2020 Oscars: Official Submissions for International Feature Film

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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“We have noted that the reference to ‘Foreign’ is outdated within the global filmmaking community,” commented Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, co-chairs of the International Feature Film Committee.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.

Country
Facts/Stats
TitleLanguage(s)Director(s)
Albania12th submission for Albania, which has yet to be nominatedThe DelegationAlbanian/FrenchBujar Alimani (3rd)
Algeria21st submission for Algeria, which has been nominated five times and won once (1969’s Z)PapichaFrenchMounia Meddour (1st)
Argentina46th submission for Argentina, which has been nominated seven times and won twice (1985's The Official Story, 2009's The Secret in Their Eyes)Heroic LosersSpanishSebastián Borensztein
Armenia8th submission for Armenia, which has yet to be nominatedLengthy NightArmenianEdgar Baghdasaryan (1st)
Australia13th submission for Australia, which has been nominated once (2016' Tanna) BuoyancyKhmer/ThaoRodd Rathjen (1st)
Austria43rd submission for Austria, which has been nominated 4 times and won twice (2007's The Counterfeiters and 2012's Amour)Joy (currently streaming on Netflix)English/GermanSudabeh Mortezai (1st)
Bangladesh15th submission for Bangladesh, which has yet to be nominatedAlpha (YouTube)BengaliNasiruddin Yousuff (1st)
Belarus4th submission for Belarus, which has yet to be nominatedDebutRussianAnastasiya Miroshnichenko (1st)
Belgium44th submission for Belgium, which has been nominated seven timesOur MothersSpanishCésar Díaz (1st)
Bolivia11th submission for Bolivia, which has yet to be nominatedI Miss YouSpanish/EnglishRodrigo Bellott (1st)
Bosnia-Herzegovina19th submission for Bosnia-Herzegovina, which was nominated and won once (2001's No Man's Land)The SonBosnianInes Tanović (2nd)
Brazil49th submission for Brazil, which has been nominated four times (1962's Keeper of Promises, 1995's O Quatrilho, 1997's Four Days in September, 1998's Central Station)Invisible Life (Amazon)PortugueseKarim Aïnouz (1st)
Bulgaria30th submission for Bulgaria, which has yet to be nominatedÁgaYakutMilko Lazarov (1st)
Cambodia8th submission for Cambodia, which has been nominated once (2013's The Missing Picture).In the Life of MusicKhmer/EnglishCaylee So and Sok Visal (1st)
Canada45th submission for Canada, which has been nominated 7 times and won once (2003's The Barbarian Invasions)AntigoneFrenchSophie Deraspe (1st)
Chile24th submission for Chile, which has been nominated twice and won once (2016's A Fantastic Woman)Araña aka SpiderSpanishAndrés Wood (3rd)
China33rd submission for China, which has been nominated twice (1990's Ju Dou and 2002's Hero)Ne ZhaMandarin Yu Yang (1st)
Colombia28th submission for Colombia, which has been nominated once (2015's Embrace the Serpent)Monos (Neon)English/SpanishAlejandro Landes (1st)
Costa Rica8th submission for Costa Rica, which has yet to be nominatedThe Awakening of the AntsSpanishAntonella Sudassasi Furnis (1st)
Croatia28th submission for Croatia, which has yet to be nominatedMaliCroatianAntonio Nuić (2nd)
Cuba21st submission for Cuba, which has been nominated once, for 1994's Strawberry and ChocolateA Translator (Amazon)Spanish/RussianRodrigo Barriuso, Sebastián Barriuso (1st)
Czech Republic/Czechia26th submission for the newly named Czechia (formerly Czech Republic), which has been nominated 3 times and won once (1996's Kolya)The Painted BirdCzech/German/RussianVáclav Marhoul (1st)
