18/12/2024 - European works are featured in every shortlist announced, with Emilia Pérez nabbing the most spots

The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlisted films in ten categories of the upcoming Oscars, including International Feature Film. From all of the films submitted (read the full list here), a total of ten coming from European countries have been selected, as well as three more coming from non-European countries, but with European co-production – only two in the shortlist have no European producing partner. The awards will be handed out on 2 March in Hollywood.

The International Feature Film category is thus led by European submissions, notably France’s Emilia Pérez [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], directed by Jacques Audiard, which recently swept the European Film Awards (read news) and grabbed the most nominations for the upcoming Golden Globes (news). Alongside the film, a favourite in the race, the shortlisted European titles are Jiří Mádl’s Waves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jiří Mádl
film profile], coming from the Czech Republic; Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile], coming from Denmark; Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed of the Sacred Fig [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohammad Rasoulof
film profile], from Germany; Baltasar Kormákur’s Touch [+see also:
film review
film profile], from Iceland; Rich Peppiatt’s Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], coming from Ireland; Maura Delpero’s Vermiglio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maura Delpero
film profile], coming from Italy; Gints Zilbalodis’ Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gints Zilbalodis
film profile], from Latvia; Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel’s Armand [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
interview: Renate Reinsve
film profile], coming from Norway, and Sandhya Suri’s Santosh [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sandhya Suri
film profile], submitted by the UK. Brazil’s submission I’m Still Here [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], directed by Walter Salles, Palestine’s omnibus film From Ground Zero and Senegal’s Dahomey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], directed by Mati Diop, have also made the cut.

On top of being shortlisted in this category, Emilia Pérez earned six spots across the other lists, including two for Original Score, for Original Song (for “El Mal” and “Mi Camino”, also nominated for the Golden Globes), for Sound and for Makeup and Hairstyling.

One of the aforementioned films has also made it into the Documentary Feature category, namely Mati Diop’s Dahomey. Besides this Berlinale Golden Bear winner, other acclaimed European documentaries have made the cut, such as Benjamin Ree’s The Remarkable Life of Ibelin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamin Ree
film profile] and Johan Grimonprez’s Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile], as well as co-productions Black Box Diaries [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Shiori Ito, Eno by Gary Hustwit, Hollywoodgate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ibrahim Nash’at
film profile] by Ibrahim Nash’at, No Other Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor and Queendom [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Agniia Galdanova.

In the Short Film categories, the European contingent includes the Cannes Palme d'or winner, Croatian title The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent, directed by Nebojsa Slijepcevic, and titles coming from France, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Germany, among others.

European co-productions are present in all of the other categories, with Steve McQueen’s Blitz [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (in three) and Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (in two) leading a pack including Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Edward Berger’s Conclave [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile].

Here are the Oscar shortlists:

International Feature Film

Brazil: I’m Still Here [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Walter Salles (Brazil/France)
Canada: Universal Language, Matthew Rankin (Canada)
Czech Republic: Waves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jiří Mádl
film profile], Jiří Mádl (Czech Republic/Slovakia)
Denmark: The Girl with the Needle [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Magnus von Horn
film profile], Magnus von Horn (Denmark/Poland/Sweden)
France: Emilia Pérez [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Jacques Audiard (France)
Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mohammad Rasoulof
film profile], Mohammad Rasoulof (Germany/France/Iran)
Iceland: Touch [+see also:
film review
film profile], Baltasar Kormákur (UK/Iceland/USA)
Ireland: Kneecap [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Rich Peppiatt (Ireland)
Italy: Vermiglio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maura Delpero
film profile], Maura Delpero (Italy/France/Belgium)
Latvia: Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gints Zilbalodis
film profile], Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia/France/Belgium)
Norway: Armand [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel
interview: Renate Reinsve
film profile], Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel (Norway/Netherlands/Germany/Sweden)
Palestine: From Ground Zero - Wissam Moussa, Nidal Damo, Ahmed Hassouna, Alaa Ayoub, Karim Satoum, Bashar Al Babisi, Khamis Masharawi, Nida’A Abu Hasna, Tamer Nijim, Ahmed Al Danaf, Rima Mahmoud, Muhammad Al Sharif, Basil El Maqousi, Mustafa Al Nabih, Rabab Khamis, Mustafa Kulab, Alaa Damo, Hana Eleiwa, Mahdi Kreirah, Aws Al Banna, Islam Al Zeriei, Etimad Washah (Palestine/France/Qatar/Jordan)
Senegal: Dahomey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Benin)
Thailand: How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies, Pat Boonnitipat (Thailand
UK: Santosh [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sandhya Suri
film profile], Sandhya Suri (UK/Germany/France/India)

Documentary Feature

The Bibi Files - Alexis Bloom (USA)
Black Box Diaries [+see also:
film review
film profile] – Shiori Ito (USA/UK/Japan)
Dahomey – Mati Diop
Daughters - Angela Patton, Natalie Rae (USA/UK/Canada)
Eno - Gary Hustwit (UK/USA)
Frida – Carla Gutiérrez (USA)
Hollywoodgate [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ibrahim Nash’at
film profile] - Ibrahim Nash’at (Germany/USA)
No Other Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
film profile] - Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor (Palestine/Norway)
Porcelain War - Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev (USA/Ukraine/Australia)
Queendom [+see also:
film review
film profile] - Agniia Galdanova (USA/France)
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benjamin Ree
film profile] – Benjamin Ree (Norway)
Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johan Grimonprez
film profile] – Johan Grimonprez (Belgium/France/Netherlands)
Sugarcane - Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat (Canada/USA)
Union - Stephen Maing, Brett Story (USA)
Will & Harper - Josh Greenbaum (USA)

