A record 67 countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 81st Academy Awards, Academy President Sid Ganis announced today.
Jordan is the only first-timer this year. It submitted Amin Matalqa’s Captain Abu Raed, which stars veteran Nadim Sawalha as an airport janitor mistaken for a pilot by his neighborhood’s poor children. The janitor then sets out to tell fantastic stories about the world out there so as to help the children escape from their drab existence. Earlier this year, Captain Abu Raed nabbed the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival and the best director award at the Seattle Film Festival.
Among other potential Oscar 2009 contenders in the best foreign language film category are:
- Laurent Cantet’s The Class, set in one of Paris’ poor, multiethnic neighborhoods, and this year’s Palme d’Or winner at the Cannes Film Festival
- Uli Edel’s The Baader Meinhof Complex, about the two notorious Red Army Faction terrorists (played by Moritz Bleibtreu and Martina Gedeck)
- Matteo Garrone’s widely praised Gomorra, winner of the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival, which tells the story of one of Italy’s modern-day crime families
- Bruno Barreto’s Last Stop 174, a dramatization of a bus highjacking that took place in Rio de Janeiro in 2000
- Majid Majidi’s The Song of Sparrows, which won Reza Najie the best actor Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival, a morality tale about the fall and rise of a destitute farmer after he leaves the countryside for Teheran
Before the actual voting takes place — and there’s been one major procedural change this year — watch for half a dozen or more films to be disqualified as a result of some technicality or other.
Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The 2009 Oscar ceremony will take place on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the United States, it will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.
The 2008 submissions are:
Afghanistan, Opium War, Siddiq Barmak, director;
Albania, The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider, Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani, directors;
Algeria, Masquerades, Lyes Salem, director;
Argentina, Lion’s Den, Pablo Trapero, director;
Austria, Revanche, Gotz Spielmann, director;
Azerbaijan, Fortress, Shamil Nacafzada, director;
Bangladesh, Aha!, Enamul Karim Nirjhar, director;
Belgium, Eldorado, Bouli Lanners, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Snow, Aida Begic, director;
Brazil, Last Stop 174, Bruno Barreto, director;
Bulgaria, Zift, Javor Gardev, director;
Canada, The Necessities of Life, Benoit Pilon, director;
Chile, Tony Manero, Pablo Larrain, director;
China, Dream Weavers, Yun Gu, director;
Colombia, Dog Eat Dog, Carlos Moreno, director;
Croatia, No One’s Son, Arsen Anton Ostojic, director;
Czech Republic, The Karamazovs, Petr Zelenka, director;
Denmark, Worlds Apart, Niels Arden Oplev, director;
Egypt, The Island, Sherif Arafa, director;
Estonia, I Was Here, Rene Vilbre, director;
Finland, The Home of Dark Butterflies, Dome Karukoski, director;
France, The Class, Laurent Cantet, director;
Georgia, Mediator, Dito Tsintsadze, director;
Germany, The Baader Meinhof Complex, Uli Edel, director;
Greece, Correction, Thanos Anastopoulos, director;
Hong Kong, Painted Skin, Gordon Chan, director;
Hungary, Iska’s Journey, Csaba Bollok, director;
Iceland, White Night Wedding, Baltasar Kormakur, director;
India, Taare Zameen Par, Aamir Khan, director;
Iran, The Song of Sparrows, Majid Majidi, director;
Israel, Waltz with Bashir, Ari Folman, director;
Italy, Gomorra, Matteo Garrone, director;
Japan, Departures, Yojiro Takita, director;
Jordan, Captain Abu Raed, Amin Matalqa, director;
Kazakhstan, Tulpan, Sergey Dvortsevoy, director;
Korea, Crossing, Tae-kyun Kim, director;
Kyrgyzstan, Heavens Blue, Marie Jaoul de Poncheville, director;
