2021 Oscars: International Feature Film Official Selections

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Poland’s Oscar submission NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN (courtesy of Lava Films)

The Academy may have pushed the eligibility period for International Feature Film submissions from October to December 31 due to the coronavirus pandemic and keeping in line with other extensions made this year, but it hasn’t stopped at least one country from being first and early with their choice.

Poland is the first country to submit a film for International Feature Film Oscar consideration this season. This is the 52nd submission for the Eastern European country, which has been nominated in this category 12 times and won once (2014’s Ida from Paweł Pawlikowski), began with a shortlist of seven films: Hater, dir. Jan Komasa; Sweat, dir. Magnus von Horn; Sprawa Tomka Komend, dir. Jan Holoubek; Never Gonna Snow Again, dir. Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert; Supernova, dir. Bartosz Kruhlik; Klecha, dir. Jacek Gwizdała and Kill it and Leave This Town, dir. Mariusz Wilczyński.

Poland has chosen Never Gonna Snow Again, directed Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert to represent the country at the next Oscars. The film is the story of a Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live. It will screen at the 77th Venice International Film Festival in September and is the first film from both Szumowska and Englert to be submitted.

Ecuador’s selection, Vacio, is the first time a Latin American country has ever submitted a film spoken majorly in a language outside of the Amerindian and European spheres (Mandarin is spoken in 70% of the film). 

With Czechia submitting Charlatan, Agnieszka Holland becomes the first woman to have three films submitted across three different countries. Previously, Holland had two films nominated in this category: 1985’s Angry Harvest (West Germany) and 2011’s In Darkness (Poland), joining to the exclusive list alongside Luis Buñuel (France and Spain), Paul Verhoeven (Netherlands and France), Moshé Mizrahi (Israel and France), Akira Kurosawa (Japan and Soviet Union), Miguel Littin (Mexico and Nicaragua), Michael Haneke (Germany and Austria), Maximilian Schell (West Germany and Switzerland) among others. If Charlatan is nominated Holland will be the first person ever to have films submitted by 3 different countries nominated. Also, this is the first time ever a Czech film submitted has been directed by a woman.

The Nigeria Official Selection Committee for Academy Awards submissions stated the Oscars had approved Nigerian Pidgin English as a non-English (Foreign language) recording dialogue in films. This comes one year after the country’s first-ever submission, Lionheart, was disqualified for containing too much English. Ultimately, the commission submitted a non-Pidgin English film.

Netherlands’ Buladó is the first time a submission has been fully spoken in Papiamento creole and should be able to take advantage of the opening up of allowable languages in this category by the Academy after its Nigerian Pidgin English ruling.

Two countries had their films disqualified this year: Canada and Portugal. Canada pulled the Ava DuVernay-backed Funny Boy after it didn’t meet the non-English language requirements and submitted 14 Days, 12 Nights from Jean-Philippe Duval as its replacement. Portugal replaced Listen with Vitalina Varela from Pedro Costa.

Belarus’s submission Persian Lessons was disqualified since it is a multinational production, although that didn’t impede other films, like Tel Aviv on Fire, which is representing Luxembourg. No replacement has been set. Bhutan’s A Yak in the Classroom and Uzbekistan’s Songs of Farida were also disqualified but no specific reasons were given.

The submission deadline for entries is December 1, 2020 and all submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between October 1, 2019 and December 31, 2020. The official list of qualifying submissions will be released in January.


Stats and Notes

Foreign-language/International Feature films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar

Between 1947 and 1955, the Academy presented Special Awards to the best foreign language films released in the U.S. Because these awards were not handed out on a regular basis and didn’t have any nominees, they were not competitive. For the 29th Academy Awards in 1956, a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films. It has since then been awarded annually category. Nearly 20 years earlier, Jean Renoir’s Grand Illusion (France) was nominated for Best Picture in 1938, its only nomination. 2006’s Letters From Iwo Jima was a Japanese-spoken US production not an official submission for foreign language film.

Since the inception of the foreign language/international feature Oscar, only 9 films have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar. Last year, South Korea’s Parasite became the first ever to win.

