COUNTRIES SUBMIT FILMS FOR BFLF OSCAR®

A record 67 countries (63 last year), including first-time entrant Jordan, have submitted feature films for Oscar® consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film (BFLF) category for the 81st Academy Awards® for Best Foreign Language Film of 2008.

In June, the Academy invited 95 countries to submit a film in the category. The deadline to receive the application and all supporting material was 1 October. Selected committees will now select a short list from which five films will be nominated by those in the full Academy membership who can certify they have seen all five films nominated. [This post is also in the link on the right sidebar from now until next year.]

The 2008 submissions, along with director(s) are:

Afghanistan, OPIUM WAR, Siddiq Barmak;

Albania, THE SORROW OF MRS. SCHNEIDER, Piro Milkani and Eno Milkani;

Algeria, MASQUERADES, Lyes Salem;

Argentina, LION'S DEN, Pablo Trapero;

Austria, REVANCHE, Gotz Spielmann;

Azerbaijan, FORTRESS, Shamil Nacafzada;

Bangladesh, AHA!, Enamul Karim Nirjhar;

Belgium, ELDORADO, Bouli Lanners;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, SNOW, Aida Begic;

Brazil, LAST STOP 174, Bruno Barreto;

Bulgaria, ZIFT, Javor Gardev;

Canada, THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE, Benoit Pilon;

Chile, TONY MANERO, Pablo Larrain;

China, DREAM WEAVERS, Jun Gu, director;

Colombia, DOG EAT DOG, Carlos Moreno;

Croatia, NO ONE'S SON, Arsen Anton Ostojic;

Czech Republic, THE KARAMAZOVS, Petr Zelenka;

Denmark, WORLDS APART, Niels Arden Oplev;

Egypt, THE ISLAND, Sherif Arafa;

Estonia, I WAS HERE, Rene Vilbre;

Finland, THE HOME OF DARK BUTTERFLIES, Dome Karukoski;

France, THE CLASS, Laurent Cantet;

Georgia, MEDIATOR, Dito Tsintsadze;

Germany, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, Uli Edel;

Greece, CORRECTION, Thanos Anastopoulos;

Hong Kong, PAINTED SKIN, Gordon Chan;

Hungary, ISKA'S JOURNEY, Csaba Bollok;

Iceland, WHITE NIGHT WEDDING, Baltasar Kormakur;

India, TAARE ZAMEEN PAR, Aamir Khan;

Iran, THE SONG OF THE SPARROWS, Majid Majidi;

Israel, WALTZ WITH BASHIR, Ari Folman;

Italy, GOMORRA, Matteo Garrone;

Japan, DEPARTURES, Yojiro Takita;

Jordan, CAPTAIN ABU RAED, Amin Matalqa;

Kazakhstan, TULPAN, Sergey Dvortsevoy;

Korea, CROSSING, Tae-kyun Kim;

Kyrgyzstan, HEAVENS BLUE, Marie Jaoul de Poncheville;

Latvia, DEFENDERS OF RIGA, Aigars Grauba;

Lebanon, UNDER THE BOMBS, Philippe Aractingi;

Lithuania, LOSS, Maris Martinsons;

Luxembourg, NUITS D'ARABIE, Paul Kieffer;

Macedonia, I’M FROM TITOV VELES, Teona Strugar Mitevska;

Mexico, TEAR THIS HEART OUT, Roberto Sneider;

Morocco, GOODBYE MOTHERS, Mohamed Ismail;

The Netherlands, DUNYA & DESIE, Dana Nechushtan;

Norway, O’HORTEN, Bent Hamer;

Palestine, SALT OF THIS SEA, Annemarie Jacir;

Philippines, PLONING, Dante Nico Garcia;

Poland, TRICKS, Andrzej Jakimowski;

Portugal, OUR BELOVED MONTH OF AUGUST, Miguel Gomes;

Romania, THE REST IS SILENCE, Nae Caranfil;

Russia, MERMAID, Anna Melikyan;

Serbia, THE TOUR, Goran Markovic;

Singapore, MY MAGIC, Eric Khoo;

Slovakia, BLIND LOVES, Juraj Lehotsky;

Slovenia, ROOSTER'S BREAKFAST, Marko Nabersnik;

South Africa, JERUSALEMA, Ralph Ziman;

Spain, THE BLIND SUNFLOWERS, Jose Luis Cuerda;

Sweden, EVERLASTING MOMENTS, Jan Troell;

Switzerland, THE FRIEND, Micha Lewinsky;

Taiwan, CAPE NO. 7, Te-Sheng Wei;

Thailand, LOVE OF SIAM, Chookiat Sakveerakul;

Turkey, 3 MONKEYS, Nuri Bilge Ceylan;

Ukraine, ILLUSION OF FEAR, Aleksandr Kiriyenko;

United Kingdom, HOPE ETERNAL, Karl Francis;

Uruguay, KILL THEM ALL, Esteban Schroeder;

Venezuela, THE COLOR OF FAME, Alejandro Bellame Palacios.

Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards will be announced on Thursday, 22 January 2009, at 5:30 a.m., PT, in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, 22 February 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.