List of foreign-language films nominated for Academy Awards
This article lists all the foreign language films which have been nominated for or won Academy Awards in any category, not just the International Feature Film category (known before the 2019 awards as Best Foreign Language Film) itself. The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are among the world's oldest and most prestigious film prizes.[1] They were first handed out on May 16, 1929 by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and have been given annually ever since.[2] Even though a separate prize has existed for foreign language films since the 1956 Academy Awards, such films continue to be eligible for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided that they have been commercially released in Los Angeles County, California and that they comply with the special rules governing those categories.[3] The French comedy À Nous la Liberté (1931) was the first foreign language film to be nominated for an Academy Award (Best Art Direction); the German-language Swiss drama Marie-Louise (1944) was the first to actually win one (Best Original Screenplay).
Although a Los Angeles theatrical release is not required for eligibility for the Best International Feature Film Award itself, it is a prerequisite for consideration for Academy Awards in other categories. In the past, this had enabled some foreign language films to receive nominations over multiple years, the most recent case being that of the Italian comedy-drama Amarcord (1973). Because such films were still unreleased in Los Angeles when they were submitted to the Academy, they could only be nominated in the Foreign Language Film category. However, upon their Los Angeles release, they became eligible for other Academy Awards, and often ended up receiving nominations in various categories one year after their initial Foreign Language Film nomination. Presently, such nominations over multiple years are no longer possible since the current rules of the Academy unambiguously state that: "Films nominated for the Best International Feature Film Award shall not be eligible for Academy Awards consideration in any category in any subsequent Awards year." This restriction, however, does not apply to submitted films that were not selected as nominees.[3] The Brazilian film City of God (2002) was thus able to receive four Academy Award nominations for the 2003 Academy Awards, even though it had failed to garner a Foreign Language Film nomination as Brazil's official submission for the 2002 Academy Awards.[4]
Background
[edit]Foreign films are not to be confused with foreign language films. A foreign film is a motion picture produced outside the United States, regardless of the language used in its dialogue track. A foreign language film, on the other hand, is a predominantly non-English speaking motion picture, regardless of where it was produced. Although the overwhelming majority of foreign language films are foreign, this is not always the case: in recent years, for instance, several non-English speaking American films such as The Passion of the Christ (2004), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) or Minari (2020) have been nominated for Academy Awards (American films have never been eligible for the Best International Feature Film Award, even if none of the dialogue is in English). Such films are included in this list. On the other hand, foreign films where the majority of the dialogue is in English — such as the Indo-British co-production of Gandhi (1982) — are not taken into account. The article also includes films such as the Japanese anime Spirited Away (2001) that were initially released in their native country in a foreign language but were nominated by the Academy for the English-dubbed version under which they were shown in Los Angeles. The films are grouped by award category, and are arranged chronologically within each category. The years are listed as per Academy convention, and generally correspond to the year of film release; the ceremonies are always held the following year. The winning films are in bold and in light blue background; the presence of an Oscar statuette indicates the official recipient of the award.
Best Picture
[edit]The Best Picture category has existed since the creation of the Academy Awards. Its name has changed several times over the years. When Grand Illusion (1937) was nominated, the name of the category was Outstanding Production; the Best Picture designation has been continuously used since the 1962 Academy Awards. Individual producers have been officially nominated for this award since the 1951 Academy Awards. Previously, the nominations went to the production companies instead.
Acting awards
[edit]Documentary Feature
[edit]The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature category has existed since 1942.