TitleCountryYear
ZAlgeria1969
The EmigrantsSweden1972
Cries and WhispersSweden1973
The PostmanItaly1995
Life is BeautifulItaly1998
Crouching Tiger, Hidden DragonTaiwan2000
AmourAustria2012
RomaMexico2019
Parasite (won Best Picture)South Korea2020

Number of films with female directors or co-directors (32): Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czechia, Dominican Republic, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, Uruguay, Venezuela.

The biggest losers: While Israel is the biggest loser with 10 nominations and no wins in this category, and Portugal is the currently the most unsuccessful country for getting a nomination with the most submissions (at 36), Philippines holds another record. It’s the sole country which sent a submission film at the first competitive year (1956) that hasn’t gotten an Oscar nom yet. The other 7 countries that submitted that first year – France, Italy, West Germany (now Germany), Denmark, Sweden, Japan and Spain – all of these ended up winning at least once.

Countries with potential eligibility issues: Canada, Portugal and Tunisia (amount of English language content). Belarus and Jordan (origin/nationality issues).

Submission with LGBTQ+ subjects or themes: Canada, France.

Countries submitting for the first time: Lesotho, Sudan, Suriname.

Here is the official list of submissions for the International Feature Film Oscar, updating throughout the season. Titles in red have links to reviews.

