Academy Award - Foreign Language Film

2009

The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) (Argentina)

2008

Departures (Okuribito) (Japan)

2007

The Counterfeiters [3] (Die Fälscher) (Austria)

Germany, 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a life of cards, booze, and women. Suddenly his luck runs dry when he is arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. He is immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Berhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's opponents. But, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop the operation. Now faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions are ultimately the right ones. Directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky. Starring Karl Markovics, August Diehl, & Devid Striesow. R

2006

The Lives of Others [4] (Das Leben der Anderen) (Germany)

A 1984 East Berlin simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler, a Stasi officer and a specialist in surveillance, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman, a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland. Though Dreyman is known to associate with blacklisted director Albert Jerska, a known dissident, Dreyman's record is spotless. Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people - or at least to this one particular person. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Starring Martina Gedeck & Sebastian Koch. R

2005

Tsotsi [5] (South Africa)

A young man running with a criminal gang on the streets of Johannesburg, Tsotsi - a nickname meaning thug - is immersed in a world of violence that seems to leave him unaffected, until he discovers an infant in the backseat of a car he has stolen. Directed by Gavin Hood. Starring Presley Chweneyagae & Terry Pheto. R

2004

The Sea Inside [6](Mar adentro) (Spain)

Ramón Sampedro wants to end his life because a diving accident 28 years before that turned him into a quadriplegic. For most of those years he made the most of it: writing, developing a close relationships with his family, who all help to care for him. While grateful to his family and friends for their help, Ramón was always an active person. He has come to see his life as frustrating and pointless and wishes to die with what remains of his dignity. Gené is a friend who works with a "Right to Die" organization who introduces Ramón to Julia, a lawyer he hopes will help him persuade the courts to let him end his own life. As Ramón and Julia work together on his case, Ramón finds himself falling in love with his attorney, but Ramón remains convinced that the greatest gift to him would be an end to his life. Directed by Alejandro Amenábar. Starring Javier Bardem. PG-13

2003

The Barbarian Invasions [7] (Les Invasions barbares) (Canada)

It's not easy for a narrow-minded professor to reconcile with his equally stubborn son. But soon, father and son find themselves gathering with their wide and colorful circle of family and friends to confrom their differences, confess their secrets, and celebrate life. Directed by Denys Arcand. Starring Remy Girard & Stephanie Rousseau. R

2002

Nowhere In Africa [8] (Nirgendwo in Afrika)

Critically acclaimed, this is the award winning true tale of a Jewish family who flee the Nazi regime in 1938 and learns to cope with their new life, and each other, on a remote farm in Kenya. Directed by Caroline Link. (Germany) R

2001

No Man's Land (Nikogarsnja zemlja)

2000

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon [9] (Wo hu cang long)

Set in 19th century China, two master warriors are faced with their greatest challenge when the treasured Green Destiny sword is stolen. A young aristrocratic woman prepares for an arranged marriage, but soon reveals her superior fighting talents and her romantic past. As each warrior battles for justice, they come face-to-face with their worst enemy, and the enduring power of love. Directed by Ang Lee.  Starring Yun-Fat Chow & Michelle Yeoh. Based on the book Wo hu cang long by Wang Du Lu. (China/Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA) PG-13

1999

All About My Mother [10](Todo sobre mi madre)

Manuela is the perfect mother . A hard-working nurse, she's built a comfortable life for herself and her teenage son. But when tragedy strikes and her son is killed in a car accident, her world crumbles. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar.  Starring Cecilia Roth. (Spain) R

1998

Life Is Beautiful [11] (La Vita è bella)

Guido - a charming but bumbling waiter who's gifted with a colorful imagination and an irresistible sense of humor - has won the heart of the woman he loves and created a beautiful life for his young family. But then, that life is threatened by World War II - and Guido must rely on those very same strengths to save his beloved wife and son from an unthinkable fate. Directed by & starring Roberto Benigni. (Italy) PG-13

1997

Character (Karakter)

1996

Kolya [12]

A confirmed bachelor is in for the surprise of his life when a get-rich-quick scheme backfires, setting off a wild set of circumstances and leaving him with a pint-sized new roommate. Directed by Jan Sverák. (Czech Republic) PG-13

1995

Antonia's Line (Antonia)

1994

Burnt by the Sun [13] (Utomlyonnye solntsem)

Nikita Mikhalkov directs and stars as Colonel S. Kotov, a hero of the Revolution, who is spending the summer in the country with his young daughter (Mikhalkov's real-life daughter), his wife and her eccentric family. But when his wife's childhood love suddenly appears, the idyllic summer day takes a surprising turn. A lyrical film filled with beauty and warmth, it is also an indelible account of a man dedicated to family and fatherland, cruelly destroyed by political paranoia. (Russia) R

