The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 85 countries submitting films for the 2017 Academy Award for Foreign Language Film, and once again, it looks like it will be a very competitive race.
Notable entries include France (“Elle“), Germany (“Toni Erdmann“), Romania (“Sieranevada“), Mexico (“Desierto“), Denmark (“Land Of Mine“) and Iran (“The Salesman“). There are also 16 female filmmakers this year, which may be a record for this category; the United Kingdom’s entry (“Under the Shadow“) is in Farsi; and Italy’s submission (“Fire At Sea“) is also eligible for Best Documentary.
READ MORE: The 50 Best Foreign Language Movies Of The 21st Century So Far
It’s also worth noting that Pablo Larraín could become the first filmmaker in Oscar history with two different films in both the Best Picture and Best Foreign Language categories if “Jackie” and Chile’s “Neruda” are nominated in their respective categories.
There has already been some controversy this season beginning with Brazil blatantly selecting David Schurmann‘s “Little Secret” over Kleber Mendonça Filho‘s critically acclaimed Cannes entry “Aquarius” for political reasons. Belgium passed over the latest film from national heroes The Dardennes, “The Unknown Girl,” for Robin Pront‘s “The Ardennes.” Korea also surprised many by submitting Kim Jee-woon‘s “The Age of Shadows” instead of Chan-wook Park‘s “The Handmaiden,” even though both received significant critical kudos.
Additionally, there is buzz that Austria’s “Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe” may be disqualified.
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “The Unnamed,” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,” Zrinko Ogresta, director;
Cuba, “The Companion,” Pavel Giroud, director;
Czech Republic, “Lost in Munich,” Petr Zelenka, director;
Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;
Dominican Republic, “Sugar Fields,” Fernando Báez, director;
Ecuador, “Such Is Life in the Tropics,” Sebastián Cordero, director;
Egypt, “Clash,” Mohamed Diab, director;
Estonia, “Mother,” Kadri Kõusaar, director;
Finland, “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” Juho Kuosmanen, director;
France, “Elle,” Paul Verhoeven, director;
Georgia, “House of Others,” Rusudan Glurjidze, director;
Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;
Greece, “Chevalier,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, director;
Hong Kong, “Port of Call,” Philip Yung, director;
Hungary, “Kills on Wheels,” Attila Till, director;
Iceland, “Sparrows,” Rúnar Rúnarsson, director;
India, “Interrogation,” Vetri Maaran, director;
Indonesia, “Letters from Prague,” Angga Dwimas Sasongko, director;
Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
Iraq, “El Clásico,” Halkawt Mustafa, director;
Israel, “Sand Storm,” Elite Zexer, director;
Italy, “Fire at Sea,” Gianfranco Rosi, director;
Japan, “Nagasaki: Memories of My Son,” Yoji Yamada, director;
Jordan, “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri, director;
Kazakhstan, “Amanat,” Satybaldy Narymbetov, director;
Kosovo, “Home Sweet Home,” Faton Bajraktari, director;
Kyrgyzstan, “A Father’s Will,” Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu, directors;
Latvia, “Dawn,” Laila Pakalnina, director;
Lebanon, “Very Big Shot,” Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, director;
Lithuania, “Seneca’s Day,” Kristijonas Vildziunas, director;
Luxembourg, “Voices from Chernobyl,” Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, “The Liberation of Skopje,” Rade Šerbedžija, Danilo Šerbedžija, directors;
Malaysia, “Beautiful Pain,” Tunku Mona Riza, director;
Mexico, “Desierto,” Jonás Cuarón, director;
Montenegro, “The Black Pin,” Ivan Marinović, director;
Morocco, “A Mile in My Shoes,” Said Khallaf, director;
Nepal, “The Black Hen,” Min Bahadur Bham, director;
Netherlands, “Tonio,” Paula van der Oest, director;
New Zealand, “A Flickering Truth,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;
Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;
Pakistan, “Mah-e-Mir,” Anjum Shahzad, director;
Palestine, “The Idol,” Hany Abu-Assad, director;
Panama, “Salsipuedes,” Ricardo Aguilar Navarro, Manolito Rodríguez, directors;
Peru, “Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes),” Juan Daniel F. Molero, director;
Philippines, “Ma’ Rosa,” Brillante Ma Mendoza, director;
Poland, “Afterimage,” Andrzej Wajda, director;
Portugal, “Letters from War,” Ivo M. Ferreira, director;
Romania, “Sieranevada,” Cristi Puiu, director;
Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;
Saudi Arabia, “Barakah Meets Barakah,” Mahmoud Sabbagh, director;
Serbia, “Train Driver’s Diary,” Milos Radovic, director;
Singapore, “Apprentice,” Boo Junfeng, director;
Slovakia, “Eva Nová,” Marko Skop, director;
Slovenia, “Houston, We Have a Problem!” Žiga Virc, director;
South Africa, “Call Me Thief,” Daryne Joshua, director;
South Korea, “The Age of Shadows,” Kim Jee-woon, director;
Spain, “Julieta,” Pedro Almodóvar, director;
Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;
Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director;
Taiwan, “Hang in There, Kids!” Laha Mebow, director;
Thailand, “Karma,” Kanittha Kwunyoo, director;
Turkey, “Cold of Kalandar,” Mustafa Kara, director;
Ukraine, “Ukrainian Sheriffs,” Roman Bondarchuk, director;
United Kingdom, “Under the Shadow,” Babak Anvari, director;
Uruguay, “Breadcrumbs,” Manane Rodríguez, director;
Venezuela, “From Afar,” Lorenzo Vigas, director;
Vietnam, “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass,” Victor Vu, director;
Yemen, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced,” Khadija Al-Salami, director.
Gregory Ellwood’s Current Oscar Predictions:
Best Picture
Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Original Screenplay
Adapted Screenplay
Editing – Coming Soon
Cinematography – Coming Soon
Animated Feature Film – Coming Soon
Foreign Language Film – Coming Soon
Documentary Feature – Coming Soon
Original Score – Coming Soon
Original Song – Coming Soon
Costumes – Coming Soon
Makeup and Hairstyling – Coming Soon
Visual Effects – Coming Soon
Sound Mixing – Coming Soon
Sound Editing – Coming Soon
For more Oscar and industry insight follow Gregory Ellwood on Twitter @TheGregoryE.