Last year’s preseason race for Best International Feature Film was an odd one, given the film (Minari) that kept winning this category at other awards ceremonies ultimately wouldn’t be in the running for this particular Oscar. Thankfully, we won’t be experiencing that strangeness again this year and this race is shaping up to be one of the most hotly contested categories of the season.
As many countries have yet to finalise their official submissions for Best International Feature Film, we’re left to speculate at this point in October. We’ve already had two bombshell choices when Spain ignored presumed submission Parallel Mothers in favour of The Good Boss and Brazil chose Private Desert over 7 Prisoners, so we’ll see what transpires from here. The final deadline for submissions to the Academy is November 1.
Sitting in first position at this early stage in the race is Iran’s submission A Hero from director Asghar Farhadi, who has won this category twice previously for 2011’s A Separation and 2016’s The Salesman. Working against Farhadi is the fact no director has won this category three times, but rules were made to be broken. A Hero took home the Grand Prix award at Cannes and currently sits on 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, so the buzz is there.
But there is a slew of hot contenders in this race, particularly Denmark’s submission Flee, which Neon will be pushing for nominations in all categories in a bid to make history as the first documentary nominated for Best Picture. If they can pull that off, you’d have to assume the race for this category is all but over. Throw in Norway’s The Worst Person in the World, Italy’s The Hand of God, and France’s Palme d’Or winning Titane, and we’ve got one hugely exciting showdown.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. A Hero (Iran)
2. Flee (Denmark)
3. The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
4. The Hand of God (Italy)
5. Titane (France)
IN CONTENTION
Compartment No. 6 (Finland)
Drive My Car (Japan)
Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea)
The Gravedigger’s Wife (Somalia)
The Good Boss (Spain)
Great Freedom (Austria)
Hive (Kosovo)
I’m Your Man (Germany)
Lamb (Iceland)
Leave No Traces (Poland)
Memoria (Colombia)
Yuni (Indonesia)