Nine Films Vying Foreign Language Oscar

Nine films have been named to a "short list" of titles vying for an Oscar nomination in the race for a best foreign language Academy Award, according to an announcement today from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Selected from the roster of 61 films submitted for consideration, the list includes: Rachid Bouchareb's "Days of Glory," (Algeria), Deepa Mehta's "Water" (Canada), Susanne Bier's "After the Wedding" (Denmark), Daniele Thompson's "Avenue Montaigne" (France), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's "The Lives of Others" (Germany), Guillermo del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" (Mexico), Paul Verhoeven's "Black Book" (The Netherlands), Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" (Spain), and Fredi M. Murer's "Vitus," (Switzerland). The Oscar nominations, chosen by committees screening the films this weekend in New York and Los Angeles, will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2007. [Eugene Hernandez]