Best foreign language film

[Mr Chow]

I think A Royal Affair and War Witch are the leading contenders. I would say Lore is up next. Kauwboy from the Netherlands has a good shot. And then there is Amour, which will be too big to ignore. Kauwboy is an acclaimed, heart-warming and touching film, definitely the type of film that does well in this category. So it would be my pick for a suprise nomination.

[Aurelius]

Kauwboy is really one of the best things I've seen this year, just outside my Top 10. And I say that as someone who generally is down on homegrown product. Will it be seen as too much of a kids' film though?

[Mr Chow]

Yes, it is possible. But it has won very prestigious awards in Berlin and European Film Awards, so it may be acclaimed enough to be taken seriously and not just as a kids' film.

[jjj]

It seems weird that all of the foreign language movies getting attention in the general awards are French - Intouchables, Rust and Bone, Holy Motors, Amour.

[Thomas]

It seems weird that all of the foreign language movies getting attention in the general awards are French - Intouchables, Rust and Bone, Holy Motors, Amour.

Why?
France is a big country with a big industry, many countries speak French...

[caseyfan14]

Part of the problem is many of the foreign films either got an international release last year and an American release this year (The Kid with a Bike, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, Polisse, Miss Bala, The Turin Horse, Footnote, etc) and many critic bodies don't rally around them because they don't know when, in which year, to put them. Likewise other movies, such as Barbara, Tabu, Sister, etc, all are just now getting very small US releases before the end of the year and most critic bodies may not have seen them yet. Thus, just the most notable foreign films are really getting praise right now. Its hard for opinions to solidify for these films when definitions over year and ability to see them all is difficult for critics bodies.

For example last year's BFCA nominees for foreign film included A Separation, In Darkness, Le Havre, The Skin I Live in, and Where Do We Go Now? The first four of these all had pretty sizeable releases from Sony Pictures Classics (Le Havre had a good IFC release) and had all been released internationally last year too. Where Do We Go Now wasn't yet released in the US, but again was Sony Pictures Classics, and was the audience winner at Toronto for all films. It had name recognition that probably caused many critics to see it. From last year, no nominees were internationally released a year earlier in 2010 and only 1 was to be domestically released in 2012.

Overall, only a handful of foreign films get released in the US the same year as their international release with a strong distributor, and these are the ones that usually get the most attention from critics: Amour, Holy Motors, Rust and Bone.

[walkabout]

Based on Ken Rudolph's site, I guess the committee has seen all entries. So the finalists are to be expected soon?
Anyway, my predictions for the finalists:

Amour (Austria)
Barbara (Germany)
Beyond the Hills (Romania)
Death for Sale (Morocco)
Fill the Void (Israel)
The Intouchables (France)
No (Chile)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)

I can see Our Children (Belgium) or some unexpected entry replacing Barbara, Beyond the Hills and/or No though...


Oh, and I believe the three added by the NY committee (which we'll never know for sure) will be Amour, No and Beyond the Hills.

[Thomas]

It was a surprise to me that Kon-Tiki was selected by the HFPA. It's supposedly overblown and overlong... which is why I may have underestimated it in this category.

[walkabout]

It was a surprise to me that Kon-Tiki was selected by the HFPA. It's supposedly overblown and overlong... which is why I may have underestimated it in this category.

You're right. AMPAS could also fall for that.

[Jali]

We can't underestimate Kon-Tiki considering that the original documentary, which the film is based on, won the Oscar in 1950.

[Thomas]

It hits seemingly all the right marks. There have been Asian epics that nobody liked that have been nominated fairly recently.

Ew, Norway!

[klariso]

it was a surprise to me that kon-tiki was selected by the hfpa. It's supposedly overblown and overlong... Which is why i may have underestimated it in this category.

harvey weinstein

[klariso]

My nine predicted

Amour (Austria)
Barbara (Germany)
Blancanieves (Spain)
The Intouchables (France)
Kauwboy (The Netherlands)
No (Chile)
Our Children (Belgium)
A Royal Affair (Denmark)
War Witch (Canada)

Numbers 10-15:

Kon-tiki (Noway)
Fill the Void (Israel)
Beyond the Hills (Romania)
Bwakaw (Philippines)
Lore (Australia)
Pieta (South Korea)

[Pablo28]

My 9 Finalist:

Afghanistan: The Patience Stone.
Austria: Amour.
Belgium: Our Children.
Denmark: A Royal Affair.
France: The Intouchables.
Germany: Barbara.
Israel: Fill The Void.
Mexico: After Lucia.
Norway: Kon Tiki.

Alternatives:

Australia: Lore.
Canada: War Witch.
Netherlands: Kauwboy.
Romania: Beyond the Hills.
Spain: Blancanieves.