89th Academy Awards Foreign Language Film Submissions

Today, October 11th the Academy published the list of films in competition for the 2017 Foreign Language film Oscar which honors films released in their respective countries during the 2016 period.

There are quite a few changes. For starters there are 85 and not 86 submissions, then Afghanistan, Armenia and Tunisia are out; last, have to add Cambodia and Yemen.  Japan's entry seems to be the same but has a different name in English: Nagasaki: Memories of My Son by Yoji Yamada and Malaysia's English name is different to Redha.

Most important is to highlight that this edition will be the 60th Anniversary of the Foreign Language Film Category as was introduced in 1956 for the 29th Academy Awards. To celebrate the anniversary the Academy created a site with all the category winners which is here and the most amazing collection with 60 videos with the acceptance speeches from the winners which is here.

The 85 submissions is a NEW record! Will do another post with my comments and will include confirmation to what seems obvious, it took 60 editions of this award to have a record of sixteen (16) female directors! But when you think the percentage, 16 from 85 or 19%, it's undeniable that female directors representation is still too low.

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8/5/16
Finally today, August 5, we have the first submission to #Oscars2017 and to my surprise came from Switzerland that for the first time announces its selection at the festival; which by-the-way makes sense as Locarno is one of the most famous festivals in the world and gets a lot more attention than the previous fest were the Swiss submission was announced. Great.

Will not hide my approval as the Swiss film was premiered in Cannes and more interesting was written by one of my most favorite contemporary directors Céline Sciamma!

As most of you know been commenting about fresh news from several countries and the links are in my Pinterest, now most of the info will be in this post, but will continue to leave links at Pinterest. Yes, links take you to several languages news; my best suggestion is to use Chrome for auto-translation.

The deadline for submissions this year is October 3, 2016. Female directors are in Blue.

Afghanistan: رفتن Raftan (Parting), Navid Mahmoudi
Albania:  Krom (Chromium), Bujar Alimani (Karlovy Vary)
Algeria: البئر El Bir (The Well), Lotfi Bouchouchi
Argentina: El Ciudadano Ilustre (The Distinguished Citizen), Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn (Biennale)
Armenia: երկրաշարժ Zemletryasenie (Earthquake), Sarik Andreasyan
Australia: Tanna, Martin Butler and Bentley Dean (2015 Biennale-Settimana della Critica)
Austria: Vor der Morgenröte (Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe), Maria Schrader (Locarno)

Bangladesh: অজ্ঞাতনামা Oggatonama (The Unnamed), Tauquir Ahmed
Belgium: D'Ardennen (The Ardennes), Robin Pront
Bolivia: Carga Sellada (Sealed Cargo), Julia Vargas Weise
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Smrt u Sarajevu (Death in Sarajevo), Danis Tanović (Berlinale)
Brazil: Pequeno Segredo (Little Secret), David Schurmann
Bulgaria: Каръци Karatsi (Losers), Ivaylo Hristov (2015 Moscow)

Cambodia: Before the Fall, Ian White
Canada: Juste la fin du monde (It's Only the End of the World), Xavier Dolan (Cannes)
Chile: Neruda, Pablo Larraín (Cannes Quinzaine)
China: 大唐玄奘 Xuan Zang, Huo Jianqi
Colombia: Alias María, José Luis Rugeles (2015 Cannes)
Costa Rica: Entonces Nosotros (About Us), Hernán Jiménez
Croatia: S One Strane (On the Other Side), Zrinko Ogresta, Croatia and Serbia (Berlinale Panorama)
Cuba: El Acompañante (The Companion), Pavel Giroud
Czech Republic: Ztraceni V Mnichove (Lost in Munich), Petr Zelenka

Denmark: Under sandet (Land of Mine), Martin Zandvliet (Rotterdam)
Dominican Republic: Flor de Azúcar (Sugar Fields), Fernando Báez Mella

Ecuador: Sin Muertos No Hay Carnaval (Such is Life in the Tropics), Sebastián Cordero
Egypt: اشتباك Eshtebak (Clash), Mohamed Diab (Cannes UCR)
Estonia: Ema (Mother), Kadri Kõusaare

Finland: Hymyilevä mies (The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki), Juho Kuosmanen (Cannes UCR)
France: Elle, Paul Verhoeven (Cannes)

Georgia: სხვისი სახლი (The House of Others), Rusudan Glurdjidze (Karlovy Vary)
Germany: Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade (Cannes)
Greece: Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari (2015 Locarno)

Hong Kong: 踏血寻梅 Daap hyut cam mui (Port of Call), Philip Yung
Hungary: Tiszta szívvel (Kills on Wheels), Attila Till (Karlovy Vary)

