‘Emilia Perez’ Has France Poised to Win the International Feature Oscar — Could Another Country Pull Off an Upset?
“Waterdrop”Director: Robert BudinCountry: AlbaniaBudina’s feature debut “Agon” was Albania’s 2013 submission. His fourth feature, “Waterdrop,” premiered internationally at Warsaw. It tells the story of a city hall manager, who faces inner turmoil when her teenage son is involved in a rape scandal.
“Algiers”Director: Chakib Taleb-BendiabCountry: AlgeriaA thriller in which a psychiatrist and a police inspector investigate a young girl’s disappearance in the country’s capital. Taleb-Bendiab’s film won top honors at the Rhode Island Film Festival.
“Kill the Jockey”Director: Luis OrtegaCountry: ArgentinaOrtega’s second Argentine Oscar submission — after 2018’s “El Angel” — is an offbeat deadpan comedy following a dissolute jockey on a transformative journey of self-discovery. It premiered in competition at Venice.
“Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev”Director: Edgar BaghdasaryanCountry: ArmeniaBaghdasaryan’s last film, “Lengthy Night,” was Armenia’s 2019 submission; his follow-up is an absurdist political comedy about a retired Armenian, nostalgic for the Soviet Union, who retreats into his imagination.
“The Devil’s Bath”Director: Veronika Franz and Severin FialaCountry: AustriaAwarded at Berlin for its stunning cinematography, Franz and Fiala’s first Austrian feature since 2014’s Oscar-submitted horror “Goodnight Mommy” is a sobering, fact-based historical drama of female depression and abuse.
“The Wrestler”Director: Iqbal Hossain ChowdhuryCountry: BangladeshWinner of the New Currents competition at Busan last year, Toronto-based writer-director Chowdhury’s debut feature is an underdog sports drama following an ageing fisherman as he challenges a local wrestling champion.
“Julie Keeps Quiet”Director: Leonardo van DijlCountry: BelgiumCo-produced by the Dardenne brothers, Van Dijl’s timely, restrained debut feature — examining the fallout of an abuse scandal at an elite tennis academy — was a standout of this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week program.
“Own Hand”Director: Rodrigo PatiñoCountry: BoliviaPatiño’s second Oscar submission for Bolivia, following 2018’s “The Goalkeeper,” is a thriller about a by-the-book prosecutor battling mob justice when five young people are accused of stealing a truck.
“My Late Summer”Director: Danis TanovićCountry: Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia’s preeminent auteur, Tanović won the category with “No Man’s Land” in 2001 and has been submitted four times since, cracking the 2013 shortlist with “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker.” His latest is a comedy-drama about family warring over matters of inheritance.
“I’m Still Here”Director: Walter SallesCountry: BrazilThe first feature in 12 years from Salles, director of 1998 nominee “Central Station,” is a stirring true-life drama about a family shattered by the unjust detainment of its patriarch during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Winner of Best Screenplay at Venice.
“Triumph”Director: Kristina Grozeva and Petar ValchanovCountry: BulgariaStarring Oscar-nominated actor Maria Bakalova and edited by Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-nominated collaborator Yorgos Mavropsaridis, this eccentric black comedy depicts a chaotic post-communist military operation with paranormal overtones. It’s the directors’ third Bulgarian submission, following “Glory” and “The Father.”
“Meeting With Pol Pot”Director: Rithy PanhCountry: CambodiaPanh’s hybrid documentary “The Missing Picture” was a 2013 nominee in the category; his latest, premiered out of competition at Cannes, stars Irène Jacob and follows three French people journeying through the former Democratic Kampuchea.
“Kismet”Director: Ngang Romanus NtsehCountry: CameroonNtseh, whose debut “Hidden Dreams” was Cameroon’s 2021 submission, returns to the race with a social drama examining the fallout of an intercultural romance between a Christian woman and a Muslim man.
“Universal Language”Director: Matthew RankinCountry: CanadaExperimental filmmaker Rankin charmed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight audiences with this offbeat absurdist satire that affectionately borrows the tropes of Iranian arthouse cinema to imagine a parallel-universe Winnipeg where Farsi is the dominant tongue.
“In Her Place”Director: Maite AlberdiCountry: ChileChilean docmaker Alberdi — who got documentary Oscar nominations for “The Eternal Memory” and “The Mole Agent,” plus an international feature nod for the latter — switches to narrative cinema with this fanciful tale of a legal secretary enraptured by a glamorous murderess on trial.
“The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru”Director: Fang LiCountry: ChinaFor the first time since 2008’s “Dream Weavers,” China has submitted a documentary. Fang Li’s film investigates the torpedoing of a Japanese cargo liner carrying British POWs during World War II.
“La Suprema”Director: Felipe HolguinCountry: ColombiaA Toronto premiere last year, Holguin’s feelgood drama tells the story of a teenager from a tiny, electricity-deprived village seeking a way to watch her boxer uncle’s championship fight on a TV set.
“Memories of a Burning Body”Director: Antonella SudasassiCountry: Costa RicaWinner of the Panorama Audience Award at this year’s Berlinale, Sudasassi’s second feature — and her second Costa Rican Oscar submission — poetically envisions the stories of three women over 60, openly discussing sexuality after years of repression.
“Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day”Director: Ivona JukaCountry: CroatiaJuka’s last feature, 2015’s “You Carry Me,” was a festival favorite. Her latest tells the story of four filmmaker friends persecuted by the authorities for their sexuality in 1950s communist Yugoslavia.
“Waves”Director: Jiří MádlCountry: Czech RepublicThe Audience Award winner at Karlovy Vary this year, Mádl’s journalistic thriller set during the Prague Spring has been a smash at home, and is currently the fifth highest-grossing Czech film of all time.
“The Girl With the Needle”Director: Magnus von HornCountry: DenmarkWell-received in competition at Cannes, with a chilling performance by Trine Dyrholm, the third feature from Swedish-Polish auteur von Horn is a nightmarish, Gothic-styled period drama in which a destitute pregnant woman finds sanctuary at a mysterious adoption agency.
