90th Academy Awards Foreign Language Films Submissions

10/6/17 Update - AMPAS surprised many of us with what we can call an early release of the submitted and accepted films to the foreign language film category as usually takes them 10 days or more to announce the complete list. But more interesting is the amount of countries that had films accepted, a new record (!) with 92 submitting films this year, which are seven (7) more countries/films than last year's 85.

There are too many great films in list and too-many films, period. Hopefully new "simplified" process will allow more films to be seen by more people, but believe is just a hope as know that films with strong promotion will have better chances than those without it. Already have received several invitations to private screenings in LA and yes are for films from the great filmmakers as this year list has several master filmmakers like Haneke, Akin, Ostlund, Martel, Roskam, Holland, Lelio, Bartas, Trier, and Zvyagintsev plus perhaps lesser known but already collected great accolades like Alain Gomis, Annemarie Jacir, Mijke de Jong, Jonas Carpignano, Ildiko Enyedi and Robin Campillo. Missing is Kaurismaki, but we know he's against all this fuzz and buzz, sigh.

Yes, list is impressive from the great-cinema point-of-view and there are many must-be-seen films for our cinematic enjoyment and pleasure. But we all know what the Academy likes and celebrates not always is what deserves the honor so in that sense, my hopes are not too high. Nevertheless by the end of December we will learn the nine (9) films in the shortlist from where the five nominations will come and perhaps this year AMPAS foreign-language film committee will surprise us with ONLY great choices.





There is another record as with twenty-seven (27) films made by a female director this edition becomes the record holder and it's a great milestone but when we do the relation between total submissions and female directed, percentage remains similar to what film festivals are having lately which is about one fourth.  Great advance for this category but still no big leap, yet.

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8/5/17 Update - As expected, Switzerland became the first country to enter the Oscar race as film was announced yesterday at Locarno fest.

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8/3/17
Today is a good day to start my most favorite post of the year, the one about the films countries send to Oscars for their consideration.  Will start with some general news but in a few days we will learn the first film as since last year Switzerland announces its submission during the Locarno Film Festival, which started just yesterday.

As did last year, will link sources at my Pinterest; sources are in the original language so my best suggestion is to use Chrome for auto-translation.

Submission to AMPAS deadline is October 2, 2017 @5:00pm PT. Female directors are in Blue.

Afghanistan: نامه‌ای به رییس‌جمهور Namai ba rahis gomhor (A Letter to the President), Roya Sadat (2017 Locarno)
Albania: Dita zë fill (Daybreak), Gentian Koçi (2017 Sarajevo Best Actress award winner)
Algeria: La route d'Istanbul (Road to Istambul), Rachid Bouchareb (2016 Berlinale Panorama)
Argentina: Zama, Lucrecia Martel (2017 Venice)
Armenia: Եվա Yeva, Anahit Abad
Australia: The Space Between, Ruth Borgobello
Austria: Happy End, Michael Haneke (2017 Cannes)
Azerbaijan: Nar baği (Pomegranate Orchard), Ilgar Najaf (Karlovy Vary)

Bangladesh: খাঁচা Khacha (The Cage), Akram Khan
Belgium: Le Fidèle (Racer and the Jailbird), Michaël R. Roskam (2017 Venice Out of Competition)
Bolivia: Viejo Calavera (Dark Skull), Kiro Russo (2016 Locarno)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Muškarci ne plaču (Men Don't Cry), Alen Drljević (Karlovy Vary Special Jury Prize winner)
Brazil: Bingo - O rei das manhãs (Bingo - The King of the Mornings), Daniel Rezende
Bulgaria: Слава Slava (Glory), Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (2016 Locarno Don Quixote Award Special Mention)

Cambodia: First They Kill My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, Angelina Jolie 
Canada: Hochelaga, Terre des Âmes (Hochelaga, Land of Souls), François Girard
Chile: Una Mujer Fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), Sebastián Lelio (2017 Berlinale Best Screenplay winner)
China: 战狼2 Zhan lang 2 (Wolf Warrior 2), Wu Jing
Colombia: Pariente (Guilty Men), Iván D. Gaona
Costa Rica: El Sonido de las Cosas (The Sound of Things), Ariel Escalante (2016 MoscowIFF)
Croatia: Ne gledaj mi u pijat (Quit Staring at My Plate), Hana Jušić (2016 Venice)
Czech Republic: Bába z ledu (Ice Mother), Bohdan Sláma

Denmark: Du forsvinder (You Disappear), Peter Schønau Fog
Dominican Republic: Carpinteros (Woodpeckers), José María Cabral (2017 Sundance)

Ecuador: Alba, Ana Cristina Barragán (2016 Rotterdam Lions Film award winner)
Egypt: شيخ جاكسون Sheik Jackson, Amr Salama
Estonia: Novembri (November), Rainer Sarnet (Karlovy Vary)

Finland: Tom of Finland, Dome Karukoski
France: 120 battements par minute (BPM-Beats Per Minute), Robin Campillo (2017 Cannes Grand Prix winner)

Georgia: საშიში დედა Sashishi Deda (Scary Mother), Ana Urushadze (2017 Locarno First Film Award winner)
Germany: Aus dem Nichts (In the Fade), Fatih Akin (2017 Cannes Best Actress winner)
Greece: Πλατεία Αμερικής  Plateia Amerikis (Amerika Square), Yannis Sakaridis

Haiti: Ayiti Mon Amour, Guetty Felin
Honduras: Morazán, Hispano Durón
Hong Kong: 一念無明 Yat nim mou ming (Mad World), Wong Chun
Hungary: Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul), Ildikó Enyedi (2017 Berlinale Golden Bear winner)