Latvia, Defenders of Riga, Aigars Grauba, director;
Lebanon, Under the Bombs, Philippe Aractingi, director;
Lithuania, Loss, Maris Martinsons, director;
Luxembourg, Nuits d’Arabie, Paul Kieffer, director;
Macedonia, I’m from Titov Veles, Teona Strugar Mitevska, director;
Mexico, Tear This Heart Out, Roberto Sneider, director;
Morocco, Goodbye Mothers, Mohamed Ismail, director;
The Netherlands, Dunya & Desie, Dana Nechushtan, director;
Norway, O’Horten, Bent Hamer, director;
Palestine, Salt of This Sea, Annemarie Jacir, director;
Philippines, Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia, director;
Poland, Tricks, Andrzej Jakimowski, director;
Portugal, Our Beloved Month of August, Miguel Gomes, director;
Romania, The Rest Is Silence, Nae Caranfil, director;
Russia, Mermaid, Anna Melikyan, director;
Serbia, The Tour, Goran Markovic, director;
Singapore, My Magic, Eric Khoo, director;
Slovakia, Blind Loves, Juraj Lehotsky, director;
Slovenia, Rooster’s Breakfast, Marko Nabersnik, director;
South Africa, Jerusalema, Ralph Ziman, director;
Spain, The Blind Sunflowers, Jose Luis Cuerda, director;
Sweden, Everlasting Moments, Jan Troell, director;
Switzerland, The Friend, Micha Lewinsky, director;
Taiwan, Cape No. 7, Te-Sheng Wei, director;
Thailand, Love of Siam, Chookiat Sakveerakul, director;
Turkey, 3 Monkeys, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
Ukraine, Illusion of Fear, Aleksandr Kiriyenko, director;
United Kingdom, Hope Eternal, Karl Francis, director;
Uruguay, Kill Them All, Esteban Schroeder, director;
Venezuela, The Color of Fame, Alejandro Bellame Palacios, director.
‘The Class’ is a great french film as well. I loved it!
love of siam was simply amazing. should have been at least been nominated….
How can I get some of these films?
I’d suggest you contact the Academy directly.
i want to submit my indian movie for the current year.what is the procedure plz furnish the details.thnx
I’ve seen Taare Zameen Par and it’s good. However, I just watched Worlds Apart from Denmark and Waltz with Bashir from Israel. Worlds Apart was interesting and definitely a lovable movie but nothing out of this world. Waltz w/ B was quite awesome - a breakthrough in the genre of documentaries. 80% of the movie makes you think WAR IS COOL but then comes the horrific part. Animation is similar to Persepolis and Keanu Reeves’ A Scanner Darkly.
Tare Zameen Par worth watching to realise what kids go through in developing countries where parents, teachers are not aware and grade all children as inteligent of dumb A+ or F
It is a must see
‘taare zamein par’ a heart wrenching struggle of a young boy with dyslexia…a must watch!
I loved Taare Zameen Par (Stars on the Ground), It was an enchanting film…and although I have not seen the others, I still think it should win!
I definitely think it is heartwarming and worth seeing!
Taare Zameen Par was excellent! I did enjoy it
The indian film was Fantastic, He also was nominated
for the movie lagaan which was also Amazing
‘taare zameen par’ is excellent!!!……must watch
india’s taare zameen par is a lot better than the others i have watched……..bettre see that everyone.
Love of Siam. still can’t get it out of my head
I will suggest u everybody to watch indian film taare zameen per n u all like it sure
I love watching various Foreign Films, and so far have watched the Canadian entry “the Necessities of Life” and Spain’s “Blind Sunflowers” - both movies are interesting … and yes to Francis, watched the Philippine’s entry “Ploning” when I was in L.A.- really moving, had a twist in the end and the cinematography was breathtaking, beautiful scenes - i think, I had a whole new cultural experience for this south east asian ‘Ploning’ movie - a Must See Movie. Hope ‘Ploning’ get’s in the top 5 nominations.
entry from philippines is so great i watch it when im in manila the artist is so simple and beautiful PLONING