“Aire: Just Breathe”Director: Leticia TonosCountry: Dominican RepublicPremiered at Rotterdam, Leticia Tonos’ fourth film to be chosen as the Dominican submission is an ambitious, Paz Vega-starring science-fiction tale of a biologist attempting to preserve humanity by inseminating herself with AI.
“Behind the Mist”Director: Sebastián CorderoCountry: EcuadorCordero has directed two previous Ecuadorian submissions, “Chronicles” and “Such Is Life in the Tropics.” His latest is a 3D documentary chronicling his own attempt to scale Mount Everest with famous mountaineer Iván Vallejo.
“Flight 404”Director: Hani KhalifaCountry: EgyptThe first Egyptian production to be shot in Saudi Arabia, Khalifa’s race-against-time thriller about a woman whose past comes back to haunt her as she prepares to travel to Mecca has been a local hit, scoring record box-office for a female-led Egyptian film.
“8 Views of Lake Biwa”Director: Marko RaatCountry: EstoniaA Rotterdam premiere earlier this year, Raat’s lyrical romantic drama centers on two young girls reckoning with first love and the aftermath of a local tragedy in their small fishing village.
“Family Time”Director: Tia KouvoCountry: FinlandKouvo’s debut feature, a comedy-drama about a fractious family Christmas gathering, was warmly reviewed when it premiered in Berlin’s Encounters sidebar this year, even prompting critical comparisons to Aki Kaurismäki.
“Emilia Pérez”Director: Jacques AudiardCountry: FranceFifteen years after scoring a nomination in the category for “A Prophet,” veteran auteur Audiard is hoping to bring France its first win in three decades with this Cannes-laurelled, Netflix-backed, Mexico-set trans cartel musical starring Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez.
“The Antique”Director: Rusudan GlurjidzeCountry: GeorgiaGlurjidze’s follow-up to her Oscar-submitted debut “House of Others” is a poignant anti-Putin drama examining Georgian-Russian tensions in St. Petersburg. It made headlines when its Venice premiere was temporarily suspended after a copyright complaint by its Russian and Croatian producers that may have been politically motivated.
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”Director: Mohammad RasoulofCountry: GermanyCo-producing country Germany stepped up for exiled Iranian firebrand director Rasoulof, submitting his incendiary Tehran-set domestic thriller about growing friction between an Islamic Revolutionary Court judge and his protest-minded feminist daughters. A special jury award winner at Cannes, it’s being distributed by Neon.
“Murderess”Director: Eva NathenaCountry: GreeceWinner of multiple awards at last year’s Thessaloniki fest, Nathena’s feminist period drama was the only film left standing when all other contenders for the submission withdrew in protest at the Greek Culture Ministry’s replacement of the original selection committee.
“Kidnapping Inc.”Director: Bruno MourralCountry: HaitiOnly the third film ever submitted by Haiti, Mourral’s debut feature is a chaotic crime comedy following two gangsters tasked with transporting a high-profile kidnap victim. It premiered in Sundance’s Midnight program.
“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In”Director: Soi CheangCountry: Hong KongA Midnight premiere at Cannes, Soi Cheang’s head-spinning, genre-melding mixture of ‘80s-retro crime thriller and martial arts spectacular has been enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike — at home, it’s the second highest-grossing domestic film of all time.
“Semmelweis”Director: Lajos KoltaiCountry: HungaryFollowing the all-star American flop “Evening,” the first directorial effort in 17 years from Oscar-nominated cinematographer Koltai (“Malena”) is a medical drama set against the backdrop of a raging epidemic in 19th-century Vienna.
“Touch”Director: Baltasar KormákurCountry: IcelandSometime Hollywood director Kormákur (“Beast,” “Everest”) drops his usual genre inclinations and returns to his homeland for a tender, time-hopping romantic drama about an elderly widower seeking his first love from half a century before.
“Laapataa Ladies”Director: Kiran RaoCountry: IndiaControversially selected by India over critical darling “All We Imagine as Light,” this colorful, female-driven comedy of mistaken identity begins with two newlywed brides, who are accidentally switched on the train ride home, and it escalates from there.
“Women From Rote Island”Director: Jeremias NyangoenCountry: IndonesiaPremiered at Busan last year, Nyangoen’s debut feature follows as illegal migrant worker as she returns to her small hometown for her father’s funeral.
“In the Arms of the Tree”Director: Babak Lotfi KhajepashaCountry: IranLikely to be eclipsed by the higher-profile Iranian film in the running, Germany’s submission “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” this domestic drama studies two young children whose happily sheltered existence is shattered by a crisis in their parents’ lives.
“Baghdad Messi”Director: Sahim Omar KalifaCountry: IraqA co-production with Belgium and the Netherlands, Kalifa’s inspirational drama follows an 11-year-old boy clinging to his dreams of international soccer stardom after he loses his leg in a terrorist attack.
“Kneecap”Director: Rich PeppiattCountry: IrelandA crowd-pleasing sensation at Sundance, where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, this comic musical biopic dramatizes the backstory of the eponymous Belfast hip-hop trio, playing themselves on screen with anarchic energy.
“Come Closer”Director: Tom NesherCountry: IsraelFollowing the death of her beloved brother, a grief-stricken young woman is drawn into his secret life in this debut feature from female writer-director Tom Nesher, which won the inaugural Viewpoints Award at Tribeca this summer.
“Vermiglio”Director: Maura DelperoCountry: ItalyWinner of the Grand Jury Prize in this year’s Venice competition, Delpero’s exquisitely shot, episodic study of life and loss in a remote Alpine village in the years following World War II recalls the work of such Italian pastoral portraitists as Ermanno Olmi and the Taviani Brothers.
“Cloud”Director: Kiyoshi KurosawaCountry: JapanThe second of three films this year from prolific genre merchant Kurosawa — and the veteran director’s first film ever to be selected as Japan’s submission — is an intricate psychological thriller revolving around e-commerce that premiered out of competition at Venice.
