The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the foreign language film category for the Academy Awards. Eighty films had originally been considered in the category.
Foreign language film nominations for 2015 are being determined in two phases. The phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 14. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s foreign language film award executive committee, constitute the shortlist.
The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and London. They will spend Jan. 8-10 viewing three films each day and then cast their ballots.
The shortlisted films are:
Belgium, The Brand New Testament, Jaco Van Dormael, director
Colombia, Embrace of the Serpent, Ciro Guerra, director
Denmark, A War, Tobias Lindholm, director
Finland, The Fencer, Klaus Härö, director
France, Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director
Germany, Labyrinth of Lies, Giulio Ricciarelli, director
Hungary, Son of Saul, László Nemes, director
Ireland, Viva, Paddy Breathnach, director
Jordan, Theeb, Naji Abu Nowar, director