1993

The Age Of Beauty [14] (Belle époque)

The story of Fernando, a handsome, young Spanish Civil War deserter who befriends a free-thinking artist. Fernando finds himself in a romantic dilemma when the artist's four beautiful daughters return to their country home - which woman should he romance? The answer is hilariously simple, as Fernando is seduced instead by each of the high-spirited sisters. Directed by Fernando Trueba. (Spain) NR

1992

Indochine [15]

Set in French Indochina in the 1930s as the Vietnamese begin to rebel against French colonialism. Dramatizes the last years of French rule through the relationship between plantation owner Éliane, French by birth but born and raised in Indochina, and her adopted daughter Camille, an orphaned Annamese princess who becomes a Vietnamese revolutionary and representative at the Geneva Conference after having a child by French officer Jean-Baptiste, Éliane's past lover. Directed by Régis Wargnier. Starring Catherine Deneuve. (France) PG-13

1991

Mediterraneo

1990

Journey of Hope (Reise der Hoffnung)

1989

Cinema Paradiso [16] (Nuovo cinema Paradiso)

A young boy in a small Italian village is befriended by the projectionist at the movie theater, the Cinema Paradiso . As the boy grows up, he learns to love films, and is encouraged by his good friend to pursue his dream of one day making movies. Directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. (Italy) PG

1988

Pelle The Conqueror [17] (Pelle erobreren)

The end of the 19th century. A boat filled with Swedish emigrants comes to the Danish island of Bornholm. Among them are Lasse and his son Pelle who moves to Denmark to find work. They find employment at a large farm, but are treated as the lowest form of life. Pelle starts to talk Danish but is still harassed as a foreigner. But none of them wants to give up their dream of finding a better life than the life they left in Sweden.  Directed by Bille August. Starring Max Von Sydow & Pelle Hvenegaard. Based on the book Pelle erobreren by Martin Andersen Nexo. (Denmark) PG-13

1987

Babette's Feast [18] (Babettes gæstebud)

With the mysterious arrival of Babette, a refugee from France's civil war, life for two pious sisters and their tiny hamlet begins to change. Before long, Babette has convinced them to try something other than boiled codfish and ale bread--a gourmet French meal! Her feast scandalizes the elders, except for the visiting General. Just who is this strangely talented Babette, who has terrified this pious town with the prospect of losing their souls for enjoying too much earthly pleasure? Includes original theatrical trailer. Directed by Gabriel Axel.  Starring Stéphane Audran. Based on the book Babettes gæstebud by Karen Blixen. (Denmark) G

1986

The Assault (De Aanslag)

1985

The Official Story [19] (La Historia oficial)

The wife of an Argentinian businessman faces the ultimate challenge when she begins to suspect that her own daughter, adopted at birth, may have been stolen from a family of "los desaparecidos". Directed by Luis Puenzo. (Argentina) NR

1984

Dangerous Moves (La Diagonale du fou)

1983

Fanny and Alexander [20](Fanny och Alexander)

Part comedy and part ghost story, the film, set in a rural Swedish town in 1907, tells the story of one year in the lives of the colorful Ekdahl family. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. (Sweden) R

1982

To Begin Again (Volver a empezar)

1981

Mephisto [21]

The story of a star's egotism, narcissism, and sexual opportunism. All are betrayed for political expediency and Hitler's Third Reich. Directed by István Szabó. (Hungary) NR

1980

Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (Moskva slezam ne verit)

1979

The Tin Drum [22] (Die Blechtrommel)

Story about Oskar Matzerath, who at age three decides to stop growing. For the next two decades, during the Nazi reign in Eastern Europe, he remains frozen in size, suspended in the outraged innocence of childhood. Oskar has two weapons to see him through the ordeal of modern history: his tin drum , which he bangs to drown out horror and hypocrisy, and his childish voice raised in shriek piercing enough to break glass. Directed by Volker Schlöndorff.  Based on the book The Tin Drum [23] by Günter Grass. (West Germany) R

1978

Get Out Your Handkerchiefs [24] (Préparez vos mouchoirs)

Ribald comedy in which Freud's question "What is it that women want?" is elaborated until the answer -- she knows it when she finds it -- is discovered.  Directed by Bertrand Blier. Starring Gérard Depardieu. (France) R

1977

Madame Rosa [25] (La Vie devant soi)

A retired prostitute runs a makeshift boarding house for the offspring of her friends and former associates. Directed by Moshé Mizrahi. Starring Simone Signoret. Based on the book by Emile Afar. (France) NR