“My Sweet Land”Director: Sareen HairabedianCountry: JordanVrej, an 11-year-old Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian boy, is the charismatic focal point of this intimate documentary, which follows him and his family as they’re buffeted by war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Bauryna Salu”Director: Askhat KuchencherekovCountry: KazakhstanHaving been raised by his grandmother according to local tradition, a 12-year-old boy must move back in with his unfamiliar family after she dies in this sensitive coming-of-ager, which premiered in last year’s New Directors competition at San Sebastian.
“Nawi”Directors: Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Toby SchmutzlerCountry: KenyaCultures and generations clash in this story of a 13-year-old girl in rural Kenya who, upon learning that she is to be sold off by her father as a child bride, resists tradition and insists on continuing her education.
“Heaven Is Beneath Mother’s Feet”Director: Ruslan AkunCountry: KyrgyzstanOutgrossing “Dune: Part Two” in its home country, this sentimental drama depicts a man with learning difficulties as he attempts to travel to Mecca with his frail, elderly mother.
“Flow”Director: Gints ZilbalodisCountry: LatviaOne of only two animated films in the running, this ravishing, dialogue-free animal odyssey follows an intrepid cat seeking sanctuary in the wake of a world-destroying flood. It wowed audiences in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, before taking jury and audience awards at Annecy.
“Drowning Dry”Director: Laurynas BareisaCountry: LithuaniaBareisa’s debut “Pilgrims” was Lithuania’s submission two years ago. His sophomore feature, which won Best Director and Best Performance (for its entire ensemble) at Locarno, is a structurally complex drama about two sisters and their families bound by grief and near-tragedy.
“Abang Adik”Director: Jin OngCountry: MalaysiaWu Kang-ren won Best Actor at last year’s Golden Horse Awards for his role in this noir-tinged drama about two undocumented orphans — a deaf man and his younger brother — battling poverty and lure of crime in modern Malaysia.
“Castillo”Director: Abigail MalliaCountry: MaltaReunited with her mother after her father’s death, a young woman pieces together a dark family history —including assassination and revenge — in Mallia’s melodrama, only the fourth film ever submitted by Malta in the race.
“Sujo”Directors: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda ValadezCountry: MexicoA very different take on Mexican cartel trauma than “Emilia Pérez,” this story of a young man attempting to escape his father’s criminal legacy saw its directors build on the promise of their acclaimed debut “Identifying Features,” and won the Grand Jury Prize for world cinema at Sundance.
“If Only I Could Hibernate”Director: Zoljargal PurevdashCountry: MongoliaWell-reviewed following its Un Certain Regard premiere at Cannes last year, Purevdash’s debut feature follows the struggle of a working-class teenage boy to balance his academic aspirations with his attempts to make ends meet for his family.
“Supermarket”Director: Nemanja BečanovićCountry: MontenegroA homeless man manages to live undetected in a supermarket for over a year, but begins to suspect he’s not alone, in Becanovic’s Robinson Crusoe-inspired comedy, which premiered at last year’s Tallinn Black Nights Festival.
“Everybody Loves Touda”Director: Nabil AyouchCountry: MoroccoAyouch’s sixth submission for Morocco follow’s 2021’s hip-hop drama “Casablanca Beats” in exploring the country’s musical tapestry, this time through the tumultuous life story of a traditional folk singer. It premiered out of competition at Cannes.
“Shambhala”Director: Min Bahadur BhamCountry: NepalThe story of a pregnant woman in a Himalayan village on a journey of self-discovery following the disappearance of her husband, Bham’s second feature is the first Nepali production ever to play in the main competition of a major festival — in this case Berlin.
“Memory Lane”Director: Jelle de JongeCountry: NetherlandsA long-married couple embark on a road trip to Spain to visit a dying friend but are faced with their own frailties along the way — notably the onset of dementia — in this comedy-drama from TV director de Jonge.
“Armand”Director: Halfdan Ullmann TøndelCountry: NorwayUllmann Tøndel, the grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, won the Golden Camera for best first feature at Cannes for this enigmatic, increasingly surreal study of a parent-teacher conference that goes wildly awry, showcasing a bravura performance from Renate Reinsve.
“The Glassworker”Director: Usman RiazCountry: PakistanFor the first time, Pakistan has submitted an animated film, and indeed the country’s first ever hand-drawn animated feature: an anime-influenced, unspecifically located saga of a father and son whose bond is tested by the pressures of love and war.
“From Ground Zero”Directors: Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah, Islam Al ZrieaiCountry: PalestineThe year’s timeliest entry is an anthology of 22 short films from different directors chronicling the reality of life in Gaza as the ruinous Israel-Hamas War continues. Originally scheduled to premiere at Cannes, it was pulled due to political concerns but has since played multiple tests including Toronto.
“Wake Up Mom”Director: Arianne BenedettiCountry: PanamaDirector-writer-star Benedetti, who directed Panama’s 2017 submission “Beyond Brotherhood,” returns with an action thriller about a mother, having started a new life after leaving her husband, investigating her daughter’s sudden disappearance.
“The Last”Director: Sebastián Peña EscobarCountry: ParaguayThe directorial debut of producer Escobar (“The Heiresses”) is an environmental documentary surveying Paraguay’s wildfire-prone Gran Chaco natural region. It premiered in the main competition at last year’s IDFA festival.
“Yana-Wara”Directors: Óscar Catacora, Tito CatacoraCountry: PeruYoung filmmaker Óscar Catacora, who directed Peru’s 2018 submission “Eternity,” tragically died of appendicitis before completing his last work, a mystery in which an octogenarian man goes on trial for the murder of his teen granddaughter. The film was finished by Catacora’s uncle Tiro.
“And So It Begins”Director: Ramona S. DiazCountry: PhilippinesDiaz’s Sundance-selected documentary examines the growth of a grassroots resistance movement aiming to protect democracy amid the turmoil of the country’s elections.
“Under the Volcano”Director: Damian KocurCountry: PolandKocur’s tense, resonant sophomore feature, which premiered to strong reviews at Toronto, examines the plight of Ukrainian family vacationing in the Canary Islands, who become refugees overnight following Russia’s invasion of their home country.
