2012 Oscars: 63 countries vie for Foreign Language Film

Sixty-three countries , including first-time entrant  New Zealand, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film categ...

Sixty-three countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the Oscars, the Academy announced Thursday.

Sixty-five countries submitted entries last year. Then, the Phase I committee, which consisted of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and Jan. 13. The group’s top six choices, increased by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, made up the shortlist of nine. That list was announced Jan. 19; we should expect a similar timetable.

Once a shortlist is announced around mid-January, the films will be winnowed down until five remain for nominations, being announced in 102 days (on Jan. 24).

The 2011 submissions are:

• Albania, "Amnesty," Bujar Alimani, director;
• Argentina, "Aballay," Fernando Spiner, director;
• Austria, "Breathing," Karl Markovics, director;
• Belgium, "Bullhead," Michael R. Roskam, director;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina,"Belvedere," Ahmed Imamovic, director;
• Brazil, "Elite Squad: The Enemy Within," José Padilha, director;
• Bulgaria, "Tilt," Viktor Chouchkov, Jr., director;
• Canada*, "Monsieur Lazhar," Philippe Falardeau, director;
• Chile, "Violeta Went to Heaven," Andrés Wood, director;
• China, "The Flowers of War," Zhang Yimou, director;
• Colombia, "The Colors of the Mountain," Carlos César Arbeláez, director;
• Croatia, "72 Days," Danilo Serbedzija, director;
• Cuba, "Havanastation," Ian Padrón, director;
• Czech Republic,"Alois Nebel," Tomás Lunák, director;
• Denmark*, "Superclásico," Ole Christian Madsen, director; (Country won last year)
• Dominican Republic,"Love Child," Leticia Tonos, director;
• Egypt, "Lust," Khaled el Hagar, director;
• Estonia, "Letters to Angel," Sulev Keedus, director;
• Finland, "Le Havre," Aki Kaurismäki, director;
• France, "Declaration of War," Valérie Donzelli, director;
• Georgia, "Chantrapas," Otar Iosseliani, director;
• Germany, "Pina," Wim Wenders, director;
• Greece*, "Attenberg," Athina Rachel Tsangari, director;
• Hong Kong, "A Simple Life," Ann Hui, director;
• Hungary, "The Turin Horse," Béela Tarr, director;
• Iceland, "Volcano," Rúnar Rúnarsson, director;
• India, "Abu, Son of Adam," Salim Ahamed, director;
• Indonesia, "Under the Protection of Ka'Bah," Hanny R. Saputra, director;
• Iran, "A Separation," Asghar Farhadi, director;
• Ireland, "As If I Am Not There," Juanita Wilson, director;
• Israel, "Footnote," Joseph Cedar, director;
• Italy, "Terraferma," Emanuele Crialese, director;
• Japan, "Postcard," Kaneto Shindo, director;
• Kazakhstan, "Returning to the 'A'," Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, director;
• Lebanon, "Where Do We Go Now?" Nadine Labaki, director;
• Lithuania, "Back to Your Arms," Kristijonas Vildziunas, director;
• Macedonia, "Punk Is Not Dead," Vladimir Blazevski, director;
• Mexico*, "Miss Bala," Gerardo Naranjo, director;
• Morocco, "Omar Killed Me," Roschdy Zem, director;
• Netherlands, "Sonny Boy," Maria Peters, director;
• New Zealand,"The Orator," Tusi Tamasese, director;
• Norway, "Happy, Happy," Anne Sewitsky, director;
• Peru, "October," Diego Vega and Daniel Vega, directors;
• Philippines, "The Woman in the Septic Tank," Marlon N. Rivera, director;
• Poland, "In Darkness," Agnieszka Holland, director;
• Portugal, "José and Pilar," Miguel Gonçalves Mendes, director;
• Romania, "Morgen," Marian Crisan, director;
• Russia, "Burnt by the Sun 2: The Citadel," Nikita Mikhalkov, director;
• Serbia, "Montevideo: Taste of a Dream," Dragan Bjelogrlić, director;
• Singapore, "Tatsumi," Eric Khoo, director;
• Slovak Republic,"Gypsy," Martin Sulík, director;
• South Africa,"Beauty," Oliver Hermanus, director;
• South Korea,"The Front Line," Jang Hun, director;
• Spain, "Black Bread," Agusti Villaronga, director;
• Sweden, "Beyond," Pernilla August, director;
• Switzerland, "Summer Games," Rolando Colla, director;
• Taiwan, "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale," Wei Te-sheng, director;
• Thailand, "Kon Khon," Sarunyu Wongkrachang, director;
• Turkey, "Once upon a Time in Anatolia," Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director;
• United Kingdom,"Patagonia," Marc Evans, director;
• Uruguay, "The Silent House," Gustavo Hernández, director;
• Venezuela, "Rumble of the Stones," Alejandro Bellame Palacios, director;
• Vietnam, "The Prince and the Pagoda Boy," Luu Trong Ninh, director.

*Country nominated for 83rd Academy Awards.