These are actually our first jump into predictions for Foreign Language Film even though we’ve been bouncing them around for months. With the official submission list in and the nine-film shortlist coming in mid-December I thought it was high time we see where this race stands.
This year, a record 92 films are in contention (as of this writing there were no disqualifications) that also includes a record number (25) of submissions from female directors: Afghanistan, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Croatia, Ecuador, Georgia, Hungary, Iran (a first for the Persian country), Laos, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand. There are also six LGBTQ-related films: Chile, Finland, France, Norway, South Africa and Taiwan. This year also saw the most submissions from Africa ever, 8.
This year sees some high profile films in contention: from a wealth of winners from this year’s Cannes Film Festival (Palme winner The Square, Grand Prize winner BPM, Best Actress winner In the Fade) to Oscar winner Angelina Jolie’s Cambodian effort First They Killed My Father and reigning champ Iran (Breath) it’s going to be an exciting race.
At the moment, Israel’s Foxtrot holds our top spot. The Venice Film Festival winner about a family who learns their son was killed in battle currently has a 94 on Metacritic and Sony Pictures Classics behind it. SPC has quite a lion’s share of likely contenders once again this year, Russia’s Loveless and Chile’s A Fantastic Woman among them. Loveless is right behind Foxtrot in our predictions and A Fantastic Woman rounds out the top 9.
AwardsWatch’s Mina Takla has some great breakdowns of top Foreign Language Film contenders here.
Here are the 2018 Oscar predictions for the nine-film shortlist of Foreign Language Film from the Gold Rush Gang. Keep an eye on all of the Gold Rush Gang’s 2018 Oscar predictions updated LIVE throughout the month.
| FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM | ERIK ANDERSON | BRYAN BONAFEDE | GREG HOWARD | EVAN KOST | JASON OSIASON | KENNETH POLISHCHUK | DENIZCAN SÜRÜCÜ | RICHARD ANTHONY | ŞÜKRÜ SÖĞÜT | MATT DINN | TOTAL POINTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Israel – Foxtrot | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 80 | ||
| 2 | Russia – Loveless | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 71 | ||
| 3 | France – BPM (Beats Per Minute) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 46 | |||
| 4 | Cambodia – First They Killed My Father | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 39 | |||
| 4 | Lebanon – The Insult | 7 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 39 | |||
| 6 | Germany – In the Fade | 6 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 35 | |||
| 7 | South Africa – The Wound | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 31 | |||||
| 8 | Sweden – The Square | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 24 | |||||
| 9 | Chile – A Fantastic Woman | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 17 | |||||
| 10 | Iran – Breath | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | |||||||
| 11 | Palestine – Wajib | 4 | 7 | |||||||||
| 12 | Hungary – On Body and Soul | 5 | 6 | |||||||||
| 13 | Norway – Thelma | 6 | 5 | |||||||||
| 14 | Estonia – November | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| 14 | Spain – Summer 1993 | 8 | 3 | |||||||||
| 16 | Argentina – Zama | 9 | 2 | |||||||||
| 16 | Netherlands – Layla M. | 9 | 2 |
OTHER CONTENDERS
Afghanistan – A Letter to the President
Albania – Daybreak
Algeria – Road to Istanbul
Armenia – Yeva
Australia – The Space Between
Austria – Happy End
Azerbaijan – Pomegranate Orchard
Bangladesh – The Cage
Belgium – Racer and the Jailbird
Bolivia – Dark Skull
Bosnia and Herzegovina – Men Don’t Cry
Brazil – Bingo: The King of the Mornings
Bulgaria – Glory
Canada – Hochelaga, Land of Souls
China – Wolf Warrior 2
Colombia – Guilty Men
Costa Rica – The Sound of Things
Croatia – Quit Staring at My Plate
Czech Republic – Ice Mother
Denmark – You Disappear
Dominican Republic – Woodpeckers
Ecuador – Alba
Egypt – Sheikh Jackson
Finland – Tom of Finland
Georgia – Scary Mother
Greece – Amerika Square
Haiti – Ayiti Mon Amour
Honduras – Morazán
Hong Kong – Mad World
Iceland – Under the Tree
India – Newton
Indonesia – Turah
Iraq – Reseba: The Dark Wind
Ireland – Song of Granite
Italy – A Ciambra
Japan – Her Love Boils Bathwater
Kazakhstan – The Road to Mother
Kenya – Kati Kati
Kosovo – Unwanted
Kyrgyzstan – Centaur
Lao People’s Democratic Republic – Dearest Sister
Latvia – The Chronicles of Melanie
Lithuania – Frost
Luxembourg – Barrage
Mexico – Tempestad
Mongolia – The Children of Genghis
Morocco – Razzia
Mozambique – The Train of Salt and Sugar
Nepal – White Sun
New Zealand – One Thousand Ropes
Pakistan – Saawan
Panama – Beyond Brotherhood
Paraguay – Los Buscadores
Peru – Rosa Chumbe
Philippines – Birdshot
Poland – Spoor
Portugal – Saint George
Romania – Fixeur
Senegal – Félicité
Serbia – Requiem for Mrs. J.
Singapore – Pop Aye
Slovakia – The Line
Slovenia – The Miner
South Korea – A Taxi Driver
Switzerland – The Divine Order
Syria – Little Gandhi
Taiwan – Small Talk
Thailand – By the Time It Gets Dark
Tunisia – The Last of Us
Turkey – Ayla: The Daughter of War
Ukraine – Black Level
United Kingdom – My Pure Land
Uruguay – Another Story of the World
Venezuela – El Inca
Vietnam – Father and Son
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