The Academy has revealed their final shortlist. From here, only five films will be selected by the Academy for Best Foreign Language Film.

Before I get to my initial (brief) thoughts on which five of these will get nominated for Oscar, let’s look at some of the acclaimed films I had thought might make it to this round of voting: “Two Days, One Night” from Belgium (starring Oscar contender Marion Cotillard); Brazil’s “The Way He Looks” about a blind, gay teenager trying to come to terms with his sexuality; “Mommy” from Canada, a film that has generated a lot of buzz from director Xavier Dolan; French biopic “Saint Laurent” about famed clothing designer Yves Saint Laurent; the canine drama of “White God” from Hungary; Israel’s late-breaking contender “Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem”; The Latvian animated feature dealing with depression “Rocks in My Pockets”; “Norte, The End of History” from The Philippines, director Lav Diaz’s 4-hour epic; Switzerland’s gay historical drama “The Circle”; “Winter Sleep” from Palme d’Or-winning director Nuri Bilge Ceylan.

Now, which films will carry over to Oscar? “Ida” and “Force Majeure” seem like locks. “Timbuktu” and “Leviathan” are also strong contenders. “Wild Tales” and “Tangerines” have had some precursor love. “Corn Island,” “Accused” and “The Liberator” could be spoilers.

9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE

LOS ANGELES, CA – Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®. Eighty-three films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Argentina, “Wild Tales,” Damián Szifrón, director;
Estonia, “Tangerines,” Zaza Urushadze, director;
Georgia, “Corn Island,” George Ovashvili, director;
Mauritania, “Timbuktu,” Abderrahmane Sissako, director;
Netherlands, “Accused,” Paula van der Oest, director;
Poland, “Ida,” Paweł Pawlikowski, director;
Russia, “Leviathan,” Andrey Zvyagintsev, director;
Sweden, “Force Majeure,” Ruben Östlund, director;
Venezuela, “The Liberator,” Alberto Arvelo, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2014 are being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 15. 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.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and, for the first time, London. They will spend Friday, January 9, through Sunday, January 11, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.