The 92nd Academy Awards are tomorrow, and one of the Best Picture front runners is Parasite, which is also poised to win Best International Feature Film (the category formerly known as Best Foreign Language Film). The South Korean film is my favorite of 2019, and one of my other top favorites of the year is fellow International Feature Film nominee Pain and Glory. And at last year’s Oscars ceremony, two of my favorites among the nominees were foreign films Roma and Cold War. So in celebration of international cinema (and what could be a big, historic night for Parasite), I wanted to take a look back at some of my favorite nominees in the category.
Note: I’m not including the aforementioned films because of their recent releases. I’m also not including the films that just received special recognition from the Academy like Bicycle Thieves and Rashomon, as they were honored before the category became competitive in 1956. With all that said, here in chronological order are 25 of my favorite films Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, now Best International Feature Film.
Won Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 30th Academy Awards – Nights of Cabiria
Won Best International Feature Film for France at the 32nd Academy Awards – Black Orpheus
Won Best International Feature Film for Sweden at the 33rd Academy Awards – The Virgin Spring
Other nominations: Best Costume Design (Black-and-White)
Won Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 36th Academy Awards – 8½
Also won Best Costume Design (Black-and-White)
Other nominations: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design (Black-and-White)
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for France at the 37th Academy Awards – The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Other nominations (at the 38th Academy Awards): Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Song for “I Will Wait for You”, Best Original Score, Best Scoring – Adaptation or Treatment
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 38th Academy Awards – Marriage Italian Style
Other nominations (at the 37th Academy Awards): Best Actress for Sophia Loren
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 39th Academy Awards – The Battle of Algiers
Other nominations (at the 41st Academy Awards): Best Director, Best Original Screenplay
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for France at the 41st Academy Awards – Stolen Kisses
Won Best International Feature Film for Algeria at the 42nd Academy Awards – Z
Also won Best Film Editing
Other nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for France at the 42nd Academy Awards – My Night at Maud’s
Other nominations (at the 43rd Academy Awards): Best Original Screenplay
Won Best International Feature Film for France at the 46th Academy Awards – Day for Night
Other nominations (at the 47th Academy Awards): Best Supporting Actress for Valentina Cortese, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 50th Academy Awards – A Special Day
Other nominations: Best Actor for Marcello Mastroianni
Won Best International Feature Film for Sweden at the 56th Academy Awards – Fanny and Alexander
Also won Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design
Other nominations: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for France at the 60th Academy Awards – Au revoir les enfants
Other nominations: Best Original Screenplay
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for Spain at the 61st Academy Awards – Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Won Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 62nd Academy Awards – Cinema Paradiso
Won Best International Feature Film for The Netherlands at the 68th Academy Awards – Antonia’s Line
Won Best International Feature Film for Italy at the 71st Academy Awards – Life Is Beautiful
Also won Best Actor for Roberto Benigni, Best Original Score
Other nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing
Won Best International Feature Film for Spain at the 72nd Academy Awards – All About My Mother
Won Best International Feature Film for Taiwan at the 73rd Academy Awards – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Also won Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, Best Production Design
Other nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Song for “A Love Before Time”
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for France at the 74th Academy Awards – Amélie
Other nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Sound
Won Best International Feature Film for Germany at the 79th Academy Awards – The Lives of Others
Nominated for Best International Feature Film for Mexico at the 79th Academy Awards – Pan’s Labyrinth
Won for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Other nominations: Best Original Screenplay, Best Original Score
Won Best International Feature Film for Iran at the 84th Academy Awards – A Separation
Other nominations: Best Original Screenplay
Won Best International Feature Film for Austria at the 85th Academy Awards – Amour
Other nominations: Best Picture, Best Actress for Emmanuelle Riva, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay
Feel free to share your favorite foreign-language films, whether they received some Oscars love or not. And be sure to check back here tomorrow, as I’ll post my annual picks and predictions for the 92nd Academy Awards.
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