Live-Action Short Film

Anuja - Adam J Graves (USA)
Clodagh - Portia A Buckley (Ireland)
The Compatriot - Viktor Horák, Pavel Sýkora (Czech Republic)
Crust - Sean Whalen (USA)
Dovecote - Marco Perego (Italy)
Edge of Space - Jean de Meuron (USA/Switzerland)
The Ice Cream Man - Robert Moniot (Netherlands)
I’m Not a Robot - Victoria Warmerdam (USA/Netherlands)
The Last Ranger - Cindy Lee (South Africa)
A Lien - David Cutler-Kreutz, Sam Cutler-Kreutz (USA)
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent - Nebojsa Slijepcevic (Croatia)
The Masterpiece - Kundan Sad (India)
An Orange from Jaffa - Mohammed Almughanni (France/Palestine/Poland)
Paris 70 - Dani Feixas Roka (Spain)
Room Taken - Tj O'Grady Peyton (Ireland)

Animated Short Film

Au Revoir Mon Monde - Estelle Bonnardel (France)
A Bear Named Wojtek - Iain Gardner (UK/Poland)
Beautiful Men - Nicolas Keppens (France/Belgium/Netherlands)
Bottle George - Daisuke 'Dice' Tsutsumi (Japan)
A Crab in the Pool - Jean-Sébastien Hamel, Alexandra Myotte (Canada)
In the Shadow of the Cypress - Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani (Iran)
Magic Candies - Daisuke Nishio (Japan)
Maybe Elephants - Torill Kove (Norway/Canada)
Me - Don Hertzfeldt (USA)
Origami - Fillipe Lezo (UK)
Percebes - Laura Gonçalves, Alexandra Ramires (France/Portugal)
The 21 - Tod Polson (USA/Egypt)
Wander to Wonder - Nina Gantz (Netherlands/France/Belgium/UK)
The Wild-Tempered Clavier - Anna Samo (Germany)
Yuck! - Loïc Espuche (France)

Documentary Short Subject

Chasing Roo - Skye Fitzgerald (USA)
Death by Numbers - Kim A Snyder (USA)
Eternal Father - Ömer Sami (Denmark)
I Am Ready, Warden - Smriti Mundhra (USA)
Incident - Jonathan Hopson (USA)
Instruments of a Beating Heart - Ema Ryan Yamazaki (Japan)
Keeper - Angus Benfield, Kendall Bryant Jr (USA)
Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World - Julio Palacio (USA)
Once Upon a Time in Ukraine - Betsy West, Khodakivska Tetiana (USA/Ukraine)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra - Molly O'Brien (USA)
Planetwalker - Dominic Gill, Nadia Gill (USA)
The Quilters - Jenifer McShane (USA)
Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr - Kimberly Reed (USA)
A Swim Lesson - Rashida Jones, Will McCormack (USA)
Until He’s Back - Jacqueline Baylon (Spain/Morocco)

Original Score

Alien: Romulus (USA)
Babygirl (USA)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (USA)
Blink Twice (USA)
Blitz [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK/USA)
The Brutalist [+see also:
film review
film profile] (USA/UK/Hungary)
Challengers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/Italy)
Conclave [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK/USA)
Emilia Pérez
The Fire Inside (USA)
Gladiator II (USA)
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1 (USA)
Inside Out 2 (USA)
Nosferatu (USA)
The Room Next Door [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Spain)
Sing Sing (USA)
The Six Triple Eight (USA)
Wicked (USA)
The Wild Robot (USA)
Young Woman and the Sea (USA)

Original Song

“Forbidden Road”, Better Man (USA)
“Winter Coat”, Blitz
“Compress/Repress”, Challengers
“Never Too Late”, Elton John: Never Too Late (USA)
“El Mal”, Emilia Pérez
“Mi Camino”, Emilia Pérez
Sick In The Head”, Kneecap
“Beyond”, Moana 2 (USA)
“Tell Me It’s You”, Mufasa: The Lion King (USA)
“Piece By Piece”, Piece by Piece (USA)
“Like A Bird”, Sing Sing
“The Journey”, The Six Triple Eight
“Out Of Oklahoma”, Twisters (USA)
“Kiss The Sky”, The Wild Robot
“Harper And Will Go West”, Will & Harper

Sound

Alien: Romulus
Blitz
A Complete Unknown (USA)
Deadpool & Wolverine (USA)
Dune: Part Two (USA)
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
Joker: Folie à Deux (USA)
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Visual Effects

Alien: Romulus
Better Man
Civil War (USA)
Deadpool & Wolverine
Dune: Part Two
Gladiator II
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (USA)
Mufasa: The Lion King
Twisters
Wicked

Makeup and Hairstyling

The Apprentice [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Canada/Denmark/Ireland)
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (USA)
A Different Man (USA)
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Maria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/Germany/USA)
Nosferatu
The Substance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Coralie Fargeat
film profile] (UK/USA/France)
Waltzing with Brando (USA)
Wicked