Best International Feature Film Submissions to the 93rd Academy Awards Held in 2021 to Compete for an Oscar Nomination or Win in the Foreign Language Film Category

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1. Derë e hapur
20191h 18m
6.4 (81)
A married Albanian mother and her pregnant sister try to find a man to play the part of the sister's husband before they meet up with their strict, traditional father.
DirectorFlorenc PapasStarsLuli BitriJonida VokshiGulielm Radoja
░░░░║► ALBANIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Albanian
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 13th submission from Albania
◾ 1st submission for Florenc Papas [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
2. Héliopolis
20211h 56m
7.8 (410)
In region of Guelma, a small village called Heliopolis , the daily life of an Algerian family takes its usual course. But on May 8, 1945, the day the end of World War II was announced, demonstrations by the Algerian people against the French colonial power and for the country's independence took place, which were bloodily suppressed by the French army and French settler militias. The event went down in history as the Sétif and Guelma massacre.
DirectorDjaffar GacemStarsAziz BoukrouniMehdi RamdaniSouhila Mallem
░░░░║► ALGERIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted, but withdrawn and re-submitted next year

╚▷ Language: Arabic, French
╚▷ Continent: Africa

◾ 23rd submission from Algeria
◾ 1st submission for Djaffar Gacem [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
3. The Sleepwalkers
20191h 47m
6.4 (1K)
Tracking the tandem voyages of a mother and daughter into fraught emotional terrain, Argentinian director Paula Hernández examines the ways desire and expectation clash when familial pressures push women to their limits.
DirectorPaula HernándezStarsErica RivasOrnella D'ElíaMarilú Marini
░░░░║► ARGENTINA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 47th submission from Argentina
◾ 1st submission for Paula Hernández [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
4. Songs of Solomon
20201h 43mR
6.5 (1.4K)
From the two time academy award winning producer and writer of "Green Book" and Inspired by true events, comes a film about a childhood friendship torn apart by a horrible empire set out to destroy everything in its path. A brave woman at a time of dire prejudice risks her life and the life of her family to save her best friend who is hunted down for her religious beliefs. This epic portrayal takes place at the turn of the century in Constantinople, taking us on an emotional and musical journey. A film of love, hope, courage, deceit and pain - And music, a film just as much about music...Ancient pagan music. Music that would bind an entire people to the heavens and the earth, to the rivers and the stars. The music of Komitas, also know as Solomon.
DirectorArman NshanianStarsSamvel TadevossianArman NshanianSos Janibekyan
░░░░║► ARMENIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Armenian
╚▷ Continent: Asia

◾ 9th submission from Armenia
◾ 1st submission for Arman Nshanian [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
5. What We Wanted
20201h 33mTV-MA
5.9 (2.1K)
A couple facing fertility issues finds their marriage tested on a vacation to a Sardinian resort - and the family next door only adds to the tension.
DirectorUlrike KoflerStarsLavinia WilsonElyas M'BarekAnna Unterberger
░░░░║► AUSTRIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: German
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 44th submission from Austria
◾ 1st submission for Ulrike Kofler [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
6. Sincerely Yours, Dhaka
20182h 14m
7.0 (766)
Eleven emerging Bangladeshi filmmakers present a collection of gritty shorts centered on the capital city and the people living in its margins.
DirectorsAbdul Qaiyum LeonTanvir AhsanSaleh Sobhan AuneemStarsMostafizur Noor ImranShah YeanurFazlur Rahman Babu
░░░░║► BANGLADESH ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Bengali
╚▷ Continent: Asia