COUNTRY
TITLE
DIRECTOR(S)
FACTS/STATS
US DISTRIBUTOR
US RELEASE DATE
1.Albania
Open Door
Florenc Papas (1st)13th submission for Albania, which has yet to be nominated
2.Algeria
Heliopolis
Djaâfar Gacem (1st)22nd submission for Algeria, has been nominated 5 times and won once (1969's Z), the most mentions of any African country
3.Argentina
The Sleepwalkers
Paula Hernandez (1st)47th submission for Argentina, which has been nominated 7 times and won twice (1985's The Official Story and 2009's The Secret in their Eyes)
4.Armenia
Songs of Solomon
Arman Nshanian (1st)9th submission for Armenia, which has yet to be nominated
5.Austria
What We Wanted
Ulrike Kofler (1st)44th submission for Austria, which has been nominated four times and won twice (2007's The Counterfeiters and 2012's Amour)
6.Bangladesh
Sincerely Yours, Dhaka
An anthology of eleven directors (Tanvir Ahsan, Saleh Sobhan Auneem, Mir Mukarram Hossain, Golam Kibria, Abdullah Al Noor, Robiul Alam Robi, Krishnendu Chattopadhyay, Nuhash Humayun, Mahmudul Islam, Rahat Rahman, Syed Ahmed Shawki) all their 1st time16th submission for Bangladesh, which has yet to be nominated
8.Belgium
Working Girls
Frédéric Fonteyne (1st) and Anne Paulicevich (1st)45th submission for Belgium, which has been nominated seven times but has yet to win
10.Bolivia
Chaco
Diego Mondaca (1st)12th submission for Bolivia, which has yet to be nominated
11.Bosnia
and Herzegovina
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Jasmila Žbanić (1st)21st submission for Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has been nominated and won once (2001's No Man's Land)
12.Brazil
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
Bárbara Paz (1st)50th submission for Brazil, which has been nominated four times but has yet to win
13.Bulgaria
The Father
Kristina Grozeva (2nd) and Petar Valchanov (2nd)31st submission for Bulgaria, which has yet to be nominated
14.Cambodia
Fathers
Huy Yaleng (1st)9th submission for Cambodia, which has been nominated once (2013's The Missing Image)
15.Cameroon>/b>
The Fisherman's Diary
Enah Johnscot (1st)3rd submission for Cameroon, which has yet to be nominated
16.Canada
14 Days, 12 Nights
Jean-Philippe Duval (1st)47th submission for Canada, which has been nominated 7 times, won once (2003's The Barbarian Invasions). The country's original submission this year, Funny Boy, was disqualified when it didn't meet the non-English language requirements.
17.Chile
The Mole Agent
Maite Alberdi (1st)25th submission for Chile, which has been nominated twice and won once (2017's A Fantastic Woman)
18.China
Leap
Peter Chan (2nd)34th submission for China, which has been nominated twice (1990's Ju Dou and 2002's Hero)
19.Colombia
Forgotten We'll Be
Fernando Trueba (1st but represented Spain twice)29th submission for Colombia, which has been nominated once (2015's Embrace of the Serpent)
20.Costa Rica
Land of Ashes
Sofía Quiroz (1st)9th submission for Costa Rica, which has yet to be nominated
21.Croatia
Extracurricular
Ivan-Goran Vitez (1st)29th submission for Croatia, which has yet to be nominated
22.Cuba
Buscando a Casal
Jorge Luis Sánchez (2nd)22nd submission for Cuba, which has been nominated once (1994's Strawberry and Chocolate)
23.Czechia
Charlatan
Agnieszka Holland (3rd) 27th submission for Czechia country (since the split of Czechoslovakia). Czechia has been nominated 3 times, and won once (1996's Kolya)
24.Denmark
Another Round
Thomas Vinterberg (3rd)58th submission from Denmark, which has been nominated 11 times and won three (1987's Babette's Feast, 1988's Pelle the Conqueror and 2010's In a Better World)
February 5, 2021
25.Dominican Republic
State of Madness
Leticia Tonos (3rd)13th submission for Dominican Republic, which has yet to be nominated
26.Ecuador
Vacio
Paúl Venegas (1st)9th submission for Ecuador, which has yet to be nominated
27.Egypt
When We're Born
Tamer Ezzat (1st)35th submission for Egypt, which has yet to be nominated
28.Estonia
The Last Ones
Veiko Öunpuu (3rd)18th submission for Estonia, which has been nominated once (2013's Tangerines)
29.Finland
Tove
Zaida Bergroth (1st)34th submission for Finland, which has been nominated once (2002's The Man Without a Past)
30.France
Two of Us
Filippo Meneghetti (1st)67th submission for France, which has been nominated 38 times and won 9 times (plus three Honorary Oscar before the creation of the category)
Magnolia Pictures
February 5, 2021
31.Georgia
Beginning
Dea Kulumbegashvili (1st)19th submission for Georgia, which has been nominated once (1996's A Chef in Love)
32.Germany
And Tomorrow the Entire World
Julia von Heinz (1st)30th submission for Germany since unification in 1990, which has been nominated 11 times, won twice (2002's Nowhere in Africa and 2006's The Lives of Others)
33.Greece
Apples