Year | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Award recipient(s) | Country of production | Language(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1942 (15th) | Moscow Strikes Back | Разгром немецких войск под Москвой, Razgrom Nemetskikh Voysk Pod Moskvoy | Central Studio of Newsreels (production company) | Soviet Union | Russian (nominated for its English-dubbed version) | |
1951 (24th) | Kon-Tiki | Kon Tiki | Olle Nordemar (producer) | Norway Sweden | Norwegian | |
1955 (28th) | Crèvecoeur | Crèvecoeur | Jacques Dupont (director & writer) | France | French | |
1956 (29th) | The Silent World | Le monde du silence | Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Louis Malle (director & writer) | France Italy | French | |
Where Mountains Float | Hvor bjergene sejler | Bjarne Henning-Jensen (director & writer) | Denmark | Danish, Greenlandic | ||
1957 (30th) | Torero | Torero | Manuel Barbachano Ponce | Mexico | Spanish, English | |
1959 (32nd) | Serengeti Shall Not Die | Serengeti darf nicht sterben | Bernhard Grzimek (director & writer) | West Germany | German | |
1961 (34th) | Sky Above and Mud Beneath | Le ciel et la boue | Arthur Cohn, René Lafuite | France Liechtenstein | French | |
The Grand Olympics | La grande olimpiade | Romolo Marcellini | Italy | Italian | ||
1962 (35th) | Alvorada - Brazil's Changing Face | Alvorada | Hugo Niebeling | West Germany | German | |
1963 (36th) | The Link and the Chain | Le maillon et la chaîne | Paul de Roubaix | France | French | |
1964 (37th) | World Without Sun | Le monde sans soleil | Jacques-Yves Cousteau | France Italy | French | |
The Human Dutch | Alleman | Bert Haanstra | Netherlands | Dutch | ||
Over There, 1914-18 | 14-18 | Jean Aurel | France | French | ||
1965 (38th) | To Die in Madrid | Mourir à Madrid | Frédéric Rossif | France | French, English (some parts) | |
1966 (39th) | Le volcan interdit | Le volcan interdit | Haroun Tazieff | France | French | |
1967 (40th) | The Anderson Platoon | La section Anderson | Pierre Schoendoerffer | France | French | |
1969 (42nd) | The Olympics in Mexico | Olimpiada en México | Alberto Isaac | Mexico | Spanish | |
1970 (43rd) | Chariots of the Gods | Erinnerungen an die Zukunft | Harald Reinl | West Germany | German | |
1971 (44th) | The Sorrow and the Pity | Le chagrin et la pitié | Marcel Ophüls | France Switzerland West Germany | French, German (some parts), English (some parts) | |
1972 (45th) | Ape and Super-Ape | Bij de beesten af | Bert Haanstra | Netherlands | Dutch | |
1973 (46th) | Battle of Berlin | Schlacht um Berlin | Bengt von zur Mühlen | West Germany | German | |
1974 (47th) | The 81st Blow | Ha-Makah Hashmonim V'Echad | Jacques Ehrlich, David Bergman, Haim Gouri | Israel | Yiddish, Hebrew | |
1978 (51st) | The Lovers' Wind | Le vent des amoureux | Albert Lamorisse | France Iran | French | |
1980 (53rd) | The Yellow Star: The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933–45 | Der gelbe Stern | Bengt von zur Mühlen, Arthur Cohn | West Germany Liechtenstein | German, English, Hebrew | |
1985 (58th) | The Mothers of Plaza de Mayo | Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo | Susana Blaustein Muñoz, Lourdes Portillo | Argentina | Spanish | |
1986 (59th) | Chile: When Will It End? | Chile: Hasta Cuando? | David Bradbury | Australia United States | Spanish, English (some parts) | |
1988 (61st) | Hôtel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie | Hôtel Terminus | Marcel Ophüls | France West Germany United States | French, German, Spanish, English | |
1993 (66th) | Children of Fate: Life and Death in a Sicilian Family | Children of Fate: Life and Death in a Sicilian Family | Susan Todd, Andrew Young | United States | Italian, English (some parts) | |
1999 (72nd) | Buena Vista Social Club | Buena Vista Social Club | Wim Wenders, Ulrich Felsberg | Germany Cuba France United Kingdom United States | Spanish, English (some parts) | |
2001 (74th) | Children Underground | Children Underground | Edet Belzberg | United States | Romanian | |