◾ 16th submission from Bangladesh
◾ 1st submission for T. Ahsan [♂], Saleh Sobhan Auneem [♂], Mir Mukarram Hossain [♂], Golam Kibria [♂], Abdullah Al Noor [♂], Robiul Alam Robi [♂], Krishnendu Chattopadhyay [♂], Nuhash Humayun [♂], Mahmudul Islam [♂], Rahat Rahman [♂] and Syed Ahmed Shawki [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
7. Persian Lessons
20202h 7m
7.4 (14K)
53Metascore
A young Jewish man in a concentration camp has his life saved when executioners realize he owns a Persian book. Brought before a camp officer who wants to learn Farsi, Gilles agrees to teach him despite not knowing a word of the language.
DirectorVadim PerelmanStarsNahuel Pérez BiscayartLars EidingerJonas Nay
░░░░║► BELARUS ◄║░░░░ ......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: German, French, Persian, Italian
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 5th submission from Belarus
◾ 1st submission for Vadim Perelman [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
8. Working Girls
20201h 31m
6.2 (989)
Every day, three sex workers cross the border from France into Belgium to practice their trade. At the end of one particularly hot summer, all three share a secret that will bind them together forever.
DirectorsFrédéric FonteyneAnne PaulicevichStarsSara ForestierNoémie LvovskyAnnabelle Lengronne
░░░░║► BELGIUM ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: French
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 45th submission from Belgium
◾ 1st submission for Frédéric Fonteyne [♂] and Anne Paulicevich [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
9. Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
20191h 50m
7.5 (7.6K)
76Metascore
An aspiring singer living with his grandmother in the capital of Bhutan dreams of getting a visa to move to Australia.
DirectorPawo Choyning DorjiStarsSherab DorjiUgyen Norbu LhendupKelden Lhamo Gurung
░░░░║► BHUTAN ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted, but not qualified and re-submitted next year

╚▷ Language: Dzongkha
╚▷ Continent: Asia

◾ 2nd submission from Bhutan
◾ 1st submission for Pawo Choyning Dorji [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
10. Chaco
20201h 20m
5.6 (161)
In 1934, Bolivia is at war with Paraguay. Liborio and Ticona and other Bolivian indigenous soldiers are lost in the hell of the Chaco, under the commandment of German Captain Kundt. They're looking for the Paraguayan enemy that they haven't seen for months, and that they will never find. They leave together in a search that will make them realize, progressively, the destiny they have been pushed into and the inevitable condition of a defeated troop. They're walking like shadows, wandering forever in the middle of dust and silence.
DirectorDiego MondacaStarsRaimundo RamosFabián ArenillasMauricio Toledo
░░░░║► BOLIVIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 12th submission from Bolivia
◾ 1st submission for Diego Mondaca [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
11. Quo Vadis, Aida?
20201h 41mTV-MA
8.0 (40K)
97Metascore
Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp.
DirectorJasmila ZbanicStarsJasna DjuricicIzudin BajrovicBoris Ler
░░░░║► BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Serbo-Croatian (Variety: Bosnian), Dutch
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 20th submission from Bosnia and Herzegovina
◾ 2nd submission for Jasmila Žbanić [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2006/79th: Grbavica: The Land of My Dreams [BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA]

......................................................................................................................
12. Babenco: Tell Me When I Die
20191h 15m
7.3 (556)
"I have already lived my death and now all that is left is to make a film about it." So said the filmmaker Hector Babenco to Bárbara Paz when he realized he did not have much time left. She accepted the challenge to fulfill the last wish of her late partner: to be the main protagonist in his own death. In this tender immersion into the life of one of the greatest filmmakers from South America, Babenco himself consciously bares his soul in intimate and painful situations. He expresses fears and anxieties, and also memories, reflections, and fantasies, in this face-off between his intellectual vigor and physical frailty, which were the hallmarks of his career. From the onset of cancer at the age of 38 until his death at 70, Babenco made of the cinema his medicine and the nourishment that kept him alive. "Babenco - Tell me when I Die" is Barbara Paz's first feature film, but is also in a way Hector's last work: a film about filming so never to die.
DirectorBárbara PazStarsHector BabencoRegina BragaWillem Dafoe
░░░░║► BRAZIL ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Portuguese
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 50th submission from Brazil
◾ 1st submission for Bárbara Paz [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
13. The Father
20191h 27m
6.4 (725)
Vasil has just lost his long-time partner in life, his wife Valentina. When a woman at her funeral proclaims that the dead woman called her cell phone, Vasil seeks out the help of a well-known psychic in order to contact his wife. His son Pavel tries to bring him to his senses, but Vasil stubbornly insists on doing things his own way. "The Father" is an intimate family drama about the difficulties of connecting with those close to us. As the picture slowly gathers momentum, its story unfolds many carefully arranged absurd or comic situations.
DirectorsKristina GrozevaPetar ValchanovStarsIvan BarnevIvan SavovTanya Shahova
░░░░║► BULGARIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Bulgarian
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 31st submission from Bulgaria
◾ 2nd submission for Kristina Grozeva [♀] and Petar Valchanov [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same directors that have also been submitted:

