Nine movies made the Academy’s short list for Best Foreign Language Film. Among those titles is Germany’s entry, Toni Erdmann, the race’s seeming front-runner. Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World, which reps Canada, also made the list, giving those months of mixed critical reception some meaning. Since there were more than nine foreign-language films released this year, the list also comes with some snubs. The biggest and most surprising exclusion is Paul Verhoeven’s Elle. While the twisty rape thriller doesn’t fit among the Academy’s usual preferred fare, an Oscar nomination was considered likely for the film, especially as star Isabelle Huppert’s Best Actress campaign picks up steam. Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta and Pablo Larrain’s Neruda also failed to make the cut, despite Larrain’s profile seeing a boost with Jackie. Update your ballots, and read the full short list below:
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler
Canada, It’s Only the End of the World, Xavier Dolan
Denmark, Land of Mine, Martin Zandvliet
Germany, Toni Erdmann, Maren Ade
Iran, The Salesman, Asghar Farhadi
Norway, The King’s Choice, Erik Poppe
Russia, Paradise, Andrei Konchalovsky
Sweden, A Man Called Ove, Hannes Holm
Switzerland, My Life as a Zucchini, Claude Barras