Promises | Promises | Justine Shapiro, B.Z. Goldberg, Carlos Bolado | United States | Arabic, Hebrew, English (some parts) | ||
2002 (75th) | Winged Migration | Le Peuple Migrateur | Jacques Perrin (director & writer) | France Italy Germany Spain Switzerland | French | |
2003 (76th) | Cuban Rafters | Balseros | Carles Bosch, Josep Maria Domènech | Spain | Spanish | |
2004 (77th) | Born into Brothels | Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids | Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski | United States | Bengali, English | |
The Story of the Weeping Camel | Die Geschichte vom weinenden Kamel | Luigi Falorni, Byambasuren Davaa | Mongolia Germany | Mongolian | ||
2005 (78th) | March of the Penguins | La marche de l'empereur | Luc Jacquet, Yves Darondeau | France | French, English (some parts) | |
2006 (79th) | Iraq in Fragments | Iraq in Fragments | James Longley, John Sinno | United States | Kurdish, Arabic | |
2007 (80th) | War Dance | War Dance | Andrea Nix, Sean Fine | United States | Acholi, English (some parts) | |
2008 (81st) | The Betrayal - Nerakhoon | The Betrayal - Nerakhoon | Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath | United States | Lao, English | |
2009 (82nd) | Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country | Burma VJ: Reporter i et lukket land | Anders Østergaard, Lise Lense-Møller | Denmark Sweden Norway United Kingdom United States Germany Netherlands Israel Spain Belgium Canada | Burmese, English | |
Which Way Home | Which Way Home | Rebecca Cammisa | United States | Spanish, English | ||
2010 (83rd) | Waste Land | Waste Land | Rebecca Cammisa | Brazil United Kingdom | Portuguese, English | |
2011 (84th) | Pina Bausch | Pina | Wim Wenders, Gian-Piero Ringel | Germany France United Kingdom | German, French, English, Spanish, Croatian, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean | |
2012 (85th) | 5 Broken Cameras | كاميرات محطمة | Emad Burnat (director, producer & cinematographer) Guy Davidi (director, producer, writer & editor) | Palestine Israel France | Arabic Hebrew | |
The Gatekeepers | The Gatekeepers | Moreh, Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky | Israel France | Hebrew English | ||
2013 (86th) | The Act of Killing | Jagal | Joshua Oppenheimer (director) Signe Byrge Sørensen (producer) | Denmark Norway United Kingdom | Indonesian | |
The Square | al midan | Jehane Noujaim (director & cinematographer) Karim Amer (producer) | Egypt United States | Arabic (some parts in English) | ||
2014 (87th) | The Salt of the Earth | Le Salt de le Earth | Wim Wenders (director, producer & writer) Juliano Ribeiro Salgado (director, writer & cinematographer) David Rosier (producer & writer) | France Brazil Italy | French Portuguese (some parts in English) | |
Virunga | Virunga | Orlando von Einsiedel, Joanna Natasegara | Democratic Republic of the Congo United Kingdom | French Swahili (English) | ||
2015 (88th) | Cartel Land | Tierra de Carteles | Matthew Heineman (director & producer) Tom Yellin (producer) | Mexico United States | Spanish (some parts in English) | |
The Look of Silence | Senyap | Joshua Oppenheimer (director) Signe Byrge Sørensen (producer) | Denmark Indonesia Finland Norway United Kingdom Israel France United States Germany Netherlands | Indonesian | ||
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom | Зима у вогні: Боротьба України за свободу | Evgeny Afineevsky (director & producer) Den Tolmor (producer) | Ukraine United Kingdom United States | Ukrainian Russian (some parts in English) | ||
2016 (89th) | Fire at Sea | Fuocoammare | Gianfranco Rosi (director & producer) Donatella Palermo (producer) | Italy | Italian | |
2017 (90th) | Faces Places | Visages Villages | Agnès Varda (director) JR (director) Rosalie Varda (producer) | France | French | |
2018 (91st) | Of Fathers and Sons | Kinder des Kalifats | Talal Derki (director) Ansgar Frerich (producer) Eva Kemme (producer) Tobias N. Siebert (producer) | Germany | Arabic | |
