The Academy still isn’t sending me press releases, which is disturbing since they were for some time. I’m not sure if I got dumped or Hotmail is just not accepting them. Anyway, even their own website doesn’t currently list the press release. As such, I’m just going to list below the 9 films that have moved on to the next round of voting.

The most notable omissions are Elle from France, starring Best Actress contender Isabelle Huppert; and Neruda from Chile’s Pablo Larrain, who is competing in English this year as well with Jackie. Among these, the ones that seem guaranteed to make the cut are acclaimed films The Salesman, Toni Erdmann and A Man Called Ove. This covers two continent, so It’s Only the End of the World might rep a third leaving one slot probably for Land of Mine. However, those last two are definitely not done deals with this group.

It’s Only the End of the World (Canada)
The King’s Choice (Norway)
Land of Mine (Denmark)
A Man Called Ove (Sweden)
My Life as a Zucchini (Switzerland)
Paradise (Russia)
The Salesman (Iran)
Tanna (Australia)
Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Strangely, I just got the press release via e-mail today.

9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE

60th anniversary of the Foreign Language Film Category
LOS ANGELES, CA – Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards®. Eighty-five films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;
Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;
Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;
Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;
Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;
Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2016 are 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 12. 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 London. They will spend Friday, January 13, through Sunday, January 15, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The competitive Foreign Language Film category was introduced in 1956 for the 29th Academy Awards. In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Academy has created a complete playlist of acceptance speeches and a poster gallery of all the Foreign Language Film Oscar® winners.

Nominations for the 89th Oscars® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.