22/12/2021 - The Austrian, Belgian, Danish, Finnish, German, Icelandic, Italian, Kosovan, Norwegian and Spanish representatives are vying for a nomination

The US Academy has announced the shortlisted films in several 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 two more coming from non-European countries, but with European co-production.

Among the first ones, some of the favourites have made the cut, such as Great Freedom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sebastian Meise
film profile] by Austria's Sebastian Meise, Flee [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
film profile] by Denmark's Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Compartment No. 6 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juho Kuosmanen
film profile] by Finland's Juho Kuosmanen, Lamb [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valdimar Jóhannsson
film profile] by Iceland's Valdimar Jóhannsson, The Hand of God [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile] by Italy's Paolo Sorrentino and The Worst Person in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] by Norway's Joachim Trier. The other European titles, which have been selected in a more surprising move, were Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Wandel
film profile] by Belgium's Laura Wandel, I’m Your Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maria Schrader
film profile] by Germany's Maria Schrader, Hive [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blerta Basholli
interview: Yllka Gashi
film profile] by Kosovo's Blerta Basholli (already the most awarded film at this year's Sundance Film Festival) and The Good Boss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Spain's Fernando León de Aranoa (starring Javier Bardem). In a less surprising decision, bold submissions like those from France (Julia Ducournau's Titane [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile]) and Romania (Radu Jude's Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Radu Jude
film profile]) have been left out. Two European co-productions coming from non-European countries, A Hero [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asghar Farhadi
film profile] by Iran's Asghar Farhadi and Prayers for the Stolen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Mexico's Tatiana Huezo, have also made the cut.

This year, Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in this category's preliminary round of voting and had to meet a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

Some European talent is featured in the shortlists for the other categories, such as in the Documentary category, where Flee is also present (which could lead the film to repeat the feat of North Macedonia's Honeyland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara K…
interview: Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir S…
film profile], which was nominated in both the International Feature Film and Documentary categories in 2019). Camilla Nielsson's President [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Camilla Nielsson
film profile] is the other European film in the mix.

There are some welcome selections in the Music categories, with Alberto Iglesias and Alexandre Desplat vying for the Best Original Score statuette for their work on Pedro Almodóvar's Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], respectively, as well as the Sparks brothers and Van Morrison vying for the Best Original Song award for their tunes for Leos Carax's Annette [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (“So May We Start?”) and Kenneth Branagh's Belfast [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (“Down To Joy”), respectively.

Lastly, the Short Film categories are, as usual, brimming with European talent, with a Riz Ahmed-starring title directed by UK's Aneil Karia and the sensation from Belgian filmmaker Michiel Blanchart (whose US-produced, feature film version is already being produced - read news) leading the pack.

The ceremony will take place on 27 March, 2022.

Here are the Oscar shortlists:

International Feature Film

Austria: Great Freedom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sebastian Meise
film profile], Sebastian Meise (Austria/Germany)
Belgium: Playground [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Laura Wandel
film profile], Laura Wandel (Belgium)
Bhutan: Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Pawo Choyning Dorji (Bhutan/China)
Denmark: Flee [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
film profile], Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Denmark/France/Norway/Sweden)
Finland: Compartment No. 6 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juho Kuosmanen
film profile], Juho Kuosmanen (Finland/Russia/Estonia/Germany)
Germany: I’m Your Man [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maria Schrader
film profile], Maria Schrader (Germany)
Iceland: Lamb [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valdimar Jóhannsson
film profile], Valdimar Jóhannsson (Iceland/Sweden/Poland)
Iran: A Hero [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Asghar Farhadi
film profile], Asghar Farhadi (Iran/France)
Italy: The Hand of God [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile], Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)
Japan: Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Japan)
Kosovo: Hive [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Blerta Basholli
interview: Yllka Gashi
film profile], Blerta Basholli (Kosovo/Switzerland/North Macedonia/Albania)
Mexico: Prayers for the Stolen [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Tatiana Huezo (Mexico/Germany/Brazil/Switzerland/USA)
Norway: The Worst Person in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile], Joachim Trier (Norway/France/Sweden/Denmark)
Panama: Plaza Catedral, Abner Benaim (Panama/Mexico/Colombia)
Spain: The Good Boss [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Fernando León de Aranoa (Spain)

Documentary Feature

Ascension - Jessica Kingdon (China)
Attica - Stanley Nelson
Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry - RJ Cutler
Faya Dayi - Jessica Beshir (Ethiophia/USA/Qatar/Mexico)
The First Wave - Matthew Heineman
Flee - Jonas Poher Rasmussen
In the Same Breath - Nanfu Wang
Julia - Julie Cohen, Betsy West
President [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Camilla Nielsson
film profile] - Camilla Nielsson (Denmark/USA/Norway)
Procession - Robert Greene
The Rescue - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin
Simple as Water - Megan Mylan
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) - Questlove
The Velvet Underground - Todd Haynes
Writing with Fire - Sushmit Ghosh, Rintu Thomas (India)