2019 (92nd) | The Cave | غار | Feras Fayyad (director) Kirstine Barfod (producer) Sigrid Dyekjær (producer) | Syria Denmark | Arabic English | |
The Edge of Democracy | Democracia em Vertigem | Petra Costa (director) Joanna Natasegara (producer) Shane Boris (producer) Tiago Pavan (producer) | Brazil | Portuguese English | ||
For Sama | إلى سماء | Waad Al-Kateab (director and producer) Edward Watts (director) | United Kingdom United States Syria | Arabic | ||
Honeyland | Медена земја | Ljubomir Stefanov (director) Tamara Kotevska (director) Atanas Georgiev (producer) | North Macedonia | Macedonian Turkish Bosnian | ||
2020 (93rd) | Collective | Colectiv | Alexander Nanau (director and producer) Bianca Oana (producer) | Romania Luxembourg | Romanian | |
The Mole Agent | El agente topo | Maite Alberdi (director) Marcela Santibañez (producer) | Chile United States Germany Netherlands Spain | Spanish | ||
2021 (94th) | Ascension | 登楼叹 | Jessica Kingdon (director and producer) Kira Simon-Kennedy (producer) Nathan Truesdell (producer) | United States | Mandarin English | |
Flee | Flugt | Jonas Poher Rasmussen (director) Monica Hellström (producer) Signe Byrge Sørensen (producer) | Denmark United States United Kingdom France Sweden Norway | Danish | ||
Writing with Fire | Writing with Fire | Sushmit Ghosh (director and producer) Rintu Thomas (director and producer) | India | Hindi | ||
2022 (95th) | A House Made of Splinters | Будинок зі скалок | Simon Lereng Wilmont (director and producer) Monica Hellström (director and producer) | Denmark Ukraine Sweden | Russian Ukrainian | |
All That Breathes | All That Breathes | Shaunak Sen (director and producer) Aman Mann (producer) Teddy Leifer (producer) | India United States United Kingdom | Hindi | ||
2023 (96th) | The Eternal Memory | La memoria infinita | Maite Alberdi (director and producer) Juan de Dios Larraín (producer) Pablo Larraín (producer) Rocio Jadue (producer) | Chile | Spanish | |
Four Daughters | بنات ألفة | Kaouther Ben Hania (director) Nadim Cheikhrouha (producer) | France Germany Tunisia Saudi Arabia | Arabic | ||
To Kill a Tiger | To Kill a Tiger | Nisha Pahuja (director and producer) Cornelia Principe (producer) David Oppenheim (producer) | Canada | Hindi | ||
20 Days in Mariupol | 20 днів у Маріуполі | Mstyslav Chernov (director and producer) Michelle Mizner (producer) Raney Aronson-Rath (producer) | Ukraine | Ukrainian English Russian |
Animated Feature Film
[edit]The Animated Feature Film category has existed since the 2001 Academy Awards. The intended recipient(s) of this award must be designated by those responsible for the production of the film. Agreement on the designated recipient(s) has to be settled prior to the film's submission to the Academy. Unlike other Academy Awards, the Best Animated Feature Film Award therefore does not always go to the same crew member. However, the person(s) to whom it is given must always be "the key creative individual most clearly responsible for the overall achievement or a two-person team with shared and equal directing credit".[12]
Year | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Award recipient(s) | Country of production | Language(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2002 (75th) | Spirited Away | Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi 千と千尋の神隠し | Hayao Miyazaki (director & writer) | Japan | Japanese (nominated for its English-dubbed version) | |
2003 (76th) | The Triplets of Belleville | Les Triplettes de Belleville | Sylvain Chomet (director & writer) | France Belgium Canada United Kingdom | French | |
2005 (78th) | Howl's Moving Castle | Hauru no ugoku shiro ハウルの動く城 | Hayao Miyazaki (director, writer & executive producer) | Japan | Japanese (nominated for its English-dubbed version) | |
2007 (80th) | Persepolis | Persépolis | Marjane Satrapi Vincent Paronnaud (directors & writers) | France Iran | French (some parts in English, Persian & German) | [13] |
2010 (83rd) | The Illusionist | L'Illusionniste | Sylvain Chomet (director & writer) | France | French (some parts in English and Gaelic) | |
