes Film Festival favourite EO as their submission. With so many films in contention every year, a film like EO might be able to stand out due to its subject matter. It follows a donkey through his joys and lows, through his interactions with people, some good and some bad, as it journeys along modern Europe.

EO has become Poland's 54th submission. They've been in quite a hot streak with Ida winning the Oscar in 2014, followed by nominations in 2018 and 2019 with Cold War and Corpus Christi.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May, followed by the Jerusalem and Hong Kong International Film Festivals. It'll have its North American debut at the New York Film Festival in October, followed by a theatrical release on November 18th, with their distributor Janus Films.

For more information, please click HERE.

ECUADOR HAS JOINED THE PARTY - THEY'VE SUBMITTED LO INVISIBLE

AUGUST 26, 2022

(Lo Invisible - Ecuador)

Ecuador announced yesterday that they have chosen a drama film as their submission for International Feature. Directed by Javier Andrade and starring Anahi Hoeneisen, the film is about a woman, Luisa, who returns from a psychiatric clinic after a bout with severe postpartum depression. She enters a new confinement in her dazzling home, surrounded by family members and a brigade of servants who expect her struggles to remain invisible.

Lo Invisible is the 11th submission for Ecuador. They haven't had a nomination yet but as a relatively new country in the Oscar category I'm sure they've come really close. Their last two films submitted, Emptiness and Submersible, were exceptionally good. Let's see what happens with their newest submission.

The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2021, and in March 2022 it was part of the Malaga Film Festival. Let's hope that Lo Invisible will be released in theatres soon in North America.

For more information, please click HERE.

A DOCUMENTARY HAS BEEN SUBMITTED - CANADA CHOOSES ETERNAL SPRING

AUGUST 25, 2022

(Eternal Spring - Canada)

Canada announced yesterday that they have chosen Eternal Spring, an animated documentary directed by Jason Loftus. It takes place in March 2002, as a state TV station in China was hijacked by members of the outlawed spiritual group Falun Gong. Their goal was to counter the government narrative about their practice. In the aftermath, police raids swept Changchun City, and comic book illustrator Daxiong, a Falun Gong practitioner, was forced to flee.

Canada was in a super hot streak from 2010 to 2012 when they were nominated three years in a row for Incendies, Monsieur Lazhar, and War Witch. They also won The Academy Award in 2003 for The Barbarian Invasions. Eternal Spring is their 48th submission, and as an animated documentary, they're hoping it becomes the next Flee, which was nominated for International Feature, Animated, and Documentary last year at The Oscars.

Eternal Spring debuted in March 2022 at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. From there, it's been played at a dozen or so film festivals, including Krakow, San Francisco, Melbourne and more. It is scheduled to be released in theatres in Canada on September 23rd, as well as play at the New York Film Festival on October 14th.

For more information, please click HERE.

NETFLIX IS IN THE RACE AS GERMANY PICKS ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

AUGUST 24, 2022

(All Quiet on the Western Front - Germany)

Germany, as expected, had a ton of films to choose from but it felt like it was a battle between Rabiye Kumaz Vs. George W. Bush and All Quiet on the Western Front. This afternoon they decided to go with the World War I film, directed by Edward Berger and Netflix as the distributor. It's about a young soldier's terrifying experiences and distress on the western front during the war, with Daniel Bruhl as the lead.

Germany has had 61 submissions for International Feature. They've won The Academy Awards three times for The Tin Drum in 1979, Nowhere in Africa in 2002 and The Lives of Others in 2006. They've been further nominated 16 times. They made the shortlist last year for I'm Your Man. It's safe to say that they're always a contender.

All Quiet on the Western Front will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12th and it'll be released everywhere on October 28th with Netflix.

For more information, please click HERE.

THE EMPLOYER AND THE EMPLOYEE WILL REPRESENT URUGUAY

AUGUST 19, 2022

(The Employer and the Employee - Uruguay)

Uruguay narrowed down their selection to three films earlier this month: Bosco, The Employer and the Employee and Nine. This afternoon they have announced that the drama, directed by Manolo Nieto, would be their choice. It's about a young man, the employer, who comes from a middle-class family. He has one pressing concern: his baby's health. An even younger man, the employee, is in an urgent need for his job so that he can support his family. From there the convoluted relationship begins.

