Oscars 2014: Record 76 countries vie for Foreign Language Academy Award nomination

First-time entrants Moldova and Saudi Arabia are among the record 76 countries vying for Foreign Language Film consideration at the 86th Academy Awards, the Academy announced Monday. Additionally, Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country. Last year was also a record year with 71 entries.

First-time entrants Moldova and Saudi Arabia are among the record 76 countries vying for Foreign Language Film consideration at the 86th Academy Awards, the Academy announced Monday. Additionally, Montenegro is submitting for the first time as an independent country.

Last year was also a record year with 71 entries.

Once a shortlist is announced around late December or early January, the films will be winnowed down until five remain for nominations, being announced in less than 100 days — on Jan. 16, 2014.

The 2013 submissions are:

• Afghanistan, "Wajma – An Afghan Love Story," Barmak Akram, director;
• Albania, "Agon," Robert Budina, director;
• Argentina, "The German Doctor," Lucía Puenzo, director;
• Australia, "The Rocket," Kim Mordaunt, director;
• Austria*, "The Wall," Julian Pölsler, director;
• Azerbaijan, "Steppe Man," Shamil Aliyev, director;
• Bangladesh, "Television," Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, director;
• Belgium, "The Broken Circle Breakdown," Felix van Groeningen, director;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker," Danis Tanovic, director;
• Brazil, "Neighboring Sounds," Kleber Mendonça Filho, director;
• Bulgaria, "The Color of the Chameleon," Emil Hristov, director;
• Cambodia, "The Missing Picture," Rithy Panh, director;
• Canada*, "Gabrielle," Louise Archambault, director;
• Chad, "GriGris," Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, director;
• Chile*, "Gloria," Sebastián Lelio, director;
• China, "Back to 1942," Feng Xiaogang, director;
• Colombia, "La Playa DC," Juan Andrés Arango, director;
• Croatia, "Halima’s Path," Arsen Anton Ostojic, director;
• Czech Republic, "The Don Juans," Jiri Menzel, director;
• Denmark*, "The Hunt," Thomas Vinterberg, director;
• Dominican Republic, "Quien Manda?" Ronni Castillo, director;
• Ecuador, "The Porcelain Horse," Javier Andrade, director;
• Egypt, "Winter of Discontent," Ibrahim El Batout, director;
• Estonia, "Free Range," Veiko Ounpuu, director;
• Finland, "Disciple," Ulrika Bengts, director;
• France, "Renoir," Gilles Bourdos, director;
• Georgia, "In Bloom," Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross, directors;
• Germany, "Two Lives," Georg Maas, director;
• Greece, "Boy Eating the Bird’s Food," Ektoras Lygizos, director;
• Hong Kong, "The Grandmaster," Wong Kar-wai, director;
• Hungary, "The Notebook," Janos Szasz, director;
• Iceland, "Of Horses and Men," Benedikt Erlingsson, director;
• India, "The Good Road," Gyan Correa, director;
• Indonesia, "Sang Kiai," Rako Prijanto, director;
• Iran, "The Past," Asghar Farhadi, director;
• Israel, "Bethlehem," Yuval Adler, director;
• Italy, "The Great Beauty," Paolo Sorrentino, director;
• Japan, "The Great Passage," Ishii Yuya, director;
• Kazakhstan, "Shal," Yermek Tursunov, director;
• Latvia, "Mother, I Love You," Janis Nords, director;
• Lebanon, "Blind Intersections," Lara Saba, director;
• Lithuania, "Conversations on Serious Topics," Giedre Beinoriute, director;
• Luxembourg, "Blind Spot," Christophe Wagner, director;
• Mexico, "Heli," Amat Escalante, director;
• Moldova, "All God’s Children," Adrian Popovici, director; (first-time entrant)
• Montenegro, "Ace of Spades - Bad Destiny," Drasko Djurovic, director;
• Morocco, "Horses of God," Nabil Ayouch, director;
• Nepal, "Soongava: Dance of the Orchids," Subarna Thapa, director;
• Netherlands, "Borgman," Alex van Warmerdam, director;
• New Zealand, "White Lies," Dana Rotberg, director;
• Norway*, "I Am Yours," Iram Haq, director;
• Pakistan, "Zinda Bhaag," Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi, directors;
• Palestine, "Omar," Hany Abu-Assad, director;
• Peru, "The Cleaner," Adrian Saba, director;
• Philippines, "Transit," Hannah Espia, director;
• Poland, "Walesa. Man of Hope," Andrzej Wajda, director;
• Portugal, "Lines of Wellington," Valeria Sarmiento, director;
• Romania, "Child’s Pose," Calin Peter Netzer, director;
• Russia, "Stalingrad," Fedor Bondarchuk, director;
• Saudi Arabia, "Wadjda," Haifaa Al Mansour, director; (first-time entrant)
• Serbia, "Circles," Srdan Golubovic, director;
• Singapore, "Ilo Ilo," Anthony Chen, director;
• Slovak Republic, "My Dog Killer," Mira Fornay, director;
• Slovenia, "Class Enemy," Rok Bicek, director;
• South Africa, "Four Corners," Ian Gabriel, director;
• South Korea, "Juvenile Offender," Kang Yi-kwan, director;
• Spain, "15 Years Plus a Day," Gracia Querejeta, director;
• Sweden, "Eat Sleep Die," Gabriela Pichler, director;
• Switzerland, "More than Honey," Markus Imhoof, director;
• Taiwan, "Soul," Chung Mong-Hong, director;
• Thailand, "Countdown," Nattawut Poonpiriya, director;
• Turkey, "The Butterfly’s Dream," Yilmaz Erdogan, director;
• Ukraine, "Paradjanov," Serge Avedikian and Olena Fetisova, directors;
• United Kingdom, "Metro Manila," Sean Ellis, director;
• Uruguay, "Anina," Alfredo Soderguit, director;
• Venezuela, "Breach in the Silence," Luis Alejandro Rodríguez and Andrés Eduardo Rodríguez, directors.

*Country nominated for 85th Academy Awards. (Austria won last year with “Amour.”)

The 86th Academy Awards, for outstanding film achievements of 2013, will be presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries worldwide.