Denmark56th submission for Denmark, which has been nominated 11 times and won three (1987's Babette's Feast, 1988's Pelle the Conqueror, 2010's In a Better World)Queen of HeartsDanish/SwedishMay el-Toukhy (1st)
Dominican Republic12th submission for Dominican Republic, which has yet to be nominatedThe ProjectionistSpanishJose Maria Cabral (3rd)
Ecuador7th submission for Ecuador, which has yet to be nominatedThe Longest NightSpanishGabriela Calvache (1st)
Egypt34th submission for Egypt, which has yet to be nominatedPoisonous RosesArabicFawzi Saleh (1st)
Estonia17th submission for Estonia, which has been nominated once (2014's Tangerines)Truth and JusticeEstonianTanel Toom (1st)
Ethiopia4th submission for Ethiopia, which has yet to be nominatedRunning Against the WindAmharicJan Philipp Weyl (1st)
Finland33rd submission for Finland, which has been nominated once (2002's The Man Without a Past)Stupid Young HeartFinnishSelma Vilhunen (1st)
France66th submission for France, which has been nominated 39 times, won 12 timesLes MisérablesFrenchLadj Ly (1st)
Georgia18th submission for Georgia, which has been nominated once (1996's A Chef in Love)ShindisiGeorgianDito Tsintsadze (2nd)
Germany29th submission for Germany (since 1990 unification), which has been nominated 11 times and won twice (2002's Nowhere in Africa and 2006's The Lives of Others). Pre-unification, West Germany was nominated 8 times and won once (1979's The Tin Drum); East Germany was nominated once (1976's Jacob the Liar)System CrasherGermanNora Fingscheidt (1st)
Ghana1st submission for GhanaAzaliAkanKwabena Gyansah (1st)
Greece39th submission for Greece, which has been nominated 5 times but has yet to winWhen Tomatoes Met WagnerGreekMarianna Economou (1st)
Honduras2nd submission for Honduras, which has yet to be nominatedBlood, Passion and CoffeeSpanishCarlos Membreño (1st)
Hong Kong36th submission for Hong Kong, which has been nominated twice (1992's Raise the Red Lantern, 1993's Farewell My Concubine)White Storm 2: Drug LordsCantoneseHerman Yau (1st)
Hungary55th submission for Hungary, which has been nominated 10 times, won twice (1981's Mephisto and 2015's Son of Saul) Those Who RemainedHungarianBarnabás Tóth (1st)
Iceland40th submission for Iceland, which has been nominated once (1991's Children of Nature)A White, White DayIcelandicHlynur Pálmason (1st)
Indonesia21st submission for Indonesia, which has yet to be nominatedMemories of My BodyIndonesianGarin Nugroho (2nd)
India52nd submission for India, which has been nominated three times (1957's Mother India, 1988's Salaam Bombay! and 2001's Lagaan). It is tied with Israel for most submissions without a winGully Boy (currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video)HindiZoya Akhtar (1st)
Iran25th submission for Iran, which has been nominated 3 times and won twice (both Farhadi's films: 2011's A Separation and 2016's The Salesman)Finding FaridehPersian/Dutch/EnglishKourosh Ataee and Azadeh Moussavi (1st)
Ireland6th submission for Ireland, which has yet to be nominatedGazaArabicGarry Keane and Andrew McConnell (1st)
Israel52nd submission for Israel, which has been nominated 10 times but has yet to win. It is tied with India for most submissions without a winIncitementHebrewYaron Zilbrman (1st)
Italy66th submission for Italy, which has been nominated 32 times and holds the record for most wins at 14The Traitor (Sony Classics)Italian/Sicilian/Portguese/EnglishMarco Bellocchio (3rd)
Japan66th submission for Japan, which has been nominated 16 times and won four (3 special Oscars and 2008's Departures)Weathering with You (GKIDS)JapaneseMakoto Shinkai (1st)