Iceland: Undir trénu (Under the Tree), Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson (2017 Venice Orizzonti)
India: Newton, Amit V Masurkar (2017 Berlinale Forum)
Indonesia: Turah (Leftovers), Wicaksono Wisnu Legowo
Iran: نفس Nafas (Breath), Narges Abyar
Iraq: العاصفة السوداء Reşeba (The Dark Wind), Hussein Hassan Ali
Ireland: Song of Granite, Pat Collins (2017 Karlovy Vary)
Israel: פוֹקְסטְרוֹט Foxtrot, Samuel Maoz (2017 Venice Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize winner)
Italy: A Ciambra, Jonas Carpignano (2017 Cannes Quinzaine)

Japan: 湯を沸かすほどの熱い愛 Yu o Wakasu Hodo no Atsui Ai (Her Love Boils Bathwater), Ryota Nakano

Kazakhstan: Дорога к матери Doroga k materi (Road to Mother), Akan Satayev
Kenya: Kati Kati, Mbithi Masya
Kosovo: T'padashtun (Unwanted), Edon Rizvanolli (2017 Karlovy Vary)
Kyrgyzstan: Кентавр Kentavr (Centaur), Aktan Arym Kubat (2017 Berlinale Panorama)

Laos: ນ້ອງຮັກ Nong hak (Dearest Sister), Mattie Do
Latvia: Melānijas hronika (The Chronicles of Melanie), Viesturs Kairišs
Lebanon: قضية رقم ٢٣ (aka قضية رقم 23) L'Insulte (The Insult), Ziad Doueiri (2017 Venice)
Lithuania: Šerkšnas (Frost), Sharunas Bartas  (2017 Cannes Quinzaine)
Luxembourg: Barrage, Laura Schroeder (2017 Berlinale Forum)

Mexico: Tempestad, Tatiana Huezo (documentary) (2016 Berlinale Forum)
Mongolia: The Children of Genghis, Zolbayar Dorj
Morocco: غزية Razzia, Nabil Ayouch
Mozambique: Comboio de Sal e Açúcar (The Train of Salt and Sugar), icínio Azevedo (2016 Locarno)

Nepal: सेतो सूर्य Seto Surya (White Sun), Deepak Rauniyar (2016 Venice Orizzonti)
Netherlands: Layla M., Mijke de Jong
New Zealand: One Thousand Ropes, Tusi Tamasese (2017 Berllinale Panorama Special)
Norway: Thelma, Joachim Trier

Pakistan: ساون Saawan, Farhan Alam
Palestine: واجب Wajib (Wajib, Obligation), Annermarie Jacir (2017 Locarno)
Panama: Más que Hermanos (Beyond Brotherhood), Arianne Benedetti
Paraguay: Los Buscadores (Seekers), Juan Carlos Maneglia and Tana Schémbori
Peru: Rosa Chumbe, Jonatan Relayze
Philippines: Birdshot, Mikhail Red
Poland: Pokot (Spoor), Agnieszka Holland and Kasia Adamik, Poland (2017 Berlinale Silver Bear winner)
Portugal: São Jorge (Saint George), Marco Martins (2016 Venice Orizzonti Best Actor award winner)

Romania: Fixeur (The Fixer), Adrian Sitaru
Russia: Нелюбовь Nelyubov (Loveless), Andrey Zvyagintsev (2017 Cannes Jury Award winner)

Senegal: Félicité, Alain Gomis (2017 Berlinale Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner)
Serbia: Rekvijemu za gospođu J (Requiem for Mrs. J.), Bojam Vuletića (2017 Berlinale Panorama Special)
Singapore: Pop Aye, Kirsten Tan (2017 Rotterdam Big Screen Award winner)
Slovakia: Čiara (The Line), Petra Bebjaka (2017 Karlovy Vary Best Director winner)
Slovenia: Rudar (The Miner), Hanna Antonina Wojcik Slak 
South Africa: Inxeba (The Wound), John Trengove (2017 Berlinale Panorama)
South Korea: 택시운전사 Taeksi Woonjunsa (A Taxi Driver), Jang Hun
Spain: Estiu 1993 (Summer 1993), Carla Simón (2017 Berlinale First Feature Award and Grand Prix Generation KPlus International Jury winner)
Sweden: The Square, Ruben Östlund (2017 Cannes Palme d'Or winner)
Switzerland: Die göttliche Ordnung (The Divine Order), Petra Volpe
Syria: Little Gandhi, Sam Kadi (documentary)

Taiwan: 日常對話 Ri Chang Dui Hua (Small Talk), Hui-chen Huang (documentary)(2017 Berlinale Panorama Dokumente - Best Documentary Teddy Bear winner)
Thailand: ดาวคะนอง Dao Khanong (By the Time It Gets Dark), Anocha Suwichakornpong (2016 Locarno)
Tunisia:  خر واحد فينا Akher Wahed Fina (The Last of Us), Ala Eddine Slim (2016 Venice Critics' Week)
Turkey: Ayla (Ayla, The Daughter of War), Can Ulkay

Ukraine: Рівень чорного (Black Level), Valentyn Vasyanovych
United Kingdom:  My Pure Land, Sarmad Masud
Uruguay: Otra Historia del Mundo (Another Story of the World), Guillermo Casanova

Venezuela: El Inca, Ignacio Castillo Cottin
Vietnam: Cha cõng con (Father and Son), Lương Đình Dũng

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