1976

Black and White in Color (Noirs et blancs en couleur)

1975

Dersu Uzala

1974

Amarcord

1973

Day for Night [26](La Nuit américaine)

Frictions and personality clashes beset the making of a romantic film in Nice. Directed by François Truffaut. Starring Jacqueline Bisset. (France) PG

1972

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie [27](La Charme discret de la bourgeoisie)

An upper-class sextet sits down to dinner but never eats, their attempts continually thwarted by a vaudevillian mixture of events both actual and imagined. Directed by Luis Buñuel.  (France) PG

1971

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis [28] (Il Giardino dei Finzi-Contini)

Set in Italy in 1938, when Mussolini's anti-Semetic edicts began to isolate the Jews from their communities. Among them were the Finzi-Continis, an aristocratic Jewish family forced for the first time to acknowledge the world beyond its fenced garden. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. Starring Lino Capolicchio. Based on The Garden of the Finzi-Continis [29] by Giorgio Bassani. (Italy) R

1970

Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto)

1969

Z

1968

War and Peace (Vojna i mir)

1967

Closely Watched Trains (Ostre sledované vlaky)

1966

A Man and a Woman (Un homme et une femme)

1965

The Shop on Main Street [30] (Obchod na korze)

In 1942, Tono and his wife are struggling because of his antipathy towards the fascist regime. His brother-in-law, the local fuehrer, chooses Tono to oversee a button shop owned by a sweet, harmless Jewish widow, Mrs. Lautman. Unable to explain his position to Mrs. Lautman, Tono gradually accepts her belief that he is her assistant. When the Jews are ordered deported, the well-meaning Tono decides to shield her from the Nazis. Directed by Ján Kadár & Elmar Klos. Based on the book by Ladislas Grosman. (Czechoslovakia) NR

1964

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow [31] (Ieri, oggi, domani)

Stories about three very different women and the men they attract. Directed by Vittorio De Sica.  Starring Sophia Loren & Marcello Mastroianni. (Italy) NR

1963

8 1/2 [32]

Fellini 's autobiographical film about a famous film director who loses his inspiration in the midst of making a film. Directed by Federico Fellini. Starring Marcello Mastroianni & Claudia Cardinale. NR

1962

Sundays And Cybele (Les Dimanches de ville d'Avray)

1961

Through A Glass Darkly [33] (Såsom i en spegel)

On an island, Karin, a recently released mentally sick young woman, is spending her vacation with her husband Martin. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Harriet Andersson & Max Von Sydow. (Sweden) NR

1960

The Virgin Spring (Jungfrukällan)

1959

Black Orpheus [34] (Orfeu Negro)

Story based on the legend of Orpheus and Eurydice set against the colorful background of the carnival in Rio de Janiero. With its magnificent color photography and lively soundtrack, this film brought the infectious bossa nova beat to the United States. Directed by Marcel Camus. Starring Breno Mello & Marpessa Dawn. Based on the myth of Orpheus & Eurydice. (France) PG

1958

My Uncle [35] (Mon oncle)

A comedy in which the vague and clumsy M. Hulot, in contrast to his more wealthy sister and brother-in-law, is constantly at odds with the modern world. Directed by & starring Jacques Tati. (France) NR

1957

Nights of Cabiria (Le Notti di Cabiria)

1956

La Strada [36]

The story of a pathetic, impressionable little woman who is sold to the strong man in a travelling side-show. She falls in love with him, but her love is not reurned until it is too late.  Directed by Federico Fellini.  Starring Anthony Quinn & Giulietta Masina. (Italy) NR

1955

Samurai (Miyamoto Musashi)

1954

Gate Of Hell (Jigokumon)

1953

No award given.

1952

Forbidden Games (Jeux interdits)

1951

In The Woods [37] (Rashômon)

Set in the Middle Ages, the nature of truth and subjective reality are probed in a series of flashbacks from four viewpoints to present the case history of a man's murder and the rape of his wife by a bandit. Directed by Akira Kurosawa. (Japan) NR

1950

The Walls Of Malapaga (Au-delà des grilles)

1949

Bicycle Thief [38] (Ladri di biciclette)

Story of an unemployed man and his son in war devastated Rome. The father finds a job pasting up posters, work requiring a bicycle to get around. The bicycle is stolen; panic stricken at being unable to recover his bicycle and at the prospect of losing his job, the father is compelled to steal a bicycle , only to be caught and humiliated in front of his son. Directed by Vittorio De Sica. (Italy) NR

1948

Monsieur Vincent

1947

Shoe-Shine (Sciuscià)