● 2017/90th: Glory [BULGARIA]

......................................................................................................................
14. Fathers
20201h 50m
6.7 (13)
Based on a true story, Losing one leg, a man lives on his cyclo-trisaw drives to provide for two children his wife abandons at a pagoda's corner.
DirectorHuy YalengStarsHuy YalengSonyta MeanKong Sophy
░░░░║► CAMBODIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Khmer
╚▷ Continent: Asia

◾ 9th submission from Cambodia
◾ 1st submission for Huy Yaleng [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other submitted Films by this Directors: none

......................................................................................................................
15. The Fisherman's Diary
20202h 23mTV-MA
6.4 (760)
Ekah is determined to go to school in a village of fishermen where a girl child's education is considered a taboo. Her drive to break this old adage gets her embroiled with her father, Solomon's past.
DirectorEnah JohnscottStarsKang QuintusFaith FidelCosson Chinepoh
░░░░║► CAMEROON ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: ?
╚▷ Continent: Africa

◾ 3rd submission from Cameroon
◾ 1st submission for the director Enah Johnscott [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
16. 14 Days, 12 Nights
20191h 39m
6.2 (372)
Isabelle and her partner adopted Clara in Vietnam, who died several years after. In order to heal her wounds, Isabelle flies to Hanoi to discover the culture of Clara and meet her biological mother, who will later become her friend.
DirectorJean-Philippe DuvalStarsAnne DorvalLeanna CheaHiep Tran Nghia
░░░░║► CANADA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: French
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 46th submission from Canada (2nd choice, after disqualification of first chosen film)
◾ 1st submission for Jean-Philippe Duval [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
17. Funny Boy
20201h 49m
6.5 (1K)
62Metascore
Explores Arjie's sexual awakening from a young boy to a teenager who falls in love with a male classmate, just as political tensions escalate between the Sinhalese and Tamils in the years leading up to the 1983 uprisings.
DirectorDeepa MehtaStarsAgam DarshiNimmi HarasgamaRajeev Colton
░░░░║► CANADA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted, but disqualified and replaced
(Reason: too much English dialogue)

╚▷ Language: Tamil, Sinhalese
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 46th submission from Canada (1st choice, disqualified and replaced)
◾ 3rd submission for Deepa Mehta [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2006/79th: Water [CANADA]
● 1999/72nd: Earth [INDIA]

......................................................................................................................
18. The Mole Agent
20201h 24mNot Rated
7.5 (9.9K)
69Metascore
A private investigator in Chile hires someone to work as a mole at a retirement home where a client of his suspects the caretakers of elder abuse.
DirectorMaite AlberdiStarsSergio ChamyRomulo AitkenMarta Olivares
░░░░║► CHILE ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 25th submission from Chile
◾ 1st submission for Maite Alberdi [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
19. Leap
20202h 15m
6.6 (1.5K)
After 12 years, the Chinese women's volleyball team again reached the Olympic final in 2016. They were now coached by Lang Ping, a stalwart of the 1980s Chinese women's team, who won consecutive World Championships from 1981 to 1985.
DirectorPeter Ho-Sun ChanStarsGong LiHuang BoGang Wu
░░░░║► CHINA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Mandarin
╚▷ Continent: Asia

