Nine films, include recent Golden Globe winner "The White Ribbon," have made it to the next lap in the race for the best foreign-language film Oscar, according to Reuters.
Sixty-five countries submitted movies for Oscar consideration, and on Wednesday that list was winnowed down to nine. In addition to Michael Haneke`s "Ribbon," from Germany, they are:
- Juan Jose Campanella`s "El Secreto de Sus Ojos" from Argentina;
- Warwick Thornton`s "Samson & Delilah," Australia;
- Stephan Komandarev`s "The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner," Bulgaria;
- Jacques Audiard`s "Un Prophete," France;
- Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani`s "Ajami," Israel;
- Ermek Tursunov`s "Kelin," Kazakhstan;
- Martin Koolhoven`s "Winer in Wartime," the Netherlands;
- and Claudia Llosa`s "The Milk of Sorrow," Peru.
Notable films that failed to make the cut include the Canada`s "I Killed My Mother," China`s "Forever Enthralled," Korea`s "Mother," and Romania`s "Police, Adjective."
The shortlist was determined by a committee of several hundred Los Angeles-based member of the Academy, who screened the eligible films beginning in October. The group`s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy`s foreign-language film award executive committee, constitute the shortlist.
In the voting process` second phase, specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles will view three films each day from January 29-31 and cast their ballots. Five films will be nominated, and those choices will be announced February 2.