2011 (84th) | A Cat in Paris | Une vie de chat | Alain Gaignol (director & writer) Jean-Loup Felicioli (director) | France Belgium Netherlands Switzerland | French | |
Chico and Rita | Chico y Rita | Fernando Trueba (director & writer) Javier Mariscal (director) | Spain United Kingdom | Spanish (some parts in English) | ||
2013 (86th) | Ernest & Celestine | Ernest et Célestine | Benjamin Renner (director) Didier Brunner (producer) | France Belgium | French | |
The Wind Rises | Kaze tachinu 風立ちぬ | Hayao Miyazaki (director & writer) Toshio Suzuki (producer) | Japan | Japanese | ||
2014 (87th) | The Tale of the Princess Kaguya | Kaguya-hime no Monogatari かぐや姫の物語 | Isao Takahata (director) Yoshiaki Nishimura (producer) | Japan | Japanese | |
2015 (88th) | Boy and the World | O Menino e o Mundo | Alê Abreu (director) | Brazil | Brazilian Portuguese | |
When Marnie Was There | Omoide no Mānī 思い出のマーニー | Hiromasa Yonebayashi (director) Yoshiaki Nishimura (producer) | Japan | Japanese | ||
2016 (89th) | My Life as a Courgette | Ma vie de Courgette | Claude Barras (director) Max Karli (producer) | France Switzerland | French | |
The Red Turtle | La Tortue Rouge レッドタートル ある島の物語 | Michaël Dudok de Wit (director) Toshio Suzuki (producer) | France Belgium Japan | No dialogue | ||
2018 (91st) | Mirai | Mirai no Mirai 未来のミライ | Mamoru Hosoda (director) Yuichiro Saito (producer) | Japan | Japanese | |
2019 (92nd) | I Lost My Body | J'ai perdu mon corps | Jérémy Clapin (director) Marc du Pontavice producer) | France | French | |
2021 (94th) | Flee | Flugt | Jonas Poher Rasmussen (director) Monica Hellström (producer) Signe Byrge Sørensen (producer) | United States United Kingdom France Sweden Norway Denmark | Danish | |
2023 (96th) | The Boy and the Heron | Kimitachi wa Dō Ikiru ka 君たちはどう生きるか | Hayao Miyazaki (director) Toshio Suzuki (producer) | Japan | Japanese |
Art Direction/Production Design
[edit]The Production Design category, formerly named Best Art Direction until 2012, has existed since the creation of the Academy Awards. Until 1939, only one award was given. From 1940 until 1966, two awards were given, one for black-and-white films, the other for color films. The two awards were briefly merged at the 1957 and 1958 Academy Awards, and were permanently combined once again in a single category starting 1967. All the foreign language films that were nominated for the Art Direction Award between 1940 and 1966 received their nomination in the Black-and-White category, with the exception of Juliet of the Spirits (1965), which was nominated in the Color category.
Cinematography
[edit]The Cinematography category has existed since the creation of the Academy Awards. Until 1938, only one award was given. From 1939 until 1966, two awards were given, one for black-and-white films, the other for color films. The two awards were briefly merged at the 1957 Academy Awards, and were permanently combined once again in a single category starting 1967. However, since foreign language films were not nominated for the Cinematography Award prior to the 1966 Academy Awards, they were unaffected by the splits and mergers that took place in this category.
Costume Design
[edit]The Costume Design category has existed since the 1948 Academy Awards. Until 1966, two awards were given, one for black-and-white films, the other for color films. The two awards were briefly merged at the 1957 and 1958 Academy Awards, and were permanently combined once again in a single category starting 1967. All the foreign language films that were nominated for the Costume Design Award between 1948 and 1966 received their nomination in the Black-and-White category, with the exception of Gate of Hell (1953) and Juliet of the Spirits (1965), which were nominated in the Color category.
Directing
[edit]The Directing category has existed since the creation of the Academy Awards. Lina Wertmüller's nomination for Seven Beauties (1976) made her the first-ever woman to be nominated for the Directing Award and the only one ever nominated for a foreign language film.