Christos Nikou (1st)42nd submission for Greece, which has been nominated five times but has yet to win
34.Guatemala
La Llorona
Jayro Bustamante (2nd)3rd submission for Guatemala, which has yet to be nominated
Shudder
August 6, 2020
35.Honduras
Days of Light
Mauro Borges, Gloria Carrión, Julio Lopez and Sergio Ramirez (all 1st)3rd submission for Honduras, which has yet to be nominated
36.Hong Kong
Better Days
Derek Tsang (1st)39th submission for Hong Kong, which has been nominated twice (1991's Raise the Red Lantern and 1993's Farewell my Concubine) but has yet to win
37.Hungary
Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time
Lili Horvát (1st)56th submission for Hungary, which has been nominated 10 times, won twice (1981's Mephisto and 2016's Son of Saul)
38.Iceland
Agnes Joy
Silja Hauksdóttir (1st)41st submission for Iceland, which has been nominated once but has yet to win
39.India
Jallikattu
Lijo Jose Pellissery (1st)53rd submission for India, which has been nominated three times but has yet to win
40.Indonesia
Impetigore
Joko Anwar (1st)22nd submission for Indonesia, which has yet to be nominated
Shudder
July 23, 2020
41.Iran
Sun Children
Majid Majidi (6th)26th submission for Iran, which has been nominated 3 times and won twice (2011's A Separation and 2016's The Salesman)
Strand Releasing
42.Ireland
Arracht
Tom Sullivan (1st) and Tomás Ó Súilleabháin (1st)7th submission for Ireland, which has yet to be nominated
43.Israel
Asia
Ruthy Pribar (1st)53rd submission for Israel, which has been nominated 10 times but has never won, making it the biggest loser in this category
44.Italy
Notturno
Gianfranco Rosi (1st)66th submission for Italy, which has been nominated 28 times, won 14 times, including 3 Honorary Oscars (1947's Shoe Shine, 1949's The Bicycle Thief and 1950's The Walls of Malapaga)
SUPER LTD
45.Ivory Coast
Night of the Kings
Philippe Lacôte (2nd)3rd submission for Ivory Coast, which has won once (1976's Black and White in Color)
NEON
December 30, 2020
46.Japan
True Mothers
Naomi Kawase (1st)66th submission for Japan, which has been nominated 13 times, won 4 times, 3 as Honorary Oscars in the 1950s before the creation of the Foreign Language Film category (1951'a Rashomon, 1954's Gate to Hell; 1955's Samurai, The Legend of Musashi and 2008's Departures)
47.Jordan
200 Meters
Ameen Nayfeh (1st)4th submission from Jordan, which has been nominated once (2015's Theeb)
48.Kazakhstan
The Crying Steppe
Marina Kunarova (1st)15th submission for Kazakhstan, which has been nominated once (2007's Mongol)
49.Kenya
The Letter
Maia Lekow (1st) and Christopher King (1st)5th submission for Kenya, which has yet to be nominated
50.Kosovo
Exile
Visar Morina (2nd)7th submission for Kosovo, which has yet to be nominated
51. Kyrgyzstan
Running to the Sky
Mirlan Abdykalykov (2nd)13th submission for Kyrgyzstan, which has yet to be nominated
52.Latvia
Blizzard of Souls
Dzintars Dreibergs (1st)12th submission for Latvia, which has yet to be nominated
53.Lebanon
Broken Keys
Jimmy Keyrouz (1st)17th submission for Lebanon, which has been nominated twice but has yet to win
54.Lesotho
This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (1st)1st submission for Lesotho
55.Lithuania
Nova Lituania
Karolis Kaupinis (1st)13th submission for Lithuania, which has yet to be nominated
56.Luxembourg
River Tales
Julie Schroell (1st)16th submission for Luxembourg, which has yet to be nominated
57.Malaysia
Roh
Emir Ezwan (1st)6th submission for Malaysia, which has yet to be nominated
58.Mexico
I'm No Longer Here
Fernando Frías (1st)54th submission for Mexico, which has been nominated nine times and won once (2018's Roma)
Netflix
May 27, 2020
59.Mongolia
Veins of the World
Byambasuren Davaa (3rd)5th submission for Mongolia, which has yet to be nominated
60.Montenegro
Breasts
Marija Perović (1st)7th submission for Montenegro, which has yet to be nominated
61.Morocco
The Unknown Saint
Alaa Eddine Aljem (1st)16th submission for Morocco, which has yet to be nominated
62.Netherlands
Buladó
Eché Janga (1st)53rd submission for Netherlands, which has been nominated seven times and won three times (1987's The Assault, 1996's Antonia's Line and 1998's Character). Two Dutch submission have been disqualified (1989's The Vanishing because more than half the film was in French, and 2006's Bluebird because it had aired on television first)
63.Nigeria
The Milkmaid
Desmond Ovbiagele (1st)2nd submission for Nigeria, although their first submission, 2019's Lionheart, was disqualified for containing too much English
64.North Macedonia
Willow
Milcho Manchevski (5th)17th submission for North Macedonia, which has been nominated twice (1994's Before the Rain and 2019's Honeyland)
65.Norway
Hope
Maria Sødahl (1st)42nd submission for Norway, which has been nominated 5 times but has yet to win
66.Pakistan
