The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences unveiled the official submissions of 85 countries for foreign-language Oscar consideration. That’s a record number for submissions. The previous record was 83 in 2014.
After screenings for voters, the Academy will announce a short list of nine foreign-language films in late December. The five nominees will be named Jan. 24, along with all the other Oscar nominations.
This year, Yemen is a first-time entrant.
Albania, “Chromium” — Bujar Alimani
Algeria “The Well” — Lotfi Bouchouchi
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen” — Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat
Australia, “Tanna” — Bentley Dean, Martin Butler
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe” — Maria Schrader
Bangladesh, “The Unnamed” — Tauquir Ahmed
Belgium, “The Ardennes” — Robin Pront
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo” — Julia Vargas Weise
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo” — Danis Tanovic
Brazil, “Little Secret” — David Schurmann
Bulgaria, “Losers” — Ivaylo Hristov
Cambodia, “Before the Fall” — Ian White
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World” — Xavier Dolan
Chile, “Neruda” — Pablo Larraín
China, “Xuan Zang” — Huo Jianqi
Colombia, “Alias Maria” — José Luis Rugeles
Costa Rica, “About Us” — Hernán Jiménez
Croatia, “On the Other Side” — Zrinko Ogresta
Cuba, “The Companion” — Pavel Giroud
Czech Republic, “Lost in Munich” — Petr Zelenka
Denmark, “Land of Mine” — Martin Zandvliet
Dominican Republic, “Sugar Fields” — Fernando Báez
Ecuador, “Such Is Life in the Tropics” — Sebastián Cordero
Egypt, “Clash” — Mohamed Diab
Estonia, “Mother” — Kadri Kõusaar
Finland, “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki” — Juho Kuosmanen
France, “Elle” — Paul Verhoeven
Georgia, “House of Others” — Rusudan Glurjidze
Germany, “Toni Erdmann” — Maren Ade
Greece, “Chevalier” — Athina Rachel Tsangari
Hong Kong, “Port of Call” — Philip Yung
Hungary, “Kills on Wheels” — Attila Till
Iceland, “Sparrows” — Rúnar Rúnarsson
India, “Interrogation” — Vetri Maaran
Indonesia, “Letters from Prague” — Angga Dwimas Sasongko
Iran, “The Salesman” — Asghar Farhadi
Iraq, “El Clásico” — Halkawt Mustafa
Israel, “Sand Storm” — Elite Zexer
Italy, “Fire at Sea” — Gianfranco Rosi
Japan, “Nagasaki: Memories of My Son” — Yoji Yamada
Jordan, “3000 Nights” — Mai Masri
Kazakhstan, “Amanat” — Satybaldy Narymbetov
Kosovo, “Home Sweet Home” — Faton Bajraktari
Kyrgyzstan, “A Father’s Will” — Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu
Latvia, “Dawn” — Laila Pakalnina
Lebanon, “Very Big Shot” — Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya
Lithuania, “Seneca’s Day” — Kristijonas Vildziunas
Luxembourg, “Voices from Chernobyl” — Pol Cruchten
Macedonia, “The Liberation of Skopje” — Rade Šerbedžija, Danilo Šerbedžija
Malaysia, “Beautiful Pain” — Tunku Mona Riza
Mexico, “Desierto” — Jonás Cuarón
Montenegro, “The Black Pin” — Ivan Marinović
Morocco, “A Mile in My Shoes” — Said Khallaf
Nepal, “The Black Hen” — Min Bahadur Bham
Netherlands, “Tonio” — Paula van der Oest
New Zealand, “A Flickering Truth” — Pietra Brettkelly
Norway, “The King’s Choice” — Erik Poppe
Pakistan, “Mah-e-Mir” — Anjum Shahzad
Palestine, “The Idol” — Hany Abu-Assad
Panama, “Salsipuedes” — Ricardo Aguilar Navarro, Manolito Rodríguez
Peru, “Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes)” — Juan Daniel F. Molero
Philippines, “Ma’ Rosa” — Brillante Ma Mendoza
Poland, “Afterimage” — Andrzej Wajda
Portugal, “Letters from War” — Ivo M. Ferreira
Romania, “Sieranevada” — Cristi Puiu
Russia, “Paradise” — Andrei Konchalovsky
Saudi Arabia, “Barakah Meets Barakah” — Mahmoud Sabbagh
Serbia, “Train Driver’s Diary” — Milos Radovic
Singapore, “Apprentice” — Boo Junfeng
Slovakia, “Eva Nová” — Marko Skop
Slovenia, “Houston, We Have a Problem!” — Žiga Virc
South Africa, “Call Me Thief” — Daryne Joshua
South Korea, “The Age of Shadows” — Kim Jee-woon
Spain, “Julieta” — Pedro Almodóvar
Sweden, “A Man Called Ove” — Hannes Holm
Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini” — Claude Barras
Taiwan, “Hang in There, Kids!” — Laha Mebow
Thailand, “Karma” — Kanittha Kwunyoo
Turkey, “Cold of Kalandar” — Mustafa Kara
Ukraine, “Ukrainian Sheriffs” — Roman Bondarchuk
United Kingdom, “Under the Shadow” — Babak Anvari
Uruguay, “Breadcrumbs” — Manane Rodríguez
Venezuela, “From Afar” — Lorenzo Vigas
Vietnam, “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass” — Victor Vu, director
Yemen, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced” — Khadija Al-Salami
Of special interest is Satybaldy Narymbetov's Kazakhstan entry “Amanat,” an epic historic drama that spans three epochs of Kazakh history.
The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.
