Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best International Feature is made difficult by the three-step process that begins after the December 1 deadline for countries to submit entries. To be part of the selection process for this category, which was called Best Foreign Language Film before 2020, requires a great deal of dedication. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscar predictions for Best International Feature.)
First, the several hundred academy members of the International Feature screening committee are divided into groups and required to watch a number of the submissions over a two-month period that ends in early February. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top 15 vote-getters make it to the next round. This list of semi-finalists will be revealed on February 9, 2021.
Those 15 films will be available to the entire academy membership who can cast ballots for the final five nominees provided they attest to having watched all the entries. The nominations in this (and the other 22 competitive categories) will be announced on March 15, 2021. All voters will get access to the five nominees and can vote for the winner, which will be revealed on the Oscars on April 25, 2021.
Since the competitive category was introduced in 1957, European films have dominated by winning 52 times. Compare that to four victories for films from Asia, three from each of Africa and South America, and one apiece from Canada and Mexico. Last year and this, a record 93 countries submitted entries in the International Feature Film race. That was up by six from 2019,when the category was still called Best Foreign-Language Film, and eclipsed the record 92 submissions in 2018.
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UPDATED: February 9, 2021
Leading Contenders (alphabetical by country)
Chile: “The Mole Agent” (director: Maite Alberdi)
Czech Republic: “Charlatan” (director: Agnieszka Holland)
Denmark: “Another Round” (director: Thomas Vinterberg)
France: “Two of Us” (director: Filippo Meneghetti)
Mexico: ” I’m No Longer Here” (director: Fernando Frías)
Romania: “Collective” (director: Alexander Nanau)
Russia: “Dear Comrades!” (director: Andrey Konchalovskiy)
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Strong Contenders (alphabetical by country)
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Quo Vadis, Aida?” (director: Jasmila Zbanic)
Guatemala: “La Llorona” (director: Jayro Bustamante)
Norway: “Hope” (director: Maria Sodahl)
Taiwan: “A Sun” (director: Mong-Hong Chung)
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Possible Contenders (alphabetical by country)
Hong Kong: “Better Days” (director: Derek Tsang)
Iran: “Sun Children” (director: Majid Majid)
Ivory Coast: “Night of the Kings” (director: Philippe Lacôte)
Tunisia: “The Man Who Sold His Skin” (director: Kaouther Ben Hania)
We will be updating our Oscar predictions for each competitive category often in the days to come so be sure to bookmark this page and keep checking back as the race heats up.
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2021 Oscar Predictions: Best International Feature: Updated – February 9, 2021
PREDICT the 2021 Oscar nominations through March 15
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