“Grand Tour”Director: Miguel GomesCountry: PortugalPreviously submitted with “Our Beloved Month of August” and “Arabian Nights,” Portugal’s most inventive auteur returns with a dizzying, time-slipping romantic voyage through East and Southeast Asia that won him the Best Director award at Cannes.
“Three Kilometres From the End of the World”Director: Emanuel ParvuCountry: RomaniaAfter he’s gay bashed one summer evening, a 17-year-old boy encounters suffocating homophobia both in his community and at home in this tightly contained drama from actor-turned-director Parvu, which played in competition at Cannes and won the Queer Palme.
“Dahomey”Director: Mati DiopCountry: SenegalWinner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, this hybrid documentary from Diop (director of Senegal’s 2019 submission “Atlantics”) chronicles the return of African artworks from France to Berlin. It runs just 68 minutes, but packs in a wealth of post-colonial political analysis and formal invention.
“Russian Consul”Director: Miroslav LekićCountry: SerbiaLittle-traveled outside its home country, Lekić’s 1973-set drama outlines the roots of the Kosova crisis, examining early tensions between Kosovo Serbs and Albanians.
“La Luna”Director: M. Raihan HalimCountry: SingaporeSort of like “Chocolat” with bras instead of bars, Halim’s Malay-language romantic comedy examines the liberating impact of a women’s-only lingerie shop on a repressed, conservatively religious village.
“The Hungarian Dressmaker”Director: Iveta GrófováCountry: SlovakiaGrófová’s second Slovakian Oscar submission, following 2012’s “Made in Ash,” is a World War II drama about a Hungarian widow (played by “On Body and Soul” star Alexandra Borbély) hiding a Jewish boy from German Nazis and the Slovak Hlinka Guard.
“Family Therapy”Director: Sonja ProsencCountry: SloveniaProsenc’s third Slovenian submission, following “The Tree” and “History of Love,” is a dark comedy about a young stranger disrupting the order of a quietly dysfunctional family. It won her Best Director at Sarajevo.
“Old Righteous Blues”Director: Muneera SalliesCountry: South AfricaSet in a small Western Cape town, Sallies’ Afrikaans-language heartwarmer tells the story of a young man attempting to reunify his fractured community by reviving their Christmas choir band.
“12.12: The Day”Director: Kim Sung-suCountry: South KoreaLast year’s highest-grossing Korean film, Kim Sung-su’s blockbuster dramatizes the country’s December 1979 military coup and its consequences.
“Saturn Return”Directors: Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Country: SpainLacuesta’s last film, the Bataclan drama “One Year, One Night,” played in competition at Berlin. His latest, co-directed with his former AD, is a ‘90s-set musical drama inspired by the music and backstory of Granadan rock group Las Planetas.
“The Last Journey”Directors: Filip Hammar, Fredrik WikingssonCountry: SwedenFor the first time since 1979, category veteran Sweden has submitted a documentary — the highest-grossing one in the country’s history, following the uplifting European road trip taken by the directors, longtime best friends, and Hammar’s recently retired father.
“Reinas”Director: Klaudia ReynickeCountry: SwitzerlandThe Lima-born Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker returns to her roots for this moving story, set in 1990s Peru, about two teenage sisters on the brink of leaving their homeland when their absentee father returns to their lives. A Sundance premiere, it went on to win the top prize in Berlin’s Generation section and the audience award at Locarno.
“Old Fox”Director: Hsiao Ya-chuanCountry: TaiwanSet amid the rapid social change of 1980s Taiwan, the fourth feature by Hsiao Ya-chuan, a past collaborator with Hou Hsiao-hsien, tells the story of an impoverished young boy drawn toward a life of wealth when he befriends his landlord. Winner of four Golden Horse Awards including Best Director.
“Melody”Director: Behrouz Sebt RasoulCountry: TajikistanIranian director Rasoul’s sentimental tale of a music teacher in a children’s cancer ward was Tajikistan’s submission last year but was entered too late to be eligible. This year, it gets a second chance.
“How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”Director: Pat BoonnitipatCountry: TaiwanThe year’s highest-grossing Thai film is less dark than its title implies. The story of a college dropout who becomes his terminally ill grandmother’s caretaker prompted a local viral trend of social media users filming themselves crying after seeing it.
“Take My Breath”Director: Nada Mezni HafaiedhCountry: TunisiaPremiered at last year’s Warsaw festival, Hafaiedh’s third feature is a character study of an intersex person shunned by society emerging from the shadows.
“Life”Director: Zeki DemirkubuzCountry: TurkeyA Thessaloniki premiere last year, Demirkubuz’s melodrama follows a young woman who flees to Istanbul to escape an arranged marriage and her fiancé as he attempts to track her down.
“La Palisiada”Director: Philip SotnychenkoCountry: UkraineAfter making the shortlist for the first time last year with eventual documentary Oscar winner “20 Days in Mariupol,” the war-torn country returns with a 1990s-set crime drama in which a cop and a forensic psychiatrist investigate their colleague’s murder. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at Rotterdam and Best Director at Sarajevo.
“Santosh”Director: Sandhya SuriCountry: United KingdomHaving won their first award in the category with “The Zone of Interest” last year, the U.K. this year turns to India with a story of a widow taking over her husband’s police officer position in a rural northern town. The first fiction feature from British-born docmaker Suri, it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
“The Door Is There”Directors: Facundo Ponce de León, Juan Ponce de LeónCountry: UruguayA debut feature from a fraternal directorial duo, this documentary examines the long-distance friendship forged during the pandemic between an oncologist and a terminally ill patient seeking an assisted death.
“Back to Life”Directors: Luis Carlos Hueck, Alfredo HueckCountry: VenezuelaAnother fraternal directing duo from South America, this time with an inspirational drama drawn from Luis Carlos Hueck’s own life story about a young man fighting a life-threatening illness with the help of his family.
“Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano”Director: Phi Tien SonCountry: VietnamVietnam’s most fragrantly titled submission since “The Scent of Green Papaya” is a wartime period drama set against the Battle of Hanoi, as a Hanoian fighter hides at pho vendors’ homes to retrieve arms from French soldiers.
