Oscars: Read THR’s Reviews of Contenders on the Best International Feature Shortlist

See how The Hollywood Reporter critics evaluated films that are still vying for the Academy Award for best international feature, from Brazil, Canada, and Senegal to France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Czech Republic.

Then there were fifteen. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences narrowed down the 85 countries that submitted features for the 97th Academy Awards' best international feature picture Oscar to a shortlist of 15 films that will compete for a nomination last week.


A number of strong candidates made the cut, including Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig, a film set in Iran that was submitted by co-producing Germany; Jacques Audiard's Emilia Pérez, who represented France; Magnus von Horn's The Girl With the Needle, a Danish contender; and Walter Salles' I'm Still Here, a Brazilian film.

However, there were also some surprises and snubs. With 10 of the 15 shortlisted films, Europe leads the way in terms of regional distribution, while Salles' I'm Still Here and Matthew Rankin's Canadian contender Universal Language represent the Americas. There are two from Asia and just one from Africa, the Senegal documentary Dahomey by Mati Diop, is still in the running. The latter are Thailand's How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, which THR hasn't yet examined, and Palestine's From Ground Zero.

Before the final five nominees are revealed on January 17, check out the THR evaluations of the 13 foreign Oscar candidates on the Academy's shortlist here. The final Oscar voting then starts on February 11 at 9 a.m. PT and finishes on February 18 at 5 p.m. PT.

Renate Reinsve, star of The Worst Person in the World, and Ellen Dorrit Petersen, two moms, argue about a bullying event involving their young sons in Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel's Oscar-winning debut feature, a psychological drama set at an elementary school.


Noteworthy is the fact that the director is the grandson of Ingmar Bergman, who forty years ago won the Oscar for best foreign-language film with Fanny and Alexander.

According to THR's review, "the ambition and risk-taking are largely impressive," and "the reception in Cannes has been largely warm following its debut in the Un Certain Regard strand, and Armand has racked up some offshore sales."