Kazakhstan14th submission for Kazakhstan, which has been nominated once (2007's Mongol)Kazakh Khanate: Golden ThroneKazakhRustem Abdrashev (1st)
Kenya4th submission for Kenya, which has yet to be nominatedSubiraEnglish/SwahiliRavneet Chadha (1st)
Kosovo6th submission for Kosovo, which has yet to be nominatedZanaAlbanianAntoneta Kastrati (1st)
Kyrgyzstan12th submission for Kyrgyzstan, which has yet to be nominatedAuroraKirghiz/RussianBekzat Pirmatov (1st)
Latvia11th submission for Latvia, which has yet to be nominatedThe MoverLatvianDāvis Sīmanis (1st)
Lebanon16th submission for Lebanon, which has been nominated twice (2017's The Insult and 2018's Capernaum)1982Arabic/EnglishOualid Mouaness (1st)
Lithuania12th submission for Lithuania, which has yet to be nominatedBridges of TimeLatvian/Lithuanian/Estonian/HebrewKristīne Briede (1st)
Audrius Stonys(2nd)
Luxembourg16th submission for Luxembourg, which has yet to be nominatedTel Aviv on FireHebrew/ArabicSameh Zoabi (1st)
Malaysia5th submission for Malaysia, which has yet to be nominatedM for MalaysiaMalay/EnglishDian Lee and Ineza Roussille (1st)
Mexico52nd submission for Mexico, which has been nominated 9 times and won once (2019's Roma)The Chambermaid (Kino Lorber)SpanishLila Avilés (1st)
Mongolia4th submission for Mongolia, which has yet to be nominatedThe SteedMongolian/Kazakh/Chinese/RussianErdenebileg Ganbold (1st)
Montenegro6th submission for Montenegro, which has yet to be nominatedNeverending PastSerbianAndro Martinovic (1st)
Morocco15th submission for Morocco, which has yet to be nominated but was on the shortlist once (2011's Omar Killed Me)AdamArabicMaryam Touzani (1st)
Nepal11th submission for Nepal, which has been nominated once (1999's Caravan) BulbulNepaliBinod Poudel (1st)
Netherlands52nd submission for Netherlands, which has been nominated 7 times and won 3 times (1986's The Assault, 1995's Antonia's Line and 1997's Character) InstinctDutchHalina Reijn (1st)
Nigeria1st submission from Nigeria to pass the committee stage for considerationLionheartEnglish/IgboGenevieve Nnaji (1st)
North Macedonia15th submission for Macedonia, which has been nominated once (1994's Before the Rain)HoneylandTurkishTamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov (1st)
Norway41st submission for Norway, which has been nominated 5 times (1957's Nine Lives, 1987's The Pathfinder, 1996's The Other Side of Sunday, 2001's Elling and 2012's Kon-Tiki)Out Stealing Horses (Magnolia)NorwegianHans Petter Moland (1st)
Pakistan9th submission for Pakistan, which has yet to be nominatedLaal KabootarUrduKamal Khan (1st)
Palestine12th submission for Palestine, which has been nominated twice (2005's Paradise Now and 2013's Omar)It Must Be HeavenEnglish/French/ArabicElia Suleiman (2nd)
Panama6th submission for Panama, which has yet to be nominatedEverybody ChangesSpanishArturo Montenegro (1st)
Peru26th submission for Peru, which has been nominated once (2009's The Milk of Sorrow)RetabloQuechua/SpanishÁlvaro Delgado-Aparicio (1st)
Philippines31st submission for Philippines, which has yet to be nominatedVerdictTagalog/Filipino/EnglishRaymund Ribay Gutierrez (1st)
Poland51st submission for Poland, which has been nominated 11 times and won once (2014's Ida)Corpus ChristiPolishJan Komasa (1st)
Portugal36th submission for Portugal, which has yet to be nominated; the record for the country with the most submissions without an Oscar nomThe DomainPortugueseThiago Guedes (1st)
Romania36th submission for Romania, which has yet to be nominated. It was on the shortlist once, for 2012's Beyond the HillThe Whistlers (Magnolia Films)Romanian/English/SpanishCorneliu Porumboui (2nd)