“Algiers”Director: Chakib Taleb-BendiabCountry: AlgeriaA thriller in which a psychiatrist and a police inspector investigate a young girl’s disappearance in the country’s capital. Taleb-Bendiab’s film won top honors at the Rhode Island Film Festival.
“Kill the Jockey”Director: Luis OrtegaCountry: ArgentinaOrtega’s second Argentine Oscar submission — after 2018’s “El Angel” — is an offbeat deadpan comedy following a dissolute jockey on a transformative journey of self-discovery. It premiered in competition at Venice.
“Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev”Director: Edgar BaghdasaryanCountry: ArmeniaBaghdasaryan’s last film, “Lengthy Night,” was Armenia’s 2019 submission; his follow-up is an absurdist political comedy about a retired Armenian, nostalgic for the Soviet Union, who retreats into his imagination.
“The Devil’s Bath”Director: Veronika Franz and Severin FialaCountry: AustriaAwarded at Berlin for its stunning cinematography, Franz and Fiala’s first Austrian feature since 2014’s Oscar-submitted horror “Goodnight Mommy” is a sobering, fact-based historical drama of female depression and abuse.
“The Wrestler”Director: Iqbal Hossain ChowdhuryCountry: BangladeshWinner of the New Currents competition at Busan last year, Toronto-based writer-director Chowdhury’s debut feature is an underdog sports drama following an ageing fisherman as he challenges a local wrestling champion.
“Julie Keeps Quiet”Director: Leonardo van DijlCountry: BelgiumCo-produced by the Dardenne brothers, Van Dijl’s timely, restrained debut feature — examining the fallout of an abuse scandal at an elite tennis academy — was a standout of this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week program.
“Own Hand”Director: Rodrigo PatiñoCountry: BoliviaPatiño’s second Oscar submission for Bolivia, following 2018’s “The Goalkeeper,” is a thriller about a by-the-book prosecutor battling mob justice when five young people are accused of stealing a truck.
“My Late Summer”Director: Danis TanovićCountry: Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia’s preeminent auteur, Tanović won the category with “No Man’s Land” in 2001 and has been submitted four times since, cracking the 2013 shortlist with “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker.” His latest is a comedy-drama about family warring over matters of inheritance.
“I’m Still Here”Director: Walter SallesCountry: BrazilThe first feature in 12 years from Salles, director of 1998 nominee “Central Station,” is a stirring true-life drama about a family shattered by the unjust detainment of its patriarch during the Brazilian military dictatorship. Winner of Best Screenplay at Venice.
“Triumph”Director: Kristina Grozeva and Petar ValchanovCountry: BulgariaStarring Oscar-nominated actor Maria Bakalova and edited by Yorgos Lanthimos’ Oscar-nominated collaborator Yorgos Mavropsaridis, this eccentric black comedy depicts a chaotic post-communist military operation with paranormal overtones. It’s the directors’ third Bulgarian submission, following “Glory” and “The Father.”
“Meeting With Pol Pot”Director: Rithy PanhCountry: CambodiaPanh’s hybrid documentary “The Missing Picture” was a 2013 nominee in the category; his latest, premiered out of competition at Cannes, stars Irène Jacob and follows three French people journeying through the former Democratic Kampuchea.
“Kismet”Director: Ngang Romanus NtsehCountry: CameroonNtseh, whose debut “Hidden Dreams” was Cameroon’s 2021 submission, returns to the race with a social drama examining the fallout of an intercultural romance between a Christian woman and a Muslim man.
“Universal Language”Director: Matthew RankinCountry: CanadaExperimental filmmaker Rankin charmed Cannes Directors’ Fortnight audiences with this offbeat absurdist satire that affectionately borrows the tropes of Iranian arthouse cinema to imagine a parallel-universe Winnipeg where Farsi is the dominant tongue.
“In Her Place”Director: Maite AlberdiCountry: ChileChilean docmaker Alberdi — who got documentary Oscar nominations for “The Eternal Memory” and “The Mole Agent,” plus an international feature nod for the latter — switches to narrative cinema with this fanciful tale of a legal secretary enraptured by a glamorous murderess on trial.
“The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru”Director: Fang LiCountry: ChinaFor the first time since 2008’s “Dream Weavers,” China has submitted a documentary. Fang Li’s film investigates the torpedoing of a Japanese cargo liner carrying British POWs during World War II.
“La Suprema”Director: Felipe HolguinCountry: ColombiaA Toronto premiere last year, Holguin’s feelgood drama tells the story of a teenager from a tiny, electricity-deprived village seeking a way to watch her boxer uncle’s championship fight on a TV set.
“Memories of a Burning Body”Director: Antonella SudasassiCountry: Costa RicaWinner of the Panorama Audience Award at this year’s Berlinale, Sudasassi’s second feature — and her second Costa Rican Oscar submission — poetically envisions the stories of three women over 60, openly discussing sexuality after years of repression.
“Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day”Director: Ivona JukaCountry: CroatiaJuka’s last feature, 2015’s “You Carry Me,” was a festival favorite. Her latest tells the story of four filmmaker friends persecuted by the authorities for their sexuality in 1950s communist Yugoslavia.
“Waves”Director: Jiří MádlCountry: Czech RepublicThe Audience Award winner at Karlovy Vary this year, Mádl’s journalistic thriller set during the Prague Spring has been a smash at home, and is currently the fifth highest-grossing Czech film of all time.
“The Girl With the Needle”Director: Magnus von HornCountry: DenmarkWell-received in competition at Cannes, with a chilling performance by Trine Dyrholm, the third feature from Swedish-Polish auteur von Horn is a nightmarish, Gothic-styled period drama in which a destitute pregnant woman finds sanctuary at a mysterious adoption agency.
“Aire: Just Breathe”Director: Leticia TonosCountry: Dominican RepublicPremiered at Rotterdam, Leticia Tonos’ fourth film to be chosen as the Dominican submission is an ambitious, Paz Vega-starring science-fiction tale of a biologist attempting to preserve humanity by inseminating herself with AI.