◾ 35th submission from China
◾ 1st submission for Peter Chan [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
20. Memories of My Father
20202h 16m
7.2 (2.8K)
58Metascore
An author recalls life with his father, a university professor who fought against oppression and social inequality in Colombia in the seventies.
DirectorFernando TruebaStarsJavier CámaraNicolás Reyes CanoJuan Pablo Urrego
░░░░║► COLOMBIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 29th submission from Colombia
◾ 3rd submission for Fernando Trueba [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2009/82nd: The Dancer and the Thief [SPAIN]
● 1993/66th: Belle Époque [SPAIN] ➜ won

......................................................................................................................
21. Land of Ashes
20191h 22m
6.0 (405)
Selva (13) lives in a coastal town in the Caribbean. After the sudden disappearance of her only motherly figure, she is left to take care of her grandfather who doesn't want to live. Between shadows and wild games, she must decide if she will help her grandfather die, even though that means going through her last moments of childhood alone.
DirectorSofía QuirósStarsSmashleen GutiérrezHumberto SamuelsHortensia Smith
░░░░║► COSTA RICA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 9th submission from Costa Rica
◾ 1st submission for Sofía Quirós Ubeda [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
22. Extracurricular
20191h 41m
6.1 (285)
The recently divorced father of a nine-year-old, furious his daughter can't spend her birthday with him, bursts into her classroom with a birthday cake and a rifle. A hostage crisis ensues, and the mayor of the town in which the events take place will try to use the situation to gain advantage ahead of the elections, stopping at nothing. The son of a young policeman is in the same class, and before the events unfold, he'll have to answer a question as well.
DirectorIvan-Goran VitezStarsMilivoj BeaderZeljko KönigsknechtAnita Matic Delic
░░░░║► CROATIA ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Serbo-Croatian (Variety: Croatian)
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 30th submission from Croatia
◾ 1st submission for Ivan-Goran Vitez [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted: none

......................................................................................................................
23. Charlatan
20201h 58mUnrated
6.8 (3.4K)
66Metascore
The life of successful Czech healer Jan Mikolasek, who diagnosed and healed people using his intuition and strong familiarity with plants, set against the background of the events of the totalitarian fifties.
DirectorAgnieszka HollandStarsIvan TrojanJosef TrojanJuraj Loj
░░░░║► CZECH REPUBLIC ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Czech
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 27th submission from Czech Republic
◾ 5th submission for Agnieszka Holland [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2017/90th: Spoor [POLAND]
● 2013/86th: Burning Bush {cinema cut} [CZECH REPUBLIC] ➜ disq/repl
● 2011/84th: In Darkness [POLAND] ➜ nom
● 1985/58th: Angry Harvest [WEST GERMANY] ➜ nom

......................................................................................................................
24. Another Round
20201h 57mNot Rated
7.7 (210K)
79Metascore
Four high-school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives.
DirectorThomas VinterbergStarsMads MikkelsenThomas Bo LarsenMagnus Millang
░░░░║► DENMARK ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Danish, Swedish
╚▷ Continent: Europe

◾ 58th submission from Denmark
◾ 3rd submission for Thomas Vinterberg [♂]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2013/86th: The Hunt [DENMARK] ➜ nom
● 1998/71st: The Celebration [DENMARK]

......................................................................................................................
25. A State of Madness
20201h 33m
7.7 (47)
A film noir evocative Caribbean drama set in 1953 in the Dominican Republic during the cruel dictatorship of Leonidas Trujillo.
DirectorLeticia TonosStarsLuis José GermánJane SantosPavel Marcano
░░░░║► DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ◄║░░░░
......................................................................................................................

STATUS: submitted

╚▷ Language: Spanish
╚▷ Continent: Americas

◾ 13th submission from the Dominican Republic
◾ 3rd submission for Leticia Tonos [♀]

......................................................................................................................

Other films by the same director that have also been submitted:

● 2014/87th: Cristo Rey [DOMINICAN REPUBLIC]
● 2011/84th: Love Child[ [DOMINICAN REPUBLIC]

......................................................................................................................