2025 Oscars Best International Feature Predictions

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

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2025 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature

Weekly Commentary (Updated Oct 24, 2024): France has finally aligned its international film strategy, selecting Jacques Audiard’s crime musical “Emilia Perez” as its official Oscar entry. This marks a significant shift after opting for riskier choices in recent years. In 2023, they chose “The Taste of Things” over the Palme d’Or-winning “Anatomy of a Fall,” while in 2021, the controversial “Titane” was picked over “Happening.” With streaming giant Netflix supporting “Emilia Perez” and the film currently building buzz across multiple categories — including best picture — this could be the year France ends its over 30-year Oscar drought. The country last claimed the coveted award in 1992 for “Indochine.”

In contrast, India’s selection this year raises eyebrows. Rather than choosing Payal Kapadia’s Cannes runner-up “All We Imagine as Light,” the country opted for “Laapataa Ladies.” This decision feels reminiscent of the “RRR” snub in 2022, where another internationally acclaimed Indian film was overlooked due to politics and languages. Nevertheless, with Janus Films and Sideshow behind the distribution, there’s hope that “All We Imagine as Light” could still secure a nomination in some capacity.

As the Academy expands its international membership, each Oscar ceremony becomes more global, with non-English language films gaining greater recognition. Brazil’s submission, Walter Salles’ emotionally charged drama “I’m Still Here,” is expected to find love from other Academy branches. The film has all the elements to break into major races, like best director, adapted screenplay, and actress for Fernanda Torres. Its powerful emotional resonance could also make it a dark horse contender for the best picture category if the buzz sustains. This follows last year’s groundbreaking moment, where — for the first time — two non-English language films, “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest,” were nominated for best picture.

Meanwhile, Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof has garnered substantial attention following the success of his film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which received a special prize at Cannes. Though Rasoulof’s film won’t represent Iran at the Oscars, Germany, which took home the award in 2022 with Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” has chosen the drama to represent it. It was secretly filmed in Iran and centers on an investigating judge in Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, whose life unravels amid rising anti-government protests and personal tragedy. Rasoulof made a daring escape from Iran on foot in May to avoid imprisonment, adding an intense real-life layer to its already gripping narrative.

It’s not unusual for a country to submit a film that isn’t entirely in its native language. In recent years, Denmark selected “Holy Spider,” almost wholly spoken in Farsi, and “Flee,” a multilingual animated documentary featuring English, Danish, Dari, Swedish, and Russian. Last year’s best picture nominee, “The Zone of Interest,” spoken in German and filmed in Poland, represented the U.K. due to its British financiers and writer-director Jonathan Glazer. And this year, we have the Spanish-language musical “Emilia” representing France and a silent animated movie “Flow” repping Latvia. This seems par for the course nowadays.

According to Academy rules, a film can be selected as a country’s official entry if it is financed by producers or companies from that country or has a majority of its crew members from there.

With the backing of Neon — the same studio that propelled Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” to a historic best picture win in 2019 — “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” could find itself competing in the best picture race if the right momentum builds behind it.

Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on the Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2. The full rankings are below. All movie listings, titles, and distributors are not final and are subject to change.

** denotes the film has not been named as the official selection for the correlating country. Please note: this list is not final and will be updated as more countries announce their official selections.

And the Predicted Nominees Are

Next in Line

Other Contenders

Official Selections (Best International Feature)

This list is incomplete and not yet finalized. Not all films have distribution or release dates. All are subject to change.

• Albania — “Waterdrop” — dir. Robert Budina

• Algeria — “Algiers” — dir. Chakib Taleb-Bendiab

• Argentina — “Kill the Jockey” — dir. Luis Ortega

• Armenia — “Yasha and Leonid Brezhnev” — dir. Edgar Baghdasaryan

• Austria — “The Devil’s Bath” — dir. Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala

• Bangladesh — “The Wrestler” — dir. Iqbal Hossain Chowdhury

• Belgium — “Julie Keeps Quiet” — dir. Leonardo Van Dijl

• Bolivia — “Own Hand” — dir. Gory Pati?o

• Bosnia and Herzegovina — “My Late Summer” — dir. Danis Tanovi?

• Brazil — “I’m Still Here” — dir. Walter Salles

• Bulgaria — “Triumph” — dir. Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov

• Cambodia — “Meeting with Pol Pot” — dir. Rithy Panh

• Cameroon — “Kismet” — dir. Ngang Romanus Ntseh

• Canada — “Universal Language” — dir. Matthew Rankin

• Chile — “In Her Place” — dir. Maite Alberdi

• China — “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru” — dir. Fang Li

• Colombia — “La Suprema” — dir. Felipe Holguin

• Costa Rica — “Memories of a Burning Body” — dir. Antonella Sudasassi

• Croatia — “Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day” — dir. Ivona Juka

• Czech Republic — “Waves” — dir. Ji?í Mádl

• Denmark — “The Girl with the Needle” — dir. Magnus von Horn

• Dominican Republic — “Aire: Just Breathe” — dir. Leticia Tonos

• Ecuador — “Behind the Mist” — dir. Sebastián Cordero

• Egypt — “Flight 404” — dir. Hani Khalifa

• Estonia — “8 Views of Lake Biwa” — dir. Marko Raat

• Finland — “Family Time” — dir. Tia Kouvo

• France — “Emilia Pérez” — dir. Jacques Audiard

• Georgia — “The Antique” — dir. Rusudan Glurjidze

• Germany — “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” — dir. Mohammad Rasoulof