“Behind the Mist”Director: Sebastián CorderoCountry: EcuadorCordero has directed two previous Ecuadorian submissions, “Chronicles” and “Such Is Life in the Tropics.” His latest is a 3D documentary chronicling his own attempt to scale Mount Everest with famous mountaineer Iván Vallejo.
“Flight 404”Director: Hani KhalifaCountry: EgyptThe first Egyptian production to be shot in Saudi Arabia, Khalifa’s race-against-time thriller about a woman whose past comes back to haunt her as she prepares to travel to Mecca has been a local hit, scoring record box-office for a female-led Egyptian film.
“8 Views of Lake Biwa”Director: Marko RaatCountry: EstoniaA Rotterdam premiere earlier this year, Raat’s lyrical romantic drama centers on two young girls reckoning with first love and the aftermath of a local tragedy in their small fishing village.
“Family Time”Director: Tia KouvoCountry: FinlandKouvo’s debut feature, a comedy-drama about a fractious family Christmas gathering, was warmly reviewed when it premiered in Berlin’s Encounters sidebar this year, even prompting critical comparisons to Aki Kaurismäki.
“Emilia Pérez”Director: Jacques AudiardCountry: FranceFifteen years after scoring a nomination in the category for “A Prophet,” veteran auteur Audiard is hoping to bring France its first win in three decades with this Cannes-laurelled, Netflix-backed, Mexico-set trans cartel musical starring Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez.
“The Antique”Director: Rusudan GlurjidzeCountry: GeorgiaGlurjidze’s follow-up to her Oscar-submitted debut “House of Others” is a poignant anti-Putin drama examining Georgian-Russian tensions in St. Petersburg. It made headlines when its Venice premiere was temporarily suspended after a copyright complaint by its Russian and Croatian producers that may have been politically motivated.
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”Director: Mohammad RasoulofCountry: GermanyCo-producing country Germany stepped up for exiled Iranian firebrand director Rasoulof, submitting his incendiary Tehran-set domestic thriller about growing friction between an Islamic Revolutionary Court judge and his protest-minded feminist daughters. A special jury award winner at Cannes, it’s being distributed by Neon.
“Murderess”Director: Eva NathenaCountry: GreeceWinner of multiple awards at last year’s Thessaloniki fest, Nathena’s feminist period drama was the only film left standing when all other contenders for the submission withdrew in protest at the Greek Culture Ministry’s replacement of the original selection committee.
“Kidnapping Inc.”Director: Bruno MourralCountry: HaitiOnly the third film ever submitted by Haiti, Mourral’s debut feature is a chaotic crime comedy following two gangsters tasked with transporting a high-profile kidnap victim. It premiered in Sundance’s Midnight program.
“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In”Director: Soi CheangCountry: Hong KongA Midnight premiere at Cannes, Soi Cheang’s head-spinning, genre-melding mixture of ‘80s-retro crime thriller and martial arts spectacular has been enthusiastically received by critics and audiences alike — at home, it’s the second highest-grossing domestic film of all time.
“Semmelweis”Director: Lajos KoltaiCountry: HungaryFollowing the all-star American flop “Evening,” the first directorial effort in 17 years from Oscar-nominated cinematographer Koltai (“Malena”) is a medical drama set against the backdrop of a raging epidemic in 19th-century Vienna.
“Touch”Director: Baltasar KormákurCountry: IcelandSometime Hollywood director Kormákur (“Beast,” “Everest”) drops his usual genre inclinations and returns to his homeland for a tender, time-hopping romantic drama about an elderly widower seeking his first love from half a century before.
“Laapataa Ladies”Director: Kiran RaoCountry: IndiaControversially selected by India over critical darling “All We Imagine as Light,” this colorful, female-driven comedy of mistaken identity begins with two newlywed brides, who are accidentally switched on the train ride home, and it escalates from there.
“Women From Rote Island”Director: Jeremias NyangoenCountry: IndonesiaPremiered at Busan last year, Nyangoen’s debut feature follows as illegal migrant worker as she returns to her small hometown for her father’s funeral.
“In the Arms of the Tree”Director: Babak Lotfi KhajepashaCountry: IranLikely to be eclipsed by the higher-profile Iranian film in the running, Germany’s submission “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” this domestic drama studies two young children whose happily sheltered existence is shattered by a crisis in their parents’ lives.
“Baghdad Messi”Director: Sahim Omar KalifaCountry: IraqA co-production with Belgium and the Netherlands, Kalifa’s inspirational drama follows an 11-year-old boy clinging to his dreams of international soccer stardom after he loses his leg in a terrorist attack.
“Kneecap”Director: Rich PeppiattCountry: IrelandA crowd-pleasing sensation at Sundance, where it won an audience award and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics, this comic musical biopic dramatizes the backstory of the eponymous Belfast hip-hop trio, playing themselves on screen with anarchic energy.
“Come Closer”Director: Tom NesherCountry: IsraelFollowing the death of her beloved brother, a grief-stricken young woman is drawn into his secret life in this debut feature from female writer-director Tom Nesher, which won the inaugural Viewpoints Award at Tribeca this summer.
“Vermiglio”Director: Maura DelperoCountry: ItalyWinner of the Grand Jury Prize in this year’s Venice competition, Delpero’s exquisitely shot, episodic study of life and loss in a remote Alpine village in the years following World War II recalls the work of such Italian pastoral portraitists as Ermanno Olmi and the Taviani Brothers.
“Cloud”Director: Kiyoshi KurosawaCountry: JapanThe second of three films this year from prolific genre merchant Kurosawa — and the veteran director’s first film ever to be selected as Japan’s submission — is an intricate psychological thriller revolving around e-commerce that premiered out of competition at Venice.
“My Sweet Land”Director: Sareen HairabedianCountry: JordanVrej, an 11-year-old Nagorno-Karabakh Armenian boy, is the charismatic focal point of this intimate documentary, which follows him and his family as they’re buffeted by war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Bauryna Salu”Director: Askhat KuchencherekovCountry: KazakhstanHaving been raised by his grandmother according to local tradition, a 12-year-old boy must move back in with his unfamiliar family after she dies in this sensitive coming-of-ager, which premiered in last year’s New Directors competition at San Sebastian.
