Complaints and surprises in the international shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced the shortlist of 15 films that will compete for a Best International Feature Oscar nomination at the 97th Academy Awards.

85 countries submitted films this awards season, but several front-runners quickly pulled away from the pack and easily made the longlist, including Jacques Audiard Emilia Perezrepresenting France, the Danish candidate The girl with the needle directed by Magnus von Horn and Mohammad Rasoulof The seed of the sacred fig, feature film set in Iran sent by co-production country Germany.

Several favorites of the festival circuit made the cut. I’m still herethe Brazilian candidate comes to the Oscars on a recommendation from Cannes, where he won the prize for the best screenplay. Director Walter Salles received another Oscar nomination Main station in the international category (then known as the best film in a foreign language), with Fernanda Montenegro, who has a cameo role in I’m still hereshe received a nomination for best actress for a leading role. Cheeky Irish rap comedy Knee cupwinner of the audience award in Sundance’s NEXT section, and swept the British Independent Film Awards, easily entering the final 15. I Wavesthe Czech historical thriller with a ticking time bomb, winner of the Audience Award at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, won the Academy Award.

But there were a few surprises and a handful of criticisms in this year’s longlist.

Entry of Thailand, How to make millions before grandma diesit did not appear at major international festivals, but became a word-of-mouth hit across Asia, eventually grossing more than $50 million at the worldwide box office. Academy voters have clearly warmed to a good comedy about a slacker who volunteers to take care of his terminally ill grandmother in hopes of pocketing an inheritance when she screams.

Another shortlisted title, Contactfrom Iceland, has also been MIA on the festival circuit, but a decades-spanning melodrama that shares some romantic DNA with director Baltasar Kormákur’s 2000 breakthrough. 101 Reykjavíkmade a splash in limited release in the US this summer, via Focus Features. And Kormákur, as director 2 pistols, Everest and Smugglinghe’s a familiar face from America, which can’t hurt.

There were several festival favorites that didn’t make the cut. Crime drama of Astrid Rondero and Fernande Valadez Dirtythe film Mexico, which won the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema at Sundance, was rejected by the Academy. Austrian rival, Devil’s bathhistorical horror from Good night mom directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, awarded at the Berlin Film Festival and the European Film Awards, was skipped. AND grand tour, Portugal’s Hope, another experimental offering from Miguel Gomes, who won Best Director at Cannes for the black-and-white period/documentary mash-up, was also overlooked.

Documentaries and animated films often have a hard time competing with traditional dramas in this category. Documents And so it begins (Sweden), Behind the fog (Ecuador), i Last (Paraguay) was not shortlisted, and Pakistan’s first feature-length animated film, Glasshousehe was similarly disparaged. But several non-dramatic films made it, including a documentary that won the Berlin Film Festival Dahomey (Senegal), directed by Mati Diop, whose play is of the Atlantic was nominated for an Oscar in 2019; and an animated feature film by Gints Zilbalodis Flowwhich was shortlisted for International Feature Films, representing Latvia, and is a strong contender for Best Animated Feature Film nom.

Chilean director Maite Alberdi, who has received Oscar nominations for her last two documentaries, 2020. Agent Mole and in 2023 Eternal memoryThis time, the Academy passed with its periodic drama In her placefailing to enter the final 15.

The Academy’s efforts to increase geographic diversity were less evident in this year’s shortlist, with traditional European powerhouses still dominating. 11 of the 15 shortlisted films are from Europe, only two from Asia – entrance to Palestine From Ground Zero and How to make millions before grandma dies from Thailand — and Diop’s Dahomey the only African pretender. Matthew Rankin Universal languageCanadian Hope, is the only film that represents America.

But European countries that sent works outside the continent made the cut. Although it was filmed in France, Emilia Perez is set in Mexico and filmed in Spanish. Farsi is the only language spoken Holy fig seedrepresenting Germany, and the film never leaves Tehran. Santoshdirected by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri and filmed in India, was a rare UK entry to make the top 15.

Voting for the 97th Academy Awards begins at 9am PT on January 8th and ends at 5pm PT on January 12th. The nominees will be presented on January 17. Final voting begins at 9am PT on February 11th and ends at 5pm PT on February 18th.

The 15 films shortlisted for Best International Film at the 2025 Oscars, listed alphabetically by country, are:

Brazil, I’m still here
Canada, Universal language
Czech Republic, Waves
Denmark, The girl with the needle
France, Emilia Perez
Germany, Holy fig seed
Iceland, Contact
Ireland, Knee cup
Italy, Vermilion
Latvia, Flow
Norway, Armand
Palestine, From Ground Zero
Senegal, Dahomey
Thailand, How to make millions before grandma dies
Great Britain, Santosh