• Greece — “Murderess” — dir. Eva Nathena

• Haiti — “Kidnapping Inc.” — dir. Bruno Mourral

• Hong Kong — “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” — dir. Soi Cheang

• Hungary — “Semmelweis” — dir. Lajos Koltai

• Iceland — “Touch” — dir. Baltasar Kormákur

• India — “Laapataa Ladies” — dir. Kiran Rao

• Indonesia — “Women from Rote Island” — dir. Jeremias Nyangoen

• Iran — “In the Arms of the Tree” — dir. Babak Lotfi Khajepasha

• Ireland — “Kneecap” — dir. Rich Peppiatt

• Israel — “Come Closer” — dir. Tom Nesher

• Italy — “Vermiglio” — dir. Maura Delpero

• Japan — “Cloud” — dir. Kurosawa Kiyoshi

• Jordan — “My Sweet Land” — dir. Sareen Hairabedian

• Kazakhstan — “Bauryna Salu” — dir. Askhat Kuchencherekov

• Kenya — “Nawi” — dir. Vallentine Chelluget, Apuu Mourine, Kevin Schmutzler and Toby Schmutzler

• Kyrgyzstan — “Heaven is Beneath Mother’s Feet” — dir. Ruslan Akun

• Latvia — “Flow” — dir. Gints Zilbalodis

• Lithuania — “Drowning Dry” — dir. Laurynas Barei?a

• Malaysia — “Abang Adik” — dir. Jin Ong

• Malta — “Castillo” — dir. Abigail Mallia

• Mexico — “Sujo” — dir. Astrid Rondero and Fernanda Valadez

• Mongolia — “If Only I Could Hibernate” — dir. Zoljargal Purevdash

• Montenegro — “Supermarket” — dir. Nemanja Be?anovi?

• Morocco — “Everybody Loves Touda” — dir. Nabil Ayouch

• Nepal — “Shambhala” — dir. Min Bahadur Bham

• Netherlands — “Memory Lane” — dir. Jelle de Jonge

• Norway — “Armand” — dir. Halfdan Ullmann T?ndel

• Pakistan — “The Glassworker” — dir. Usman Riaz

• Palestine — “From Ground Zero” — dir. Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah and Islam Al Zrieai

• Panama — “Wake Up Mom” — dir. Arianne Benedetti

• Paraguay — “The Last” — dir. Sebastián Pe?a Escobar

• Peru — “Yana-Wara” — dir. óscar Catacora and Tito Catacora

• Philippines — “And So It Begins” — dir. Ramona S. Diaz

• Poland — “Under the Volcano” — dir. Damian Kocur

• Portugal — “Grand Tour” — dir. Miguel Gomes

• Romania — “Three Kilometres to the End of the World” — dir. Emanuel Parvu

• Senegal — “Dahomey” — dir. Mati Diop

• Serbia — “Russian Consul” — dir. Miroslav Leki?

• Singapore — “La Luna” — dir. M. Raihan Halim

• Slovakia — “The Hungarian Dressmaker” — dir. Iveta Grófová

• Slovenia — “Family Therapy” — dir. Sonja Prosenc

• South Africa — “Old Righteous Blues” — dir. Muneera Sallies

• South Korea — “12.12: The Day” — dir. Kim Sung-su

• Spain — “Saturn Return” — dir. Isaki Lacuesta and Pol Rodríguez

• Sweden — “The Last Journey” — dir. Filip Hammar and Fredrik Wikingsson

• Switzerland — “Reinas” — dir. Klaudia Reynicke

• Taiwan — “Old Fox” — dir. Hsiao Ya-chuan

• Tajikistan — “Melody” — dir. Behrouz Sebt Rasoul

• Thailand — “How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies” — dir. Pat Boonnitipat

• Tunisia — “Take My Breath” — dir. Nada Mezni Hafaiedh

• Turkey — “Life” — dir. Zeki Demirkubuz

• Ukraine — “La Palisiada” — dir. Philip Sotnychenko

• United Kingdom — “Santosh” — dir. Sandhya Suri

• Uruguay — “The Door is There” — dir. Facundo Ponce de León and Juan Ponce de León

• Venezuela — “Back to Life” — dir. Luis Carlos Hueck and Alfredo Hueck

• Vietnam — “Peach Blossom Pho and Piano” — dir. Phi Ti?n S?n

More Information (Oscars: Best International Feature)

2024 category winner: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) from United Kingdom

2024-2025 Oscars Calendar and Timeline – Full awards season calendar here

• Eligibility period: Jan. 1, 2024 – Dec. 31, 2024

• General entry, best picture, RAISE submission deadline: Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024

• Governors Awards: Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024

• Preliminary voting begins Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, at 9 a.m. PT.

• Preliminary voting ends Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, at 5 p.m. PT.

• Oscar Shortlists Announcement: Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024

• Eligibility period ends: Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024

• Nominations voting begins Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT.

• Nominations voting ends Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT.

• Oscar Nominations Announcement: Friday, Jan. 17, 2025

• Oscar Nominees Luncheon: Monday, Feb. 10, 2025

• Final voting begins Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at 9 a.m. PT

• Final voting ends: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m. PT

• Scientific and Technical Awards: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025

• 97th Oscars: Sunday, March 2, 2025

Oscars Prediction Categories

About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Nineteen branches are represented within the nearly 11,000-person membership. The branches are actors, animators, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films, sound, visual effects and writers.

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