“Nawi”Directors: Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler, Toby SchmutzlerCountry: KenyaCultures and generations clash in this story of a 13-year-old girl in rural Kenya who, upon learning that she is to be sold off by her father as a child bride, resists tradition and insists on continuing her education.
“Heaven Is Beneath Mother’s Feet”Director: Ruslan AkunCountry: KyrgyzstanOutgrossing “Dune: Part Two” in its home country, this sentimental drama depicts a man with learning difficulties as he attempts to travel to Mecca with his frail, elderly mother.
“Flow”Director: Gints ZilbalodisCountry: LatviaOne of only two animated films in the running, this ravishing, dialogue-free animal odyssey follows an intrepid cat seeking sanctuary in the wake of a world-destroying flood. It wowed audiences in Un Certain Regard at Cannes, before taking jury and audience awards at Annecy.
“Drowning Dry”Director: Laurynas BareisaCountry: LithuaniaBareisa’s debut “Pilgrims” was Lithuania’s submission two years ago. His sophomore feature, which won Best Director and Best Performance (for its entire ensemble) at Locarno, is a structurally complex drama about two sisters and their families bound by grief and near-tragedy.
“Abang Adik”Director: Jin OngCountry: MalaysiaWu Kang-ren won Best Actor at last year’s Golden Horse Awards for his role in this noir-tinged drama about two undocumented orphans — a deaf man and his younger brother — battling poverty and lure of crime in modern Malaysia.
“Castillo”Director: Abigail MalliaCountry: MaltaReunited with her mother after her father’s death, a young woman pieces together a dark family history —including assassination and revenge — in Mallia’s melodrama, only the fourth film ever submitted by Malta in the race.
“Sujo”Directors: Astrid Rondero, Fernanda ValadezCountry: MexicoA very different take on Mexican cartel trauma than “Emilia Pérez,” this story of a young man attempting to escape his father’s criminal legacy saw its directors build on the promise of their acclaimed debut “Identifying Features,” and won the Grand Jury Prize for world cinema at Sundance.
“If Only I Could Hibernate”Director: Zoljargal PurevdashCountry: MongoliaWell-reviewed following its Un Certain Regard premiere at Cannes last year, Purevdash’s debut feature follows the struggle of a working-class teenage boy to balance his academic aspirations with his attempts to make ends meet for his family.
“Supermarket”Director: Nemanja BečanovićCountry: MontenegroA homeless man manages to live undetected in a supermarket for over a year, but begins to suspect he’s not alone, in Becanovic’s Robinson Crusoe-inspired comedy, which premiered at last year’s Tallinn Black Nights Festival.
“Everybody Loves Touda”Director: Nabil AyouchCountry: MoroccoAyouch’s sixth submission for Morocco follow’s 2021’s hip-hop drama “Casablanca Beats” in exploring the country’s musical tapestry, this time through the tumultuous life story of a traditional folk singer. It premiered out of competition at Cannes.
“Shambhala”Director: Min Bahadur BhamCountry: NepalThe story of a pregnant woman in a Himalayan village on a journey of self-discovery following the disappearance of her husband, Bham’s second feature is the first Nepali production ever to play in the main competition of a major festival — in this case Berlin.
“Memory Lane”Director: Jelle de JongeCountry: NetherlandsA long-married couple embark on a road trip to Spain to visit a dying friend but are faced with their own frailties along the way — notably the onset of dementia — in this comedy-drama from TV director de Jonge.
“Armand”Director: Halfdan Ullmann TøndelCountry: NorwayUllmann Tøndel, the grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, won the Golden Camera for best first feature at Cannes for this enigmatic, increasingly surreal study of a parent-teacher conference that goes wildly awry, showcasing a bravura performance from Renate Reinsve.
“The Glassworker”Director: Usman RiazCountry: PakistanFor the first time, Pakistan has submitted an animated film, and indeed the country’s first ever hand-drawn animated feature: an anime-influenced, unspecifically located saga of a father and son whose bond is tested by the pressures of love and war.
“From Ground Zero”Directors: Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah, Islam Al ZrieaiCountry: PalestineThe year’s timeliest entry is an anthology of 22 short films from different directors chronicling the reality of life in Gaza as the ruinous Israel-Hamas War continues. Originally scheduled to premiere at Cannes, it was pulled due to political concerns but has since played multiple tests including Toronto.
“Wake Up Mom”Director: Arianne BenedettiCountry: PanamaDirector-writer-star Benedetti, who directed Panama’s 2017 submission “Beyond Brotherhood,” returns with an action thriller about a mother, having started a new life after leaving her husband, investigating her daughter’s sudden disappearance.
“The Last”Director: Sebastián Peña EscobarCountry: ParaguayThe directorial debut of producer Escobar (“The Heiresses”) is an environmental documentary surveying Paraguay’s wildfire-prone Gran Chaco natural region. It premiered in the main competition at last year’s IDFA festival.
“Yana-Wara”Directors: Óscar Catacora, Tito CatacoraCountry: PeruYoung filmmaker Óscar Catacora, who directed Peru’s 2018 submission “Eternity,” tragically died of appendicitis before completing his last work, a mystery in which an octogenarian man goes on trial for the murder of his teen granddaughter. The film was finished by Catacora’s uncle Tiro.
“And So It Begins”Director: Ramona S. DiazCountry: PhilippinesDiaz’s Sundance-selected documentary examines the growth of a grassroots resistance movement aiming to protect democracy amid the turmoil of the country’s elections.
“Under the Volcano”Director: Damian KocurCountry: PolandKocur’s tense, resonant sophomore feature, which premiered to strong reviews at Toronto, examines the plight of Ukrainian family vacationing in the Canary Islands, who become refugees overnight following Russia’s invasion of their home country.
“Grand Tour”Director: Miguel GomesCountry: PortugalPreviously submitted with “Our Beloved Month of August” and “Arabian Nights,” Portugal’s most inventive auteur returns with a dizzying, time-slipping romantic voyage through East and Southeast Asia that won him the Best Director award at Cannes.