The Employer and the Employee is the 21st submission for Uruguay. They've been nominated once, back in 1992, for A Place in the World, but it ended up being disqualified. They've been producing and directing some great films in the past few years, like Aleli and A Twelve-Year Night. Let's see if they can get their first nomination this year.

The film has been playing in film festivals since July 2021, where it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. From there, it has screened at Karlovy and Beijing and numerous other festivals before being released in theatres in Argentina, France, Brazil and Uruguay. Let's hope it'll get a release date soon in North America.

For more information, please click HERE.

THE EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANNOUNCE THEIR TOP 30 FILMS

AUGUST 18, 2022

(Boy From Heaven)

The European Film Academy has released their shortlisted top 30 films this morning. Of these 30 films, 25 of them could be in consideration for International Feature, as the other five are in English, like Belfast and Triangle of Sadness. Let's take a look at what films made the top 30:

Official Submission:
The Quiet Girl - Ireland

Likely Submissions:
As Far As I Can Walk - Serbia
Boy From Heaven - Sweden
Burning Days - Turkey
Close - Belgium
Corsage - Austria
EO - Poland
Girl Picture - Finland
Holy Spider - Denmark
Mediterranean Fever - Cyprus or Palestine
More Than Ever - Norway

Spain has a couple of entries. Alcarras feels like the frontrunner but The Beasts and Maixabel also made the list. Godland seems like the safest bet for Iceland, but Beautiful Beings could be their choice as well. For Italy, it feels like The Eight Mountains has the most momentum, but it could be Nostalgia or The Hole. One Fine Morning seems to be the one for France, but you never know with them. Portugal has two films with Pacifiction and Will-O'-The-Wisp. Rabiye Kurnaz Vs. George W. Bush seems to be leading right now for Germany but that's another tough one.

Tori and Lokita is another contender for Belgium, but we feel like it will be Close. And Women Do Cry didn't make the list for Bulgaria's shortlisted films, so we think it wasn't eligible. R.M.N. surprisingly didn't make the list.

The nominations will be announced November 8th. To read more about the shortlisted films please click HERE.

TAIWAN SUBMITS GODDAMNED ASURA - A HORROR FILM

AUGUST 15, 2022

(Goddamned Asura - Taiwan)

It's very rare for a horror film to be submitted for International Feature, but this morning Taiwan submitted Goddamned Asura as their choice. It's about a young man, on his 18th birthday, who commits a random shooting in a crowded night market.

Goddamned Asura becomes Taiwan's 38th submission for International Feature. Ang Lee is Taiwan's most acclaimed director, having won the Academy Award once for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon back in 2000, and being nominated two more times for The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman before then. More recently they made the shortlist for Warriors of the Rainbow in 2011 and just a few years ago for A Sun in 2020.

The film is currently playing at film festivals, just recently being screened at the Taiwan Film Festival in Australia and the Vancouver Taiwanese Film Festival. It plans to play at the Hong Kong International Film Festival end of August.

For more information, please click HERE.

WHERE WE ARE NOW AS MID-AUGUST APPROACHES

AUGUST 13, 2022

(Broker)

The deadline to submit a movie is October 3rd this year, which means a ton of submissions will be announced soon. Last year there were 93 submissions. Most countries have set end of August dates for filmmakers to submit their films into consideration. And soon after, each country should be announcing their picks. Right now three films have been announced: Decision To Leave, The Quiet Girl, and A Piece of Sky.

South Korea had two very high profile movies this year. Decision To Leave was ultimately chosen so now what happens to Broker? There's still a small chance that Japan will submit it, as the director is Hirokazu Koreeda, whose latest film Shoplifters was nominated for the Oscar for Japan.

