INTERNATIONAL Feature Film
Nominees:
| Argentina — “Argentina, 1985” |
| Austria — “Corsage” |
| Belgium — “Close” |
| Cambodia — “Return to Seoul” |
| Denmark — “Holy Spider” |
| France — “Saint Omer” |
| Germany — “All Quiet on the Western Front” |
| India — “Last Film Show” |
| Ireland — “The Quiet Girl” |
| Mexico — “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” |
| Morocco — “The Blue Caftan” |
| Pakistan — “Joyland” |
| Poland — “EO” |
| South Korea — “Decision to Leave” |
| Sweden — “Cairo Conspiracy” |
Per the Academy’s press release:
15 films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 95th Academy Awards. Films from 92 countries and regions were eligible in the category. Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.
In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.
Each shortlist is determined by members of that corresponding branch, except for International Feature Film. (Members from all branches are invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.)
The nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, while the Oscars ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 12, 2023, at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.
OSCAR NOMINATION PREDICTIONS
“All Quiet on the Western Front”
Germany
Netflix
“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths”
Mexico
Netflix
“Corsage”
Austria
IFC Films
“Decision to Leave”
South Korea
MUBI
“Last Film Show”
India
Samuel Goldwyn Films
WHY I CHOSE THOSE FIVE?
The five films I am picking are the first five I picked when predicting the shortlist, so those are the ones I’m choosing. “All Quiet on the Western Front” is poised to get nominated in the International Feature Film categories, among others. “Decision to Leave” might be the film to beat for the whole thing, so it will get nominated and might follow suit in getting selected elsewhere. “Corsage” is likely the third strongest in the category, with a performance from Vicky Kreips, which makes it stand out. I see “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” getting in for the Alejandro González Iñárritu love, but the film is the lowest-rated one. “Last Film Show” is me putting all my wishful thinking into a pick because I want more than anything for this to be an Oscar nominee. It was one of my favorite films last year, and I’m pulling for it more than anything else in this category. If either of these previous two get bumped, look for something like “The Quiet Girl,” “EO,” or “Close” to be the ones to do it.
Argentina, 1985
(Argentina)
September 30, 2022
Directed by Santiago Mitre
Produced by Santiago Mitre and Mariano Llinás
Amazon Studios
Synopsis: Argentina, 1985 is a feature inspired by the true story of Julio Strassera, Luis Moreno Ocampo and their young legal team of unlikely heroes in their David-vs-Goliath battle in which, under constant threat, they dared to prosecute Argentina’s bloodiest military dictatorship against all odds and in a race against time to bring justice to the victims of the junta.
Golden Globe Award Nominee
National Board of Review Award Winner
Satellite Award Nominee
Venice Film Festival Award Winner
Corsage
(Austria)
December 23, 2022
Directed by Marie Kreutzer
Produced by Alexander Glehr and Johanna Scherz
IFC Films
Synopsis: Empress Elizabeth of Austria is idolized for her beauty and renowned for inspiring fashion trends. But in 1877, ‘Sissi’ celebrates her 40th birthday and must fight to maintain her public image by lacing her corset tighter and tighter. While Elizabeth’s role has been reduced against her wishes to purely performative, her hunger for knowledge and zest for life makes her more and more restless in Vienna. She travels to England and Bavaria, visiting former lovers and old friends, seeking the excitement and purpose of her youth. With a future of strictly ceremonial duties laid out in front of her, Elizabeth rebels against the hyperbolized image of herself and comes up with a plan to protect her legacy.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee
Gotham Award Nominee
Satellite Award Nominee
European Film Award Winner
Close
(Belgium)
December 2, 2022
Directed by Lukas Dhont
Produced by Michiel Dhont and Dirk Impens
A24
Synopsis: Leo and Remi are two thirteen-year-old best friends, whose seemingly unbreakable bond is suddenly, tragically torn apart. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Lukas Dhont’s second film is an emotionally transformative and unforgettable portrait of the intersection of friendship and love, identity and independence, and heartbreak and healing.
Cannes Film Festival Grand Prize Winner
Golden Globe Award Nominee
European Film Award Nominee
National Board of Review Award Winner
Satellite Award Nominee
Return to Seoul
(Cambodia)
December 2, 2022
Directed by Davy Chou
Produced by Katia Khazak and Charlotte Vincent
Sony Pictures Classics
Synopsis: On an impulse to reconnect with her origins, Freddie, 25, returns to South Korea for the first time, where she was born before being adopted and raised in France. The headstrong young woman starts looking for her biological parents in a country she knows so little about, taking her life in new and unexpected directions.
Cannes Film Festival Award Nominee
Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee
LA Film Critics Association Award Winner
Boston Society of Film Critics Award Winner
Holy Spider
(Denmark)
October 21, 2022
Directed by Ali Abbasi
Produced by Sol Bondy and Jacob Jarek
Utopia
Synopsis: In HOLY SPIDER, we follow family man Saeed as he embarks on his own religious quest — to “cleanse” the holy Iranian city of Mashhad of immoral and corrupt street prostitutes. After murdering several women, he grows ever more desperate about the lack of public interest in his divine mission.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
European Film Award Nominee
Satellite Award Nominee
Fantastic Fest Award Winner
Saint Omer
(France)
October 3, 2022
Directed by Alice Diop
Produced by Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral
Super LTD
Synopsis: Saint-Omer court of law. Young novelist Rama attends the trial of Laurence Coly, a young woman accused of killing her 15-month-old daughter by abandoning her to the rising tide on a beach in northern France. But as the trial continues, the words of the accused and witness testimonies will shake Rama’s convictions and call into question our own judgement.
Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee
Gotham Award Nominee
National Board of Review Award Winner
Venice Film Festival Award Winner
All Quiet on the Western Front
(Germany)
October 7, 2022
Directed by Edward Berger
Produced by Malte Grunert and Daniel Dreifuss
Netflix
Synopsis: All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of World War I. Paul and his comrades experience first-hand how the initial euphoria of war turns into desperation and fear as they fight for their lives, and each other, in the trenches. The film from director Edward Berger is based on the world renowned bestseller of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque.
Golden Globe Award Nominee
European Film Award Winner
National Board of Review Award Winner
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Winner
Last Film Show
(India)
December 2, 2022
Directed by Pan Nalin
Produced by Marc Duale, Dheer Momaya, and Pan Nalin
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Synopsis: Samay, a 9-year-old boy living with his family in a remote village in India discovers films for the first time and is absolutely mesmerized. Against his father’s wishes, he returns to the cinema day after day to watch more films, and even befriends the projectionist, who, in exchange for his lunch box, lets him watch movies for free. He quickly figures out that stories become light, light becomes films, and films become dreams. Samay and his wild gang of friends move heaven and earth to catch and project light to achieve a 35mm film projection. Together, they use an innovative hack and jubilantly succeed in making a film projection apparatus. But following your dreams often means leaving things behind.
Tribeca Film Festival Award Nominee
Asian World Film Festival Award Nominee
The Quiet Girl
(Ireland)
December 16, 2022
Directed by Colm Bairead
Produced by Cleona Ní Chrualaoi
Super LTD
Synopsis: Rural Ireland. 1981. Nine-year-old Cait is sent away from her overcrowded, dysfunctional family to live with foster parents for the summer. Quietly struggling at school and at home, she has learned to hide in plain sight from those around her. She blossoms in their care, but in this house where there are meant to be no secrets, she discovers one painful truth.
European Film Award Winner
Irish Film and Television Award Winner
Satellite Award Nominee
Dublin Film Critics Circle Award Winner
Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths
(Mexico)
November 4, 2022
Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Produced by Alejandro González Iñárritu and Stacy Perskie
Netflix
Synopsis: Five-time Academy Award®-winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu brings us BARDO, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths. BARDO is an epic, visually stunning and immersive experience set against the intimate and moving journey of Silverio, a renowned Mexican journalist and documentary filmmaker living in Los Angeles, who, after being named the recipient of a prestigious international award, is compelled to return to his native country, unaware that this simple trip will push him to an existential limit. The folly of his memories and fears have decided to pierce through the present, filling his everyday life with a sense of bewilderment and wonder. With both emotion and abundant laughter, Silverio grapples with universal yet intimate questions about identity, success, mortality, the history of Mexico and the deeply emotional familial bonds he shares with his wife and children. Indeed, what it means to be human in these very peculiar times.
Venice Film Festival Award Winner
Satellite Award Nominee
The Blue Caftan
(Morocco)
October 18, 2022
Directed by Maryam Touzani
Produced by Nabil Ayouch
Strand Releasing
Synopsis: Halim and Mina run a traditional caftan store in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. In order to keep up with the commands of the demanding customers, they hire Youssef. The talented apprentice shows an utmost dedication in learning the art of embroidery and tailoring from Halim. Slowly Mina realizes how much her husband is moved by the presence of the young man.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
Athens Int’l Film Festival Award Winner
Joyland
(Pakistan)
November 5, 2022
Directed by Saim Sadiq
Produced by Apoorva Charan, Sarmad Khoosat, and Lauren Mann
Khoosat Films
Synopsis: The Ranas–a happily patriarchal joint family–yearn for the birth of a baby boy to continue the family line. Their youngest son secretly joins an erotic dance theatre and falls for an ambitious trans starlet. Their impossible love story slowly illuminates the entire Rana family’s desire for sexual rebellion.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee
London Film Festival Award Winner
EO
(Poland)
November 18, 2022
Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
Produced by Ewa Piaskowska, Jerzy Skolimowski, and Eileen Tasca
Janus Films
Synopsis: The world is a mysterious place when seen through the eyes of an animal. EO, a grey donkey with melancholic eyes, meets good and bad people on his life’s path, experiences joy and pain, endures the wheel of fortune randomly turn his luck into disaster and his despair into unexpected bliss. But not even for a moment does he lose his innocence.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
European Film Award Winner
London Critics Circle Film Award Nominee
National Board of Review Award Winner
New York Film Critics Circle Award Winner
Decision to Leave
(South Korea)
October 14, 2022
Directed and Produced by Park Chan-wook
MUBI
Synopsis: From a mountain peak in South Korea, a man plummets to his death. Did he jump, or was he pushed? When detective Hae-joon arrives on the scene, he begins to suspect the dead man’s wife Seo-rae. But as he digs deeper into the investigation, he finds himself trapped in a web of deception and desire.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
Golden Globe Award Nominee
Gotham Award Nominee
National Board of Review Award Winner
Satellite Award Winner
Chicago Film Critics Ass. Award Winner
Boston Society of Film Critics Award Winner
Cairo Conspiracy
(Sweden)
October 21, 2022
Directed by Tarik Saleh
Produced by Fredrik Zander and Kristina Aberg
Memento International
Synopsis: Adam, the son of a fisherman, is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival in Cairo, the university’s highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, suddenly dies and Adam soon becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt’s religious and political elite.
Cannes Film Festival Award Winner