Film Editing
[edit]The Film Editing category has existed since the 1934 Academy Awards.
International Feature Film
[edit]Makeup
[edit]The Makeup category has existed since the 1981 Academy Awards. No award was handed out at the 1983 Academy Awards.
Music (Scoring)
[edit]The Music (Scoring) category.
Year | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Award recipient(s) | Country of production | Language(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1961 (34th) | Khovanshchina | Khovanshchina Хованщина | Dimitri Shostakovich (Scoring of a Musical Picture) | Soviet Union | Russian | |
1963 (36th) | Sundays and Cybele | Les Dimanches de Ville d'Avray | Maurice Jarre (Scoring of Music — adaptation or treatment) | France | French | |
1965 (38th) | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg | Les Parapluies de Cherbourg | Michel Legrand Jacques Demy (Music Score — substantially original) | France | French | |
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg | Les Parapluies de Cherbourg | Michel Legrand (Scoring of Music — adaptation or treatment) | France | French | ||
1966 (39th) | The Gospel According to St. Matthew | Il Vangelo secondo Matteo | Luis Bacalov (Scoring of Music — adaptation or treatment) | Italy France | Italian | |
1968 (41st) | The Young Girls of Rochefort | Les Demoiselles de Rochefort | Michel Legrand (Music and adaptation score) Jacques Demy (Lyrics)(Score of a Musical Picture-original or adaptation) | France | French (some parts in English) | |
1970 (43rd) | Sunflower | I girasoli | Henry Mancini (Original Score) | Italy France | Italian (some parts in English) | |
1971 (44th) | Tchaikovsky | Chaykovskiy Чайковский | Dimitri Tiomkin (Adaptation and Original Song Score) | Soviet Union | Russian | |
1995 (68th) | Il Postino: The Postman | Il postino | Luis Bacalov (Original Dramatic Score) | Italy | Italian (some parts in Spanish) | |
1998 (71st) | Life Is Beautiful | La vita è bella | Nicola Piovani (Original Dramatic Score) | Italy | Italian (some parts in German & English) | [10] |
1999 (72nd) | The Red Violin | Le Violon rouge | John Corigliano (Original Score) | Canada Italy | Multilingual (English, French, German, Italian & Mandarin) | |
2000 (73rd) | Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Wòhǔ Cánglóng (pinyin) 臥虎藏龍 (traditional Chinese) 卧虎藏龙 (simplified Chinese) | Tan Dun (Original Score) | Taiwan China Hong Kong United States | Mandarin | [5] |
Malèna | Malena | Ennio Morricone (Original Score) | Italy | Italian (some parts in Sicilian, English & Latin) | ||
2004 (77th) | The Passion of the Christ | The Passion of the Christ | John Debney (Original Score) | United States | Aramaic (some parts in Latin & Hebrew) | [16] |
2006 (79th) | Babel | Babel | Gustavo Santaolalla | United States Mexico France | English, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese, Japanese Sign language, Berber languages | [16] |
Pan's Labyrinth | El laberinto del fauno | Javier Navarrete (Original Score) | Spain Mexico | Spanish | [14] | |
2007 (80th) | The Kite Runner | The Kite Runner | Alberto Iglesias (Original Score) | United States | Dari (some parts in English, Pashtu, Urdu & Russian) | |
2020 (93rd) | Minari | 미나리 | Emile Mosseri (Original Score) | United States | Korean (some parts in English) | |
2021 (94th) | Parallel Mothers | Madres paralelas | Alberto Iglesias (Original Score) | Spain | Spanish | |
2022 (95th) | All Quiet on the Western Front | Im Westen nichts Neues(German) | Volker Bertelmann (Original Score) | Germany United States | German (some parts in French) |
Music (Best Original Song)
[edit]The Music (Best Original Song) category has existed since the 1934 Academy Awards. Its name was changed from Song to Original Song starting 1975 onwards. The designation Song — Original for the Picture had previously been used between 1968 and 1972. This list includes all nominated non-English language songs, regardless of their respective original film's primary language.
Year | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Song | Award recipient(s) | Country of production | Language(s) |
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