The race is on to select films from around the world to compete for the Best International Feature Film award at the 2025 Academy Awards. With the October 2 submission deadline approaching, countries have started announcing their official entries for the prestigious Oscar category. The films under consideration reflect a wide array of styles, genres, and perspectives from the global film community.
The selection process for the international feature film award involves stages of review. After countries submit films, an initial group of 15 finalists will be announced on December 17. Judges will then select just five nominees from this shortlist on January 17, 2025. Last year’s contest similarly started with 88 submissions before narrowing to the final five nominees. The winner was “The Zone of Interest” from the United Kingdom.
Some early contenders are already generating buzz among film festivals and audiences. Croatia entered “Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day,” a period drama set in 1950s Yugoslavia about censorship and artistic freedom. Armenia submitted the comedy “Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev” about post-Soviet nostalgia. Morocco selected the musical drama “Everybody Loves Touda,” which played at Cannes. Chile chose the crime thriller “In Her Place,” based on a real case and produced by acclaimed director Pablo Larraín.
Several Asian countries also unveiled strong candidates. Japan offered the thriller “Cloud” from director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, which screened at Venice. South Korea, hoping to repeat its “Parasite” Oscar win in 2020, entered the box office hit “12.12: The Day” drawing over 13 million viewers. Europe contenders include the Austrian “The Devil’s Bath” and Bulgarian “Triump” starring “Borat” actress Maria Bakalova.
The Middle East and Africa section feature compelling films like the Iraqi drama “Baghdad Messi” and Palestinian documentary compilation “From Ground Zero” about life in Gaza. As more nations reveal their picks, judges and cinephiles look forward to the diverse and exciting field of international contenders vying for Oscar glory in 2025.
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