A few countries have also released their shortlisted films, such as Bulgaria, Israel, Netherlands and Uruguay. France will announce their top three choices on September 15th. Brazil will make their selection on September 9th. Romania is scheduled to make their decision around August 22nd. Uganda should make their choice around September 15th. Poland should be announcing their decision soon, which will hopefully be EO. It'll be very interesting to see who Belgium will submit, as well as Italy.

Keep checking this site, as well as Twitter and Instagram for constant updates on announcements, plus all reviews and predictions as well. We're just getting started.

THE EARLY FRONTRUNNER? - SOUTH KOREA CHOOSES DECISION TO LEAVE

AUGUST 11, 2022

(Decision To Leave - South Korea)

South Korea had a very tough decision between two films this year: Broker and Decision To Leave. They chose this morning Chan-Wook Park's highly acclaimed film Decision To Leave. The film is about a detective investigating a man's death in the mountains, who ends up meeting the dead man's mysterious wife. Debuting at Cannes Film Festival, and featuring stunning performances from Tang Wei and Hae-Il Park, this film has already been called a masterpiece and could be the early frontrunner, if not a sure-bet for a nomination.

Decision To Leave will be South Korea's 34th submission. They had never made a shortlist until Burning in 2018. And a year later, they produced perhaps the best film ever made in Parasite, which won the Oscar. Let's see what happens next for them.

Mubi has become their distributor and the film will continue to be played at a few more film festivals, including Toronto and New York, before debuting in theatres on October 14th.

For more information, please click HERE.

THE SECOND SUBMISSION - A PIECE OF SKY WILL REPRESENT SWITZERLAND

AUGUST 5, 2022

(A Piece of Sky - Switzerland)

Switzerland has now become the second country to announce their submission. A Piece of Sky, directed by Michael Koch, was chosen from a list of nine films, which included Ursula Meier's new film The Line. This film takes place in a remote mountain village, where Anna, played by Michele Brand, tries to preserve her young love for Marco against all odds.

A Piece of Sky will be Switzerland's 50th submission. They have won the Oscar twice. The first time in 1984 for Dangerous Moves and the second time in 1990 for Journey of Hope. The last time Switzerland made the shortlist was in 2016 for the incredible animated film My Life as a Courgette. And before that was Ursula Meier's film Sister, back in 2012.

A Piece of Sky made its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February.

For more information, please click HERE.

AND SO IT BEGINS - IRELAND SUBMITS THE QUIET GIRL

AUGUST 2, 2022

(The Quiet Girl - Ireland)

Ireland has become the first country to announce their submission for the 95th Academy Awards. Directed by Colm Bairead, The Quiet Girl is about a neglected girl who is sent away from her dysfunctional family to live with her foster parents for the summer.

The Quiet Girl is the 9th film that Ireland has submitted for the Oscars. They have made the shortlist once with Viva, and their last two entries, Arracht and Foscadh have been exceptional. Let's see if The Quiet Girl can be the first Oscar nominee for Ireland. It already has the buzz, so let's see.

The film has already been released in theatres in Ireland and the UK, while it continues to play at film festivals elsewhere. Let's hope that it'll be released soon in the USA/Canada.

For more information, please click HERE.

THE HALFWAY MARK

JUNE 26, 2022

(Close)

We've reached the halfway point now in the year and that means we're probably around three weeks or so from the first country announcing their submission for International Feature. We're ready and anxiously waiting for it to get started. As of right now, before any films have been announced, it feels like there are five films that have poised themselves as early contenders: Decision To Leave, Broker, Close, EO and Alcarras.

We will be here to cover every submission, including reviews, trailers, images, film festival entries, acquisitions, theatre release dates, streaming availability, background information and more on every single film submitted.

Please continue to check for updates. As films are announced, we will be updating the submission and tracker pages. And check out our Instagram and Twitter pages for constant updates as well. The 95th Oscar season will begin shortly.