Music (Original Score)

Being the Ricardos
Candyman
Don’t Look Up
Dune [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/Hungary/Jordan/United Arab Emirates/Norway/Canada)
Encanto
The French Dispatch [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/Germany/France/UK)
The Green Knight [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (USA/Canada/Ireland)
The Harder They Fall
King Richard
The Last Duel [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (USA/UK)
No Time to Die [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (UK/USA)
Parallel Mothers [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
film profile] (Spain)
The Power of the Dog [+see also:
film review
film profile] (UK/New Zealand/Australia/USA/Canada)
Spencer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Germany/UK)
The Tragedy of Macbeth

Music (Original Song)

“So May We Start?” - Annette [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (France/Germany/Belgium/Switzerland/Mexico/Japan)
“Down To Joy” - Belfast [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK)
“Right Where I Belong - Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road
“Automatic Woman” - Bruised
“Dream Girl” - Cinderella
“Beyond The Shore” - CODA
“The Anonymous Ones” - Dear Evan Hansen
“Just Look Up” - Don’t Look Up
“Dos Oruguitas” - Encanto
“Somehow You Do” - Four Good Days
“Guns Go Bang” - The Harder They Fall
“Be Alive” - King Richard
“No Time To Die” - No Time to Die
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home) - Respect
“Your Song Saved My Life - Sing 2

Sound

Belfast
Dune
Last Night in Soho [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (UK)
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
The Power of the Dog
A Quiet Place Part II
Spider-Man: No Way Home
tick, tick…BOOM!
West Side Story

Visual Effects

Black Widow
Dune
Eternals
Free Guy
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Godzilla vs. Kong
The Matrix Resurrections
No Time to Die
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spider-Man: No Way Home

Makeup and Hairstyling

Coming 2 America
Cruella
Cyrano [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (UK/Canada/USA)
Dune
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
House of Gucci
Nightmare Alley
No Time to Die
The Suicide Squad
West Side Story

Live Action Short Film

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run - Maria Brendle (Switzerland/Kyrgyzstan)
Censor of Dreams - Leo Berne, Raphaël Rodriguez (France)
The Criminals - Serhat Karaaslan (France/Romania/Turkey)
Distances - Susan Béjar (Spain)
The Dress - Tadeusz Lysiak (Poland)
Frimas - Marianne Farley (Canada)
Les Grandes Claques - Annie St-Pierre (Canada)
The Long Goodbye - Aneil Karia (UK/Netherlands)
On My Mind - Martin Strange-Hansen (Denmark)
Please Hold - KD Davila (USA)
Stenofonen - Nicolaj Kopernikus (Denmark)
Tala’vision - Murad Abu Eisheh (Germany/Jordan)
Under the Heavens - Gustavo Milan (Brazil)
When the Sun Sets - Phumi Morare (South Africa)
You’re Dead Helen - Michiel Blanchart (Belgium/France)

Documentary Short Subject

Águilas - Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, Maite Zubiaurre
Audible - Matthew Ogens
A Broken House - Jimmy Goldblum (USA/Lebanon)
Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis - Mor Loushy, Daniel Sivan
Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker - Ryan White
Day of Rage - David Botti, Malachy Browne
The Facility - Seth Freed Wessler
Lead Me Home - Pedro Kos, Jon Shenk
Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day” - Christine Turner
The Queen of Basketball - Ben Proudfoot
Sophie & the Baron - Alexandria Jackson
Takeover - Emma Francis-Snyder
Terror Contagion - Laura Poitras
Three Songs for Benazir - Elizabeth Mirzaei, Gulistan Mirzaei (Afghanistan)
When We Were Bullies - Jay Rosenblatt

Animated Short Film

Affairs of the Art - Joanna Quinn (UK)
Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice - Zacharias Kunuk (Canada)
Bad Seeds - Claude Cloutier (Canada)
Bestia - Hugo Covarrubias (Chile)
Boxballet - Anton Dyakov (Russia)
Flowing Home - Sandra Desmazières (France/Canada)
Mum Is Pouring Rain - Hugo de Faucompret (France)
The Musician - Reza Riahi (France)
Namoo - Erick Oh (South Korea)
Only a Child - Simone Giampaolo (Switzerland)
Robin Robin - Daniel Ojari, Michael Please (UK)
Souvenir Souvenir - Bastien Dubois (France)
Step into the River - Weijia Ma (China/France)
Us Again - Zach Parrish
The Windshield Wiper - Alberto Mielgo (USA/Spain)