“Three Kilometres From the End of the World”Director: Emanuel ParvuCountry: RomaniaAfter he’s gay bashed one summer evening, a 17-year-old boy encounters suffocating homophobia both in his community and at home in this tightly contained drama from actor-turned-director Parvu, which played in competition at Cannes and won the Queer Palme.
“Dahomey”Director: Mati DiopCountry: SenegalWinner of the Golden Bear at Berlin, this hybrid documentary from Diop (director of Senegal’s 2019 submission “Atlantics”) chronicles the return of African artworks from France to Berlin. It runs just 68 minutes, but packs in a wealth of post-colonial political analysis and formal invention.
“Russian Consul”Director: Miroslav LekićCountry: SerbiaLittle-traveled outside its home country, Lekić’s 1973-set drama outlines the roots of the Kosova crisis, examining early tensions between Kosovo Serbs and Albanians.
“La Luna”Director: M. Raihan HalimCountry: SingaporeSort of like “Chocolat” with bras instead of bars, Halim’s Malay-language romantic comedy examines the liberating impact of a women’s-only lingerie shop on a repressed, conservatively religious village.
“The Hungarian Dressmaker”Director: Iveta GrófováCountry: SlovakiaGrófová’s second Slovakian Oscar submission, following 2012’s “Made in Ash,” is a World War II drama about a Hungarian widow (played by “On Body and Soul” star Alexandra Borbély) hiding a Jewish boy from German Nazis and the Slovak Hlinka Guard.
“Family Therapy”Director: Sonja ProsencCountry: SloveniaProsenc’s third Slovenian submission, following “The Tree” and “History of Love,” is a dark comedy about a young stranger disrupting the order of a quietly dysfunctional family. It won her Best Director at Sarajevo.
“Old Righteous Blues”Director: Muneera SalliesCountry: South AfricaSet in a small Western Cape town, Sallies’ Afrikaans-language heartwarmer tells the story of a young man attempting to reunify his fractured community by reviving their Christmas choir band.
“12.12: The Day”Director: Kim Sung-suCountry: South KoreaLast year’s highest-grossing Korean film, Kim Sung-su’s blockbuster dramatizes the country’s December 1979 military coup and its consequences.
“Saturn Return”Directors: Isaki Lacuesta, Pol Country: SpainLacuesta’s last film, the Bataclan drama “One Year, One Night,” played in competition at Berlin. His latest, co-directed with his former AD, is a ‘90s-set musical drama inspired by the music and backstory of Granadan rock group Las Planetas.
“The Last Journey”Directors: Filip Hammar, Fredrik WikingssonCountry: SwedenFor the first time since 1979, category veteran Sweden has submitted a documentary — the highest-grossing one in the country’s history, following the uplifting European road trip taken by the directors, longtime best friends, and Hammar’s recently retired father.
“Reinas”Director: Klaudia ReynickeCountry: SwitzerlandThe Lima-born Swiss-Peruvian filmmaker returns to her roots for this moving story, set in 1990s Peru, about two teenage sisters on the brink of leaving their homeland when their absentee father returns to their lives. A Sundance premiere, it went on to win the top prize in Berlin’s Generation section and the audience award at Locarno.
“Old Fox”Director: Hsiao Ya-chuanCountry: TaiwanSet amid the rapid social change of 1980s Taiwan, the fourth feature by Hsiao Ya-chuan, a past collaborator with Hou Hsiao-hsien, tells the story of an impoverished young boy drawn toward a life of wealth when he befriends his landlord. Winner of four Golden Horse Awards including Best Director.
“Melody”Director: Behrouz Sebt RasoulCountry: TajikistanIranian director Rasoul’s sentimental tale of a music teacher in a children’s cancer ward was Tajikistan’s submission last year but was entered too late to be eligible. This year, it gets a second chance.
“How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies”Director: Pat BoonnitipatCountry: TaiwanThe year’s highest-grossing Thai film is less dark than its title implies. The story of a college dropout who becomes his terminally ill grandmother’s caretaker prompted a local viral trend of social media users filming themselves crying after seeing it.
“Take My Breath”Director: Nada Mezni HafaiedhCountry: TunisiaPremiered at last year’s Warsaw festival, Hafaiedh’s third feature is a character study of an intersex person shunned by society emerging from the shadows.
“Life”Director: Zeki DemirkubuzCountry: TurkeyA Thessaloniki premiere last year, Demirkubuz’s melodrama follows a young woman who flees to Istanbul to escape an arranged marriage and her fiancé as he attempts to track her down.
“La Palisiada”Director: Philip SotnychenkoCountry: UkraineAfter making the shortlist for the first time last year with eventual documentary Oscar winner “20 Days in Mariupol,” the war-torn country returns with a 1990s-set crime drama in which a cop and a forensic psychiatrist investigate their colleague’s murder. It won the FIPRESCI Prize at Rotterdam and Best Director at Sarajevo.
“Santosh”Director: Sandhya SuriCountry: United KingdomHaving won their first award in the category with “The Zone of Interest” last year, the U.K. this year turns to India with a story of a widow taking over her husband’s police officer position in a rural northern town. The first fiction feature from British-born docmaker Suri, it premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.
“The Door Is There”Directors: Facundo Ponce de León, Juan Ponce de LeónCountry: UruguayA debut feature from a fraternal directorial duo, this documentary examines the long-distance friendship forged during the pandemic between an oncologist and a terminally ill patient seeking an assisted death.
“Back to Life”Directors: Luis Carlos Hueck, Alfredo HueckCountry: VenezuelaAnother fraternal directing duo from South America, this time with an inspirational drama drawn from Luis Carlos Hueck’s own life story about a young man fighting a life-threatening illness with the help of his family.
“Peach Blossom, Pho and Piano”Director: Phi Tien SonCountry: VietnamVietnam’s most fragrantly titled submission since “The Scent of Green Papaya” is a wartime period drama set against the Battle of Hanoi, as a Hanoian fighter hides at pho vendors’ homes to retrieve arms from French soldiers.