THE CANNES 2022 FILM FESTIVAL WRAP-UP

MAY 29, 2022

The 75th Cannes Film Festival wrapped up today with Triangle of Sadness winning the top prize. This film is in English, so it won't be eligible for the 95th International Feature category. All the winners can be found HERE. As expected though, there were a ton of potential contenders that could be submitted. Belgium has the toughest choice with Close and The Eight Mountains opening up to rave reviews. Here are the other films that received a lot of attention:

Corsage (Austria)
Close or The Eight Mountains (Belgium)
Holy Spider (Denmark)
One Fine Morning or Mother and Son (France)
More Than Ever (Germany)
Godland (Iceland)
Leila's Brothers (Iran)
Nostalgia (Italy)
Broker (Japan)
Sick of Myself (Norway)
EO (Poland)
R.M.N (Romania)
Decision to Leave (South Korea)
Boy From Heaven (Sweden)

It's always difficult to predict which country will submit which film, as Close could be submitted for Netherlands. Holy Spider is an Iranian film but produced in Denmark. Boy From Heaven is an Egyptian film but a Swedish production. Broker was directed by a Japanese director but the entire cast is South Korean. And France, as always, has a ton of films to choose from. It feels right now that Decision to Leave is the frontrunner, earning the best reviews so far. Let's see what happens next ...

KEY DATES HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED FOR THE 95TH ACADEMY AWARDS

MAY 15, 2022

The 95th Oscars will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023. The show will air live on ABC. The key date for the International Feature category will be on October 3, 2022. All films eligible for best International Feature must be submitted before that date. The next announcement will be on December 21, 2022. This is when the 90+ submissions will get reduced down to 15. The nominations will be announced on January 24, 2023. This is when the final 15 will go down to the 5 nominees for the 95th Academy Awards.

International Feature Film Deadline, October 3, 2022
Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Wednesday, December 21, 2022
Nominations voting begins 9 a.m. PT: Thursday, January 12, 2023
Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT: Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Oscar Nominations Announcement: Tuesday, January 24, 2023
Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Monday, February 13, 2023
Finals voting begins 9 a.m. PT: Thursday, March 2, 2023
Finals voting ends 5 p.m. PT: Tuesday, March 7, 2023
95th Oscars: Sunday, March 12, 2023

It is super exciting that the deadline for submissions will be moved back to October, since last year it was in November. This extra time will help all submissions to be seen and for them to gain momentum and buzz before the voting begins.

SO WHO ARE THE EARLY CONTENDERS FOR 2022?

MAY 7, 2022

(Utama)

As we continue on with the 2022 season, let's take a look at the first set of films that have received very strong reviews. There haven't been any official submissions yet, as countries will start to announce their choices around August, but let's take a look at the ten films so far that could be contenders if they're officially submitted:

You Won't Be Alone (Australia)
Rimini (Austria)
Utama (Bolivia)
Speak No Evil (Denmark)
Hatching (Finland)
Both Sides of the Blade (France)
Nana (Indonesia)
The Novelist's Film (South Korea)
Alcarras (Spain)
Klondike (Ukraine)

Now we wait until the Cannes Film Festival, which begins on May 17th. From there, we'll start to get a better idea of which films will begin to gain momentum towards the new season.

THE 92 SUBMISSIONS FOR 2021

APRIL 27, 2022

(Luzzu)

The 92 submissions for 2021 can be found HERE.

With only 15 films making the shortlist, there will always be a ton of amazing films that are ignored but here's a few that definitely need to be mentioned:

Do Not Hesitate - Netherlands (available now on Eventive)
Fear - Bulgaria (available now on iTunes)
The Gravedigger's Wife - Somalia (no release date)
Luzzu - Malta (available now on iTunes)
Private Desert - Brazil (no release date)
Tigers - Sweden (no release date)

It's impossible now to go back and review all the films as the new season is about to start, and it's time to move on. But I feel extremely lucky to have had the chance to watch almost all of them.

Of all these 92 films, I only didn't watch five of them: Algeria, Haiti, Lebanon, Tunisia and Uzbekistan.

The goal for this site is to hopefully make these films more accessible to everyone as they all deserve to be seen. Once the new season begins I'll dedicate all my effort into promoting, reviewing and sharing all the information as it comes in.

