We now know there are officially 86 films in contention for Best International Feature Film. While December will provide more precursors to help shape this race, the end of November gave us the Gotham Awards, where Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident dominated with three wins for Best International Feature, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.
While the Gothams aren’t exactly the strongest bellwether for the Academy Awards, it’s a great boost to NEON’s campaign and could certainly spell multiple Oscar noms are on the horizon. Panahi’s chances of nabbing a Best Director nod feel stronger by the day. For now, that’s enough for me to bump it up to the #1 spot.
That being said, Sentimental Value is still firmly in this race, especially if it also nabs multiple Oscar nominations, as most of us are predicting. It scored six European Film Award nominations, and it currently sits on 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, so there’s a lot of love out there for the Norwegian drama. It’s going to be a tough race between these two this season.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. It Was Just an Accident (France) – Gotham
2. Sentimental Value (Norway)
3. No Other Choice (South Korea) – Gotham
4. The Secret Agent (Brazil)
5. The Voice of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
IN CONTENTION
Belén (Argentina)
Homebound (India)
Kokuhô (Japan)
Late Shift (Switzerland)
Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan)
Little Trouble Girls (Slovenia)
The Love That Remains (Iceland)
Mr. Nobody Against Putin (Denmark)
My Father’s Shadow (United Kingdom)
Palestine 36 (Palestine)
A Poet (Colombia)
The President’s Cake (Iraq)
Sirāt (Spain)
Sound of Falling (Germany) – Gotham
2000 Meters to Andriivka (Ukraine)
We Shall Not Be Moved (Mexico)
Young Mothers (Belgium)
