As in Springtime, the first flower to bloom for the annual Oscars race is the list of submissions for the Academy’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. This year, 85 countries have submitted films, many of them quite acclaimed. Below is the list and press release.

85 COUNTRIES IN COMPETITION FOR 2016 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OSCAR®

60th anniversary of the Foreign Language Film Category

LOS ANGELES, CA – Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards®. Yemen is a first-time entrant.

The 2016 submissions are:

• Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
• Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
• Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
• Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
• Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
• Bangladesh, “The Unnamed,” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
• Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
• Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
• Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
• Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
• Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
• Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
• Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
• Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
• China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
• Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
• Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
• Croatia, “On the Other Side,” Zrinko Ogresta, director;
• Cuba, “The Companion,” Pavel Giroud, director;
• Czech Republic, “Lost in Munich,” Petr Zelenka, director;
• Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;
• Dominican Republic, “Sugar Fields,” Fernando Báez, director;
• Ecuador, “Such Is Life in the Tropics,” Sebastián Cordero, director;
• Egypt, “Clash,” Mohamed Diab, director;
• Estonia, “Mother,” Kadri Kõusaar, director;
• Finland, “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” Juho Kuosmanen, director;
• France, “Elle,” Paul Verhoeven, director;
• Georgia, “House of Others,” Rusudan Glurjidze, director;
• Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;
• Greece, “Chevalier,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, director;
• Hong Kong, “Port of Call,” Philip Yung, director;
• Hungary, “Kills on Wheels,” Attila Till, director;
• Iceland, “Sparrows,” Rúnar Rúnarsson, director;
• India, “Interrogation,” Vetri Maaran, director;
• Indonesia, “Letters from Prague,” Angga Dwimas Sasongko, director;
• Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
• Iraq, “El Clásico,” Halkawt Mustafa, director;
• Israel, “Sand Storm,” Elite Zexer, director;
• Italy, “Fire at Sea,” Gianfranco Rosi, director;
• Japan, “Nagasaki: Memories of My Son,” Yoji Yamada, director;
• Jordan, “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri, director;
• Kazakhstan, “Amanat,” Satybaldy Narymbetov, director;
• Kosovo, “Home Sweet Home,” Faton Bajraktari, director;
• Kyrgyzstan, “A Father’s Will,” Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu, directors;
• Latvia, “Dawn,” Laila Pakalnina, director;
• Lebanon, “Very Big Shot,” Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, director;
• Lithuania, “Seneca’s Day,” Kristijonas Vildziunas, director;
• Luxembourg, “Voices from Chernobyl,” Pol Cruchten, director;
• Macedonia, “The Liberation of Skopje,” Rade Šerbedžija, Danilo Šerbedžija, directors;
• Malaysia, “Beautiful Pain,” Tunku Mona Riza, director;
• Mexico, “Desierto,” Jonás Cuarón, director;
• Montenegro, “The Black Pin,” Ivan Marinovi?, director;
• Morocco, “A Mile in My Shoes,” Said Khallaf, director;
• Nepal, “The Black Hen,” Min Bahadur Bham, director;
• Netherlands, “Tonio,” Paula van der Oest, director;
• New Zealand, “A Flickering Truth,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;
• Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;
• Pakistan, “Mah-e-Mir,” Anjum Shahzad, director;
• Palestine, “The Idol,” Hany Abu-Assad, director;
• Panama, “Salsipuedes,” Ricardo Aguilar Navarro, Manolito Rodríguez, directors;
• Peru, “Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes),” Juan Daniel F. Molero, director;
• Philippines, “Ma’ Rosa,” Brillante Ma Mendoza, director;
• Poland, “Afterimage,” Andrzej Wajda, director;
• Portugal, “Letters from War,” Ivo M. Ferreira, director;
• Romania, “Sieranevada,” Cristi Puiu, director;
• Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;
• Saudi Arabia, “Barakah Meets Barakah,” Mahmoud Sabbagh, director;
• Serbia, “Train Driver’s Diary,” Milos Radovic, director;
• Singapore, “Apprentice,” Boo Junfeng, director;
• Slovakia, “Eva Nová,” Marko Skop, director;
• Slovenia, “Houston, We Have a Problem!” Žiga Virc, director;
• South Africa, “Call Me Thief,” Daryne Joshua, director;
• South Korea, “The Age of Shadows,” Kim Jee-woon, director;
• Spain, “Julieta,” Pedro Almodóvar, director;
• Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;
• Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director;
• Taiwan, “Hang in There, Kids!” Laha Mebow, director;
• Thailand, “Karma,” Kanittha Kwunyoo, director;
• Turkey, “Cold of Kalandar,” Mustafa Kara, director;
• Ukraine, “Ukrainian Sheriffs,” Roman Bondarchuk, director;
• United Kingdom, “Under the Shadow,” Babak Anvari, director;
• Uruguay, “Breadcrumbs,” Manane Rodríguez, director;
• Venezuela, “From Afar,” Lorenzo Vigas, director;
• Vietnam, “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass,” Victor Vu, director;
• Yemen, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced,” Khadija Al-Salami, director.

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.

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.