Iceland: Þrest­ir (Sparrows), Rúnar Rúnarsson (2015 San Sebastian)
India: விசாரணை Visaaranai (Interrogation), Vetrimaaran (2015 Venice)
Indonesia: Surat dari Praha (Letters from Prague), Angga Dwimas Sasongko
Iran: فروشنده Forushande (The Salesman), Asghar Farhadi, (Cannes)
Iraq: El Clásico, Halkawt Mustafa (Tribeca)
Israel: סופת חול Sufat Chol (Sand Storm), Elite Zexer (Berlinale Panorama)
Italy: Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), Gianfranco Rosi (documentary) (Berlinale)

Japan: 母と暮せば Haha to Kuraseba (Living with My Mother), Yôji Yamada
Jordan: 3000 ليلة Layla (3000 Nights), Mai Masri

Kazakhstan: Аманат Amanat, Narymbetov Satybaldy
Kosovo:  Home Sweet Home, Faton Bajraktari (Karlovy Vary)
Kyrgyzstan: Завещание отца Atanym Kereezi (A Father's Will), Bakyt Mukul and Dastan Zhapar uulu

Latvia: Ausma (Dawn), Laila Pakalniņa
Lebanon: فيلم كتير كبير Film Kteer Kbeer (Very Big Shot), Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
Lithuania: Senekos diena (Seneca's Day), Kristijonas Vildžiūnas
Luxembourg: La Supplication (Voices of Chernobyl), Pol Cruchten (documentary)

Macedonia: Ослободување на Скопје Osloboduvanje na Skopje (The Liberation of Skopje), Rade Sherbedzija and Danilo Sherbedzija
Malaysia: Redha (Beautiful Pain), Tunku Mona Riza
Mexico: Desierto, Jonás Cuarón
Montenegro: Igla ispod praga (The Black Pin), Ivan Marinovic
Morocco: مسافة ميل بحذائي Massafat Mile Bihidayi (A Mile in My Shoes), Said Khallaf

Nepal: कालो पोथी Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen), Min Bahadur Bham (2015 Biennale Settimana)
Netherlands: Tonio, Paula van der Oest
New Zealand: A Flickering Truth, Pietra Brettkelly (documentary) (2015 Venice)
Norway: Kongens nei (The King's Choice), Erik Poppe

Pakistan: ماہ میر Mah-e-Mir, Anjum Shahzad
Palestine: يا طير الطاير Ya tayr el tayer (The Idol), Hany Abu-Assad (Rotterdam)
Panama: Salsipuedes, Ricardo Aguilar N. and Manolito Rodríguez
Peru: Videofilia y otros síndromes virales (Videophilia and Other Viral Syndromes), Juan Daniel Fernández (2015 Rotterdam)
Philippines: Ma' Rosa, Brillante Mendoza (Cannes)
Poland: Powidoki (Afterimage), Andrzej Wajda
Portugal: Cartas da Guerra (Letters from War), Ivo Ferreira (Berlinale)

Romania: Sieranevada, Cristi Puiu (Cannes)
Russia:  Рай Rai (Paradise), Andrei Konchalovsky,  (Biennale)

Saudi Arabia: بركة يقابل بركة Barakah yoqabil Barakah (Barakah Meets Barakah), Mahmoud Sabbagh,  (Berlinale Forum)
Serbia: Dnevnik mašinovođe (Train Driver's Diary), Miloša Radovića (MoscowIFF)
Singapore:  Apprentice, Jungfeng Boo (Cannes UCR)
Slovakia: Eva Nová, Marko Škop
Slovenia: Houston, imamo problem! (Houston, We Have a Problem), Žige Virca (Karlovy Vary)
South Africa: Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief), Daryne Joshua 
South Korea: 밀정 Miljung (The Age of Shadows), Kim Jee-Woon (Biennale)
Spain: Julieta, Pedro Almodóvar (Cannes)
Sweden: En man som heter Ove (A Man Called Ove), Hannes Holm
Switzerland: Ma Vie de Courgette (My Life as a Zucchini), Claude Barras (Cannes)

Taiwan: 只要我長大 Lokah Laqi (Hang in There, Kids!), Laha Mebow
Thailand: อาบัติ Arbat (Karma), Kanittha Kwunyoo
Tunisia: على حلّة عيني A peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes), Leyla Bouzid (2015 Venice Days)
Turkey: Kalandar Soğuğu (Cold of Kalandar), Mustafa Kara

Ukraine: Украинские шерифы (Ukrainian Sheriffs), Roman Bondarchuk (documentary)
United Kingdom: زیر سایه Under the Shadow, Babak Anvari
Uruguay: Migas de Pan (Breadcrumbs), Manane Rodríguez

Venezuela: Desde Allá (From Afar), Lorenzo Vigas (2015 Biennale)
Vietnam: Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh (Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass), Victor Vu

Yemen: أنا نجوم بنت العاشره ومطلقة Ana Nojoom Bent Alasherah Wamotalagah (I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced), Khadija Al-Salami

Check info and trailers here.
Check posters here.

To check list at official site go here.