21/01/2010

There are four European titles and three European co-productions in the shortlist of nine films vying for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Fully European titles are Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile] (winner of the 2009 Palme d'Or), Stephan Komandarev's The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Bulgaria), Jacques Audiard's A Prophet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jacques Audiard
interview: Jacques Audiard and Tahar R…
film profile] (France) and Martin Koolhoven's Winter in Wartime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (The Netherlands).

The European co-productions in the running are: Juan Jose Campanella's The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina/Spain), Ajami [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Germany/Israel) by Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, and Claudia Llosa's The Milk of Sorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Peru/Spain).

The list is rounded out by Warwick Thornton's Samson & Delilah (Australia) and Ermek Tursunov's Kelin (Kazakhstan).

Sixty-five countries submitted films for nomination in the category. The top six were chosen by Los Angeles-based voting members of the Academy, and another three were added by the Academy's foreign-language film award executive committee.

The final shortlist of five titles will be announced on February 2, after a second phase of voting that will take place in New York and LA from January 29-31.