The shortlist voting concluded on December 15, and the remaining ones will move on to the official phase one voting.
Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, and ends on Tuesday, February 1.
The official credits and nominees for all the films will be announced, with the rest of the Oscar nominations on Tuesday, February 8.
International Feature
- “Great Freedom” (Austria) – dir. Sebastian Meise
- “Playground” (Belgium) – dir. Laura Wandel
- “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” (Bhutan) – dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji
- “Flee” (Denmark) – dir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen
- “Compartment No. 6” (Finland) – dir. Juho Kuosmanen
- “I’m Your Man” (Germany) – dir. Maria Schrader
- “Lamb” (Iceland) – dir. Valdimar Jóhannsson
- “A Hero” (Iran) – dir. Asghar Farhadi
- “The Hand of God” (Italy) – dir. Paolo Sorrentino
- “Drive My Car” (Japan) – dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- “Hive” (Kosovo) – dir. Blerta Basholli
- “Prayers for the Stolen” (Mexico) – dir. Tatiana Huezo
- “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway) – dir. Joachim Trier
- “Plaza Catedral” (Panama) – dir. Abner Benaim
- “The Good Boss” (Spain) – dir. Fernando León de Aranoa
The glaring snub of the day is France’s “Titane” from Julia Ducournau, who became the second woman ever to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. It was a divisive film among many, and it was assumed that the film would be a difficult sell to Academy members but was expected to make the shortlist. Four of the films on the shortlist are helmed by women (“Playground,” “I’m Your Man,” “Hive” and “Prayers for the Stolen”). In addition, there are three countries making entry onto the shortlist for the first time — Bhutan, Kosovo and Panama. The latter was the big surprise on the list with “Plaza Catedral.”
The list included the usual suspects among pundits and analysts, which had “Flee,” the only crossover from the documentary race, and the first film in history to be eligible in animated, doc and international (“Waltz With Bashir” was disqualified from documentary in its respective year). It’s widely expected that the Norway entry will be nominated in all three while also making a play for best picture with the help of Neon that got “Parasite” its historic win.
Other notable omissions include Colombia’s “Memoria,” Russia’s “Unclenching the Fists” and Czech Republic’s “Zátopek.”
Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting. However, they must have met a minimum viewing requirement to vote in the category. The same will apply for the nominations round, with participants opting-in and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.