55 Countries Submit Films for Foreign Language Oscar Consideration

55 Countries Submit Films for Foreign Language Oscar Consideration

by Eugene Hernandez

Photo courtesy of AMPAS.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced the full list of films that have been submitted for Academy Award consideration in the Foreign Language Film Award category. The list, announced Monday by AMPAS president Frank Pierson, includes a record-breaking fifty-five submissions. The list tops last year's roster by one film.

indieWIRE is publishing the full list of submissions today and will have analysis and an overview of the race for the foreign language film Oscar in Wednesday's World Cinema Column by Anthony Kaufman.

The submissions for 2003 are:

Afghanistan, "Osama," directed by Siddiq Barmak

Argentina, "Valentin," directed by Alejandro Agresti

Austria, "Free Radicals," directed by Barbara Albert

Belgium, "Sea of Silence," directed by Stijn Coninx

Bolivia, "Dependencia Sexual," directed by Rodrigo Bellott

Bosnia and Herzegovina, "Fuse," directed by Pjer Zalica

Brazil, "Carandiru," directed by Hector Babenco

Bulgaria, "Journey to Jerusalem," directed by Ivan Nichev

Canada, "The Barbarian Invasions," directed by Denys Arcand

Chile, "Los Debutantes," directed by Andrés Waissbluth

China, "Warriors of Heaven and Earth," directed by He Ping

Colombia, "The First Night," directed by Luis Alberto Restrepo

Croatia, "Witnesses," directed by Vinko Brean

Cuba, "Suite Habana," directed by Ferando Pérez

Czech Republic, "Zelary," directed by Ond ej Trojan

Denmark, "Reconstruction," directed by Christoffer Boe

Egypt, "Sleepless Nights," directed by Hany Khalifa

Finland, "Elina," directed by Klaus Härö

France, "Bon Voyage," directed by Jean-Paul Rappeneau

Germany, "Good Bye, Lenin!," directed by Wolfgang Becker

Greece, "Think It Over," directed by Katerina Evangelakou

Hong Kong, "Infernal Affairs," directed by Andrew Lau & Alan Mak

Hungary, "Forest," directed by Benedek Fliegauf

Iceland, "Noi the Albino," directed by Dagur Kári Pétursson

Indonesia, "The Stringless Violin," directed by Sekar Ayu Asmara

Iran, "Deep Breath," directed by Parviz Shahbazi

Israel, "Nina's Tragedies," directed by Savi Gavison

Italy, "I'm Not Scared," directed by Gabriele Salvatores

Japan, "The Twilight Samurai," directed by Yoji Yamada

Korea, "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring," directed by Kim Ki-duk

Lebanon, "The Kite," directed by Randa Chahal Sabbag

Luxembourg, "I Always Wanted to Be a Saint," directed by Geneviève Mersch

Mexico, "Aro Tolbukhin" (In the Mind of a Killer), directed by Agustín Villaronga, Lydia Zimmermann, Isaac P. Racine

Mongolia, "The Story of the Weeping Camel," directed by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni

Nepal, "Muna Madan," directed by Gyanendra Bahadur Deuja

Netherlands, "Twin Sisters," directed by Ben Sombogaart

Norway, "Kitchen Stories," directed by Bent Hamer

Palestine, "Divine Intervention," directed by Elia Suleiman

Peru, "Paper Dove," directed by Fabrizio Aguilar

Philippines, "Dekada 70," directed by Chito S. Roño

Poland, "Pornografia," directed by Jan Jakub Kolski

Portugal, "Um Filme Falado," directed by Manoel De Oliveira

Russia, "The Return," directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev

Serbia and Montenegro, "The Professional," directed by Du an Kova evi

Slovakia, "King of Thieves," directed by Ivan Fíla

Slovenia, "Spare Parts," directed by Damjan Kozole

Spain, "Soldados de Salamina," directed by David Trueba

Sri Lanka, "Mansion by the Lake," directed by Lester James Peries

Sweden, "Evil," directed by Mikael Håfström

Taiwan, "Goodbye, Dragon Inn," directed by Tsai Ming-Liang

Thailand, "Last Life in the Universe," directed by Pen-ek Ratanaruang

Turkey, "Distasnt," directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Ukraine, "Mamay," directed by Oles Sanin

Uruguay, "Seawards Journey," directed by Guillermo Casanova

Venezuela, "Sangrador," directed by Leonardo Henriquez

The nominations for the 76th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 27th, and the Oscars will be awards on Sunday, February 29th in Los Angeles.