Zindagi Tamasha
Sarmad Sultan Khoosat (1st)10th submission for Pakistan, which has yet to be nominated
67.Palestine
Gaza mon amour
Tarzan Nasser (1st) and Arab Nasser (1st)13th submission for Palestine, which has been nominated twice (2005's Paradise Now and 2013's Omar)
68.Panama
Operación Cause Justa
Luis Franco Brantley (1st) and Luis Pacheco (1st)6th submission for Panama, which has yet to be nominated
69.Paraguay
Killing the Dead
Hugo Giménez (1st)4th submission for Paraguay, which has yet to be nominated
70.Peru
Song Without a Name
Melina Leon (1st)26th submission for Peru, which has been nominated once (2009's The Milk of Sorrow)
Film Movement
August 7, 2020
71.Philippines MindanaoBrillante Mendoza (2nd)32nd submission for Philippines, which has yet to be nominated
72.Poland
Never Gonna Snow Again
Małgorzata Szumowska (1st) and Michał Englert (1st)52nd submission for Poland, which has been nominated 12 times and won once (2014's Ida)
73.Portugal
Vitalina Varela
Pedro Costa (2nd)36th submission for Portugal, which has yet to be nominated - a record in this category
Grasshopper film/Criterion Channel
September 15, 2020
74.Romania
Collective
Alexander Nanau (1st)36th submission for Romania, which has yet to be nominated
Magnolia Pictures
November 20, 2020
75.Russia
Dear Comrades!
Andrei Konchalovsky (3rd)28th submission for Russia (post-Soviet Union), which has been nominated 7 times and won once (1994's Burnt by the Sun)
NEON
December 25, 2020
76.Saudi Arabia
Scales
Shahad Ameen (1st)4th submission for Saudi Arabia, which has yet to be nominated
77.Senegal
Nafi's Father
Mamadou Dia (1st)3rd submission for Senegal, which has yet to be nominated but was on the shortlist for its first two submissions (2017's Felicité and 2019's Atlantics)
78.Serbia
Dara in Jasenovac
Predrag Antonijević (1st)27th submission for Serbia, Since its dissolution from Yugoslavia in 1991, and has yet to be nominated
79.Singapore
Wet Season
Anthony Chen (2nd)14th submission for Singapore, which has yet to be nominated
80.Slovakia
The Auschwitz Report
Peter Bebjak (2nd)24th submission for Slovakia since its separation from the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovakia), which has yet to be nominated
81.Slovenia
Stories from the Chestnut Woods
Gregor Božič (1st)24th submission for Slovenia, which has yet to be nominated
82.South Africa
Toorbos
Rene van Rooyen (1st)17th submission for South Africa, has been nominated twice and won once (2005's Tsotsi)
83.South Korea
The Man Standing Next
Woo Min-ho (1st)32nd submission for South Korea, which has been nominated once and won once (2019's Parasite)
84.Spain
The Endless Trench
Aitor Arregi (1st), Jon Garaño (2nd), Jose Mari Geonaga (2nd)63rd submission for Spain, has been nominated 20 times, won 4 times (1982's Volver a Empezar, 1993's Belle Époque, 1999's All About my Mother and 2004's The Sea Inside)
Netflix
February 28, 2020
85.Sudan
You Will Die at Twenty
Abu Al Alala (1st)1st ever submission for Sudan
86.Suriname
Wiren
Ivan Tai-Apin (1st)1st ever submission for Suriname
87.Sweden
Charter
Amanda Kernell (1st)59th submission from Sweden, which has been nominated 16 times and won three (1960's The Virgin Spring, 1961's Through a Glass Darkly and 1983's Fanny and Alexander, all Ingmar Bergman films)
88.Switzerland
My Little Sister
Stéphanie Chuat (2nd) and Véronique Reymond (2nd)48th submission for Switzerland, which has been nominated five times and won twice (1984's Dangerous Moves and 1990's Journey of Hope)
Film Movement
89.Thailand
Happy Old Year
Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit (1st)27th submission for Thailand, which has yet to be nominated
90.Taiwan
A Sun
Chung Mong-Hong (2nd)46th submission for Taiwan, which has been nominated 3 times and won once (2000's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon)
Netflix
91.TunisiaThe Man Who Sold His SkinKaouther Ben Hania (2nd)7th submission for Tunisia, which has yet to be nominated
92.Turkey
Miracle in Cell No. 7
Mehmet Ada Öztekin (1st)27th submission for Turkey, which has yet to be nominated
93.Ukraine
Atlantis
Valentyn Vasyanovych (2nd)13th submission for Ukraine, which has yet to be nominated
Grasshopper Films
94.Uruguay
Aleli
Leticia Jorge (1st)20th submission for Uruguay, which was Oscar-nominated in 1992 for A Place of the Sun, but it was disqualified after nominations announcement when the AMPAS verified the Argentinian background of the film.
95.Venezuela
Once Upon a Time in Venezuela
Anabel Rodriguez (1st)30th submission for Venezuela, which has yet to be nominated
96.Vietnam
Dreamy Eyes
Victor Vu (2nd)17th submission for Vietnam, which has been nominated once (1993's The Scent of Green Papaya)
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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