The Race for Best International Film, Vol. 6 (2024)

By Sean Boelman

L-R: Emilia Perez, I'm Still Here, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, The Girl With the Needle, Kneecap

On December 9, shortlist voting for the Best International Feature category at the Academy Awards opens, with the results to be announced on December 17. After the 15 films that make the shortlist are announced, they will be narrowed down to the five eventual nominees in January.

This year 89 films were submitted, with 85 being found eligible. We at disappointment media got the opportunity to screen 36 of the films submitted for this category. And, frankly, apart from one clear leader, this might be one of the more interesting International Feature races we’ve had in several years.

The Sure Things

The presumed frontrunner in the International Feature race is France’s Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard’s cartel musical based on an unproduced opera he wrote himself. It’s this year’s only international contender that seems likely to compete in above-the-line categories, with nominations likely or possible in Picture, Actress, Supporting Actress (possibly two times over), Director, and a slew of technical categories. By virtue of this alone, Emilia Pérez is a virtual lock for a nomination and probably even a likely win.

That being said, since the film’s release in theaters and on Netflix in November, the musical has started to receive some pushbacks — most notably critics in the LGBTQIA+ community. The film also did not receive the level of attention that the streamer certainly hoped for from mainstream audiences, given that it stars two recognizable Hollywood A-listers in Zoe Saldaña and Selena Gomez. Does this leave the door open for an upset?

If a film is to dethrone Emilia Pérez for its crown in the International Feature category, it is likely to be Brazil’s I’m Still Here. Filmmaker Walter Salles’s most famous film, Central Station, was previously nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and many have hailed I’m Still Here as his best work in decades. This political drama about a mother struggling to hold her family together after it is torn apart by the military dictatorship hits all the right notes and could connect with voters if distributor Sony Pictures Classics puts the right push behind it.

The other major contender is Germany’s submission of the Iranian film The Seed of the Sacred Fig. It’s a small miracle that Mohammad Rasoulof’s film is even in the conversation because of the broken process by which countries select the films to represent them. An anti-regime film like The Seed of the Sacred Fig would never be the Iranian submission. Thankfully, as much of the film’s funding is German (Rasoulof took refuge in Berlin after being banned from making films in his home country), Germany stepped up and submitted the film as its selection. That being said, the film’s US distributor, NEON, may be too busy with their Best Picture contender, Anora, to take this one all the way to a win.

As a brief aside, many filmmakers were not as lucky as Rasoulof, having their films omitted or withdrawn from the race due to this broken process. Palestine did not choose the documentary No Other Land, and Jordan’s submission, My Sweet Land, was withdrawn from the section due to political pressure and censorship. Thankfully, both films are still competing in the Best Documentary race, where they would be deserving contenders, but this column will *always* advocate for a change in this category’s submissions process to preserve freedom of expression.

To round out our predicted five nominees, we have the Danish entry The Girl With the Needle and the Irish entry Kneecap. The Girl With the Needle feels like a pretty safe bet — it has timely themes, stunning black-and-white cinematography, and strong performances from Vic Carmen Sloane and Trine Dyrholm. It doesn't quite scream “winner,” but it does seem like a likely nominee. Kneecap, on the other hand, feels like the most unlikely contender, but it’s a great film, and the amount of love it has earned on the festival circuit has positioned it nicely. It’s a crowd-pleasing sex and drugs and rock and roll biopic, but its message about cultural preservation is what puts it over the edge and makes it a legitimate player. 

Two other films could be in the running for those fourth and fifth spots, primarily because they seem like strong contenders in other categories. Latvian entry Flow seems like a pretty safe lock for a Best Animated Feature nomination, but its lack of linguistic content might make it a harder sell in the Best International Feature category than even an animated film with dialogue. Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey — representing Senegal — is a player in the Best Documentary Feature race, but nonfiction films tend to be a tough sell for a Best International Feature nomination. Expect both to make the shortlist, though.

