2009 Oscar Foreign Language Film Submissions - Final

Yesterday the Academy announced the official list of submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film and here they are. Worth to mention is that this year there are a record 67 countries with submissions.

Afghanistan: The Opium War, Siddiq Barmak
Albania: Trishtimi i zonjës Shnajder (The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider), Eno Milkani and Piro Milkani
Algeria: Mascarades, Lyes Salem
Argentina: Leonera (Lion’s Den), Pablo Trapero
Austria: Revanche, Götz Spielmann, Austria
Azerbaijan: Fortress, Shamil Nacafzade
Bangladesh: Aha!, Enamul Karim Nirjhar, Bangladesh
Belgium: Eldorado, Bouli Lanners, Belgium and France
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Snijeg (Snow), Aida Begić
Brazil: Última Parada 174 (Last Stop 174), Bruno Barreto, Brazil
Bulgaria: Дзифт Zift, Javor Gardev, Bulgaria (a must be seen for me, because tech specs)
Canada: Ce qu'il faut pour vivre (The Necessities of Life), Benoît Pilon, Canada
Chile: Tony Manero, Pablo Larraín
China: Dream Weavers, Yu Gun (documentary)
Colombia: Perro Come Perro (Dog Eat Dog), Carlos Moreno, Colombia
Croatia: Niciji Sin (No One’s Son), Arsen Anton Ostojic, Croatia and Slovenia
Czech Republic: Karamazovi (The Karamazovs), Petr Zelenka (didn't like the movie, couldn't watch it all)
Denmark: To Verdener (Worlds Apart), Niels Arden Oplev, Denmark
Egypt: The Island, Sherif Arafa
Estonia: Mina olin siin. Esimene arest (I Was Here), René Vilbre
Finland: Tummien Perhosten Koti (Home of Dark Butterfiles), Dome Karukoski, Finland
France: Entre les Murs (The Class), Laurent Cantet, France
Georgia: Mediator, Dito Tsintsadze
Germany: Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (The Baader Meinhof Complex), Uli Edel, Germany
Greece: Correction, Thanos Anastopoulos
Hong Kong: Hua Pi aka Wa Pei (Painted Skin), Donnie Yen
Hungary: Iszka Utazása (Iska’s Journey), Csaba Bollok, Hungary
Iceland: Brúðguminn (White Night Wedding), Baltasar Kormkur’s, Iceland
India: Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan, India
Iran: The Song of Sparrows, Ari Foman
Israel: Waltz With Bashir, Ari Folman, Israel, Germany and France (also eligible for animated feature)
Italy: Gomorra (Gomorrah), Matteo Garone, Italy
Japan: Okuribito (Departures), Yojiro Takita, Japan
Jordan: Captain Abu Raed, amin Matalqa, Jordan
Kazakhstan: Tulpan, Sergei Dvortsevoy
Korea: Crossing, Tae-kyun Kim
Kyrgyztan: Тенгри (Heavens Blue), Marie-Jaoul de Ponchville
Latvia: Rīgas sargi (Defenders of Riga), Aigars Grauba
Lebanon: Sous Les Bombes (Under the Bombs), Philippe Aractingi
Lithuania: Nereikalingi žmonės (Loss), Maris Marinsons
Luxembourg: Nuits d’Arabie, Paul Kieffer
Macedonia: I Am From Titov Veles, Teona Strugar-Mitesvska
Mexico: Arrancame La Vida (Tear This Heart Out), Roberto Sneider
Morocco: Adieu Mères (Goodbye Mothers), Mohamed Ismail
Netherlands: Dunya & Desie, Dana Nechustan, Netherlands
Norway: O’Horten, Bent Hamer, Norway, Germany and France
Palestine: Salt of This Sea, Annemarie Jacir
Philippines: Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia, Philippines
Poland: Sztuczki (Tricks), Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland
Portugal: Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto (Our Beloved Month of August), Miguel Gomes
Romania: Restul e Tacere (The Rest is Silence), Nae Caranfil, Romania
Russia: Русалка (Mermaid), Anna Melikyan
Serbia: Turneja (The Tour), Goran Markovic
Singapore: My Magic, Eric Khoo, Singapore
Slovakia: Slepé lásky (Blind Loves), Juraja Lehostkeho
Slovenia: Petelinji Zajtrk (Rooster’s Breakfast), Marko Nabersnik
South Africa: Jerusalema, Ralph Ziman
Spain: Los Girasoles Ciegos (The Blind Sunflowers), José Luis Cuerda
Sweden: Maria Larssons eviga ögonblick (Everlasting Moments), Jan Troell, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Germany and Sweden
Switzerland: Der Freund (The Friend), Micha Lewinsky
Taiwan: Cape No. 7, Wei Te-sheng, Taiwan
Thailand: Love of Siam, Chookiat Sakveerakul
Turkey: Üç Maymun (3 Monkeys), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Ukraine: Illusion of Fear, Aleksandr Kirienko
UK: Hope Eternal, Karl Francis
Uruguay: Matar a Todos (Kill Them All), Esteban Schoeder
Venezuela: El Tinte de la Fama (The Color of Fame), Alejandro Bellame

To check the official press release go here.

Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network.

There are many films here that are must be seen for me and I just hope to see them as soon as possible. We will have to wait until January 2009 to find out if the new selection rules work and the category nominates interesting and worthy movies.

Here is a better description of the new rules.

Under new rules, the committee -- which tends to consist of older, often retired members who have more time on their hands -- will only pick six of the nine finalists. The academy's foreign-film executive committee, headed by Mark Johnson and including Oscar-winning filmmakers such as Curtis Hanson, will choose the remaining three. Then, as in the last two years, a bicoastal committee of academy members (about 30 specially selected members) will view the nine finalists and whittle them down to the five that will be announced Jan. 22 as nominees for best foreign-language film of the year.

I imagine that eventually we will be able to learn the names of the nine (9) films and I'll post them as soon as they become available from a reliable source.