Final Oscars Nominations Predictions – Best International Feature

With the Academy’s nominations announcement drawing closer by the day, it’s time to lay it all on the line with my final Oscar nomination predictions. For the third year in a row, we’re in a situation where the critics’ leader is not part of the Oscars race. All We Imagine as Light has picked up the lion’s share of wins with the critics this season, including from illustrious groups like Los Angeles, New York, and at the Gotham Awards. Alas, it was strangely not India’s submission, and so its awards journey lies with potential nominations elsewhere.

Given we must ignore what so many critics groups had to say, we can instead turn our focus to the major precursor awards. Emilia Pérez, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, and I’m Still Here all scored nominations from BAFTA, the Golden Globes, and the Critics Choice Awards, so they feel like our three certainties for an Oscar nod. And that’s really where the certainties end.

Those final two spots are open to all sorts of possibilities. Maybe they’ll go with Latvia’s Flow in a move reminiscent of when Denmark’s Flee landed nods in both animated and international. Similarly to Flee, Senegal’s Dahomey could score in both documentary and international. I think the love of Danish films will continue and we’ll see The Girl with the Needle make it through. It hasn’t seen tremendous love this season, but I think that Golden Globe nomination speaks to its strength with international voters.

That leaves the final slot where my heart is torn between Ireland’s Kneecap and Thailand’s How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. The latter has a lot of love online this season and it would make history as the first ever nomination for Thailand. But those six BAFTA nominations for Kneecap are hard to ignore. It gave the film the kind of key press needed as Oscar nom voting began. And who wouldn’t want to see the Kneecap lads on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre?

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE PREDICTIONS:
1. Emilia Pérez (France) – BAFTA, CCA, EFA, GG
2. The Seed of the Sacred Fig (Germany) – BIFA, CCA, EFA, GG
3. I’m Still Here (Brazil) – BAFTA, CCA, GG
4. The Girl with the Needle (Denmark) – GG
5. Kneecap (Ireland) – BAFTA, CCA

Alternate: How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (Thailand)