The Heavy Hitters

Grand Tour

The Thai submission, the melodrama How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies, has a small but passionate following from cinephiles. That should be more than enough to carry it to a shortlist spot and possibly even an outsider shot at a nomination if momentum continues to build. The star power of Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) should be enough for Norwegian entry Armand to coast to a shortlist spot, but it seems unlikely to get one of the final 5 nominations. The UK’s submission (set in India), Santosh, is an incredible film that deserves the love and will probably have enough momentum from festivals to earn a spot on the shortlist, but the first hour of the film is such a slow burn that general voters may have difficulty connecting with it.

The shortlist this year will likely be filled out with films by high-profile filmmakers or that got extensive festival buzz. The Canadian entry, Universal Language, is probably too weird for a nomination, but it could definitely end up on the shortlist. Portugal’s film, Grand Tour, is in a similar boat. Miguel Gomes’s film is phenomenal, with its formal ambition alone likely being enough to earn itself a spot on the shortlist. Still, getting the wider base of Academy voters to embrace the film will be a more difficult challenge.

The Icelandic Touch is a lovely film that got a major theatrical release here in the U.S., but it’s a bit slight to be an awards contender. Chilean documentarian Maite Alberdi makes her narrative debut with In Her Place, and after her last two docs were shortlisted, her narrative likely will be too. And the Italian entry, Vermiglio, won the Grand Jury Prize at Venice, which should be enough to get it on the shortlist for Oscar.

The Wild Cards

Nawi

There are a few potential upsets in the category, too. Japan’s submission, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Cloud, is actually probably the best film of any of the submissions we have seen. However, the film’s genre elements might keep it from being recognized in the category. Mexico is often a mainstay in this category, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see their entry, Sujo, take one of the aforementioned films out of the race. And for the past two years, Morocco has had their entry make the shortlist. This year’s submission, Everybody Loves Touda, is directed by Nabil Ayouch, whose work has often been submitted but never shortlisted. That being said, this is a fantastic film, and it would be a delight to see this be the year that breaks that trend.

Then, there are two potential upsets that might end up on the shortlist primarily for political reasons. The Palestinian submission, the anthology From Ground Zero, may have a passionate base rallying behind it for its message, but omnibus films are a tough sell. Few are successful in this category, with Wild Tales being the only recent success in memory. The Ukrainian entry La Palisiada is good and could gather some momentum out of support for Ukraine, but it’s very experimental. And with 20 Days in Mariupol missing a nomination in International Feature last year despite winning Documentary Feature, perhaps the political angle here is not as strong.

One of the most exciting things about this category, though, is that there are often films that make the shortlist completely unexpectedly. Movies like Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom and The Quiet Girl have even gone on to get nomination slots against the odds. This year has plenty of those underdogs.

The Kenyan submission, Nawi, is a great film about a young woman who is torn between the expectations of her traditional family in a patriarchal society and her own dreams and ambitions. It has a powerful message that needs to be heard, and a shortlist spot could give it the platform it needs to have that message heard by a wider audience.

The Swedish entry, The Last Journey, is an adorable, funny, crowd-pleasing documentary about a father-son road trip. It would feel right at home on the shortlist as the heartwarming pick. Another great one is the Kazakh film, Bauryna Salu — a slice-of-life film depicting an unusual cultural practice in Kazakhstan. Even if these films don’t make the cut, hopefully their mere submission is enough to get eyes on them.

---

The Power Ranking

Here are our final predictions for the 2024 Best International Feature Oscar Shortlist:

Likely Nominees:

1. Emilia Pérez
2. I’m Still Here
3. The Seed of the Sacred Fig
4. The Girl With the Needle
5. Kneecap

Serious Contenders:

1. How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies
2. Flow
3. Dahomey
4. Armand
5. Santosh

Filling Out the Shortlist:

1. Universal Language
2. Grand Tour
3. Touch
4. In Her Place
5. Vermiglio

Potential Upsets:

• Cloud
• Sujo
• From Ground Zero
• La Palisiada
• Everybody Loves Touda

Please Consider:

• Cloud
• Everybody Loves Touda
• The Last Journey
• Nawi
• Bauryna Salu

Other Submissions:

• Reinas
• Triumph
• Old Fox
• Saturn Return
• Drowning Dry
• Memories of a Burning Body