For the 85th Academy Awards, a record-breaking 71 countries have submitted films to compete in the Foreign Language Film category. However, according to our research, only 11 of those 71 films are directed by women. Last year, women directed 10 out of the 63 films submitted. Granted, we don’t know yet which films will end up in the category, but Cate Shortland’s Lore, Rama Burshtein’s Fill the Void and Ursula Meier’s Sister are all garnering some buzz.
Side note both Palestine and Israel have submitted films directed by women.
Here are the women-directed films:
Armenia — If Only Everyone, directed by Natalya Belyauskene
Australia –Lore, directed by Cate Shortland
Bosnia and Herzegovina — Children of Sarajevo, directed by Aida Begic
Georgia — Keep Smiling, directed by Rusudan Chkonia
Israel — Fill The Void, directed by Rama Burshtein
Japan — Our Homeland, directed by Yang Yonghi
Palestine — When I Saw You, directed by Annemarie Jacir
Peru — The Bad Intentions, directed by Rosario Garcia-Montero
Singapore — Already Famous, directed by Michelle Chong
Slovak Republic — Made in Ash, directed by Iveta Grófová
Switzerland –Sister, directed by Ursula Meier
71 Countries Vie for 2012 Foreign Language Film Oscar (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Austria and France Are Early Frontrunners for Foreign Language Oscar (The Hollywood Reporter)