2020 Oscars: Official Submissions for International Feature Film

The submitted motion pictures in the running for the International Feature Film Oscar (formerly Foreign Language Film, see below) must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between October 1, 2018 and September 30, 2019. The deadline for submissions is October 1, 2019, with the Academy announcing the list of eligible films shortly after. From the longlist, ten finalists will be shortlisted, with the final five Oscar nominees announced on January 13, 2020. The 92nd Academy Awards will be held on February 9, 2020.

“We have noted that the reference to ‘Foreign’ is outdated within the global filmmaking community,” commented Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, co-chairs of the International Feature Film Committee. “We believe that International Feature Film better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience.”

Algeria was the first country to officially submit this year. They entered Papicha from director Mounia Meddour, who also then happens to be our first female director. [UPDATE: the Algiers premiere of Papicha was cancelled for unknown reasons, putting its eligibility in jeopardy if it cannot make the seven-day domestic screening requirement]

As we always do at AwardsWatch, we will be keeping track of the submissions and highlighting the number of women directors (21 last year), LGBTQ+ films (six last year) as well as history and stats of the countries in this category (formerly called Foreign Language Film). Last year, a total of 87 submissions qualified (the all-time record is 92 in 2017). Mexico’s Roma won the Oscar, breaking a streak of 8 nominations (from 50 submissions) without a win, the second most behind Israel.

Sweden selection of And Then We Danced by Levan Akin marks the first time ever the country has chosen a film in a full foreign language (Georgian) instead Swedish. It’s also the first submission that features LGTBQ+ subjects and/themes as its main point.

Not counting Honorary Oscars that pre-date the Foreign Language Film/International Feature Film categories, here are some superlatives worth noting.

• Countries with the most wins (competitive only): ITALY (11), FRANCE (9), SPAIN (4)
• Countries with the most nominations: FRANCE (39), ITALY (31), SPAIN (19)
• Countries with the most submissions: FRANCE, ITALY, JAPAN (65)
• Most submissions with no wins: INDIA, ISRAEL (51)
• Most submissions without a nomination: PORTUGAL (35), ROMANIA (34), EGYPT (33)
• Most nominations without a win: ISRAEL (10), BELGIUM (7)

• Submissions with women directors (28): AFGHANISTAN, ALGERIA, AUSTRIA, BELARUS, BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA, CAMBODIA, CANADA, COSTA RICA, DEANMARK, ECUADOR, FINLAND, GERMANY, GREECE, INDIA, IRAN, KENYA, KOSOVO, LITHUANIA, MEXICO, MOROCCO, NETHERLANDS, NIGERIA, NORTH MACEDONIA, SAUDI ARABIA, SENEGAL, SLOVENIA, TAIWAN, VENEZUELA
• Submissions with LGBTQ+ subjects or themes (7): BOLIVIA, INDONESIA, PANAMA, PERU, SPAIN, SWEDEN, TAIWAN
• Countries submitting for the first time (4): GHANA, NIGERIA, UGANDA, UZBEKISTAN
• African continent submissions (10): ALGERIA, EGYPT, ETHIOPIA, GHANA, KENYA, MOROCCO, NIGERIA, SENEGAL, SOUTH AFRICA, TUNISIA

Here is the official submission list, alphabetized by country, for the 2020 Oscars. Bookmark this page as it will be updated as each country announces and keep an eye out for our upcoming predictions on this always fascinating category.

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