AND WHO ELSE MADE THE SHORTLISTED TOP 15?

APRIL 24, 2022

(Plaza Catedral)

On December 21, 2021, along with the five films mentioned previously, these 10 films also made the short-list, to make the top 15 for the 2021 International Feature category:

Great Freedom - Austria (available soon on Mubi)
Playground - Belgium (available now on iTunes and Amazon)
Compartment No. 6 - Finland (in theatres)
I'm Your Man - Germany (available now on iTunes and Amazon)
Lamb - Iceland (available now on iTunes and Amazon)
A Hero - Iran (available now on Amazon)
Hive - Kosovo (available now on iTunes and Amazon)
Prayers for the Stolen - Mexico (available now on Netflix)
Plaza Catedral - Panama (playing at film festivals)
The Good Boss - Spain (playing at film festivals)

There isn't a weak film among these 10 films and it's one of the strongest line-ups that The Academy has ever chosen. You have films dealing with school bullying, robots, child abduction, redemption, love, pain, unlikely friendships, empowerment, corruption, a lamb, and so much more.

I would recommend just diving right in and to begin watching the films that are accessible now.

LET'S HAVE A QUICK RE-CAP ON LAST SEASON

APRIL 21, 2022

(The Hand of God)

Since it's the "off-season" right now, I think it'll be best to re-visit the films that made the top 5 last year.

Drive My Car - Japan (available now on iTunes) -- WINNER
The Worst Person in the World - Norway (available now on iTunes)
Flee - Denmark (available now on iTunes and Amazon)
The Hand of God - Italy (available now on Netflix)
Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom - Bhutan (available now on iTunes)

These 5 films were all near the best of the season, and besides the film from Bhutan, all of them were expected to be nominated. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom was the huge surprise but it definitely belongs on the list - such a crowd-pleaser.

The exciting change that's happening with The Academy is that foreign films are now being recognized in other categories as well, besides International Feature. Three of them had several nominations. Drive My Car was nominated for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay. The Worst Person in the World made a huge surprise on nomination day when it also got best original screenplay. Flee was the first movie ever to be nominated for three Oscars in animated, documentary, and international feature. This trend will hopefully continue.

If you haven't watched them yet, then this is the perfect place to start.

ELIGIBILITY? HOW DOES IT WORK?

APRIL 19, 2022

The International Feature category can be a little bit of a complicated process, but here’s an easy way to see how it works.

Every year, each country has the ability to submit one movie of its choice.  This movie has to be released within their own country between January 1st and December 31st. The film has to be predominantly in a non English language, so Canada, Ireland, Australia can submit a movie, but they need to be in French, Irish, Persian etc.

The deadline to submit a movie for the Academy Awards is usually October 1st, but with COVID it was pushed back to November 1st last year.  This is a very nerve wracking part of the season as countries like Italy, France and Spain have tons of amazing films to choose from and it’s always interesting to see which one they end up picking.

In 2021, 92 films were submitted.  These films are then all seen by an executive committee who then choose the top 15 around mid December.  And from there those 15 are reduced again to the final 5 by members of the Academy.

WELCOME TO MY BLOG DEDICATED SOLELY ON THE INTERNATIONAL SUBMISSIONS FOR THE OSCARS

APRIL 15, 2022

(Drive My Car director - Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

I’ve been following the Oscar Awards for around 15 years now but my passion for the International Feature category started around 5 years ago. I began watching around 30 of the submissions and I was overwhelmed by the amount of amazing films I saw that year. The following year I watched 50 of them. And in the past three years I’ve managed to watch around 85 submissions. These films are all so unique and remarkable and astounding works that should be celebrated and seen by everyone who's a movie fan.

This website is dedicated to the 90+ films that are submitted to the International Feature category every year for the Academy Awards. It will feature information on each film, including trailers, release dates, film festival dates, reviews, predictions and more. This will make it easy for all movie fans to find the information needed for any film that they want to watch. So let's get started ...