Russia27th submission for Russia (as the Soviet Union it had 24 submissions, nine nominations and three wins), which has been nominated seven times and won once (1994's Burnt by the Sun)BeanpoleRussianKantemir Balagov (1st)
Saudi Arabia3rd submission for Saudi Arabia, which has yet to be nominatedThe Perfect CandidateArabicHaifaa al-Mansour (2nd)
Senegal2nd submission for Senegal, which has yet to be nominatedAtlanticsWolof/French/EnglishMati Diop (1st)
Serbia26th submission for Serbia, which has yet to be nominatedKing Peter ISerbianPetar Ristovski (1st)
Singapore13th submission for Singapore, which has yet to be nominatedA Land Imagined (currently streaming on Netflix)Bengali/English/MandarinYeo Siew Hua (1st)
Slovakia23rd submission for Slovakia, which has yet to be nominatedLet There Be LightSlovakMarko Škop (1st)
Slovenia23rd submission for Slovenia, which has yet to be nominatedHistory of LoveEnglish/SlovenianSonja Prosenc (2nd)
South Africa15th submission for South Africa, which has been nominated and won once (2005's Tsotsi)Knuckle CityXhosaJahmil X.T. Qubeka (2nd)
South Korea31st submission for South Korea, which has yet to be nominatedParasite (Neon)KoreanBong Joon-ho (2nd)
Spain63rd submission for Spain, which has been nominated 19 times, won 4 times (1982's Volver a Empezar; 1993's "Belle Epoque; 1999's All About My Mother and 2004's The Sea Inside)Pain and GlorySpanishPedro Almodóvar (7th)
Sweden58th submission for Sweden, which has been nominated 16 times, won 3 times (all films directed by Ingmar Bergman - 1960's The Virgin Spring; 1961's Through a Glass Darkly and 1983's Fanny and Alexander)And Then We Danced (Music Box)GeorgianLevan Akin (1st)
Switzerland47th submission for Switzerland, which has been nominated 5 times, won twice (1984's Dangerous Moves and 1990's Journey of Hope)Wolkenbruch's Wondrous Journey Into the Arms of a ShiksaGerman/Yiddish/HebrewMichael Steiner (1st)
Taiwan45th submission for Taiwan, which has been nominated 3 times (all by Ang Lee's films), won once (2000's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)Dear Ex (currently streaming on Netflix)MandarinMag Hsu and Hsu Chih-yen (1st)
Thailand26th submission for Thailand, which has yet to be nominatedKrasue: Inhuman Kiss (currently streaming on Netflix)ThaiSitisiri Mongkolsiri (1st)
Tunisia6th submission for Tunisia, which has yet to be nominatedDear SonArabicMohamed Ben Attia (1st)
Turkey26th submission for Turkey, which has yet to be nominatedBağlılık - AslıTurkishSemih Kaplanoğlu (2nd)
Ukraine12th submission for the Ukraine, which has yet to be nominatedHomeward Crimean Tatar/UkrainianNariman Aliev (1st)
United Kingdom17th submission for United Kingdom, which has been nominated twice (1993's Hedd Wynn and 1999's Solomon and Gaenor)The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (currently streaming on Netflix)EnglishChiwetel Ejiofor (1st)
Uruguay19th submission for Uruguay, which has the dubious distinction of being the only country to have a nomination rescinded (1992's A Place in the Sun)The MoneychangerSpanishFederico Veiroj (2nd)
Uzbekistan1st ever submission for UzbekistanHot BreadUzbekUmid Khamdamov (1st)
Venezuela29th submission for Venezuela, which has yet to be nominatedBeing ImpossibleSpanishPatricia Ortega (1st)
Vietnam16th submission for Vietnam, which has been nominated once (1993's The Scent of Green Papaya)Furie (currently streaming on Netflix)VietnameseLê Văn Kiệt (1st)
Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013. He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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