Awards, Films, News, Women Directors

Oscar Foreign Language Race is 19 Percent Women-Directed

“Sand Storm”

The Academy Awards won’t air until February 26, 2017 — over four months from today. Still, Oscar buzz is mounting. The Academy has announced all of the submissions for Best Foreign Language Film. Of the 85 films vying for nominations, 16 are directed by women — about 19 percent.

Fifteen percent of last year’s crop of Oscar submissions in this category were directed by women. One of the women-helmed films ended up scoring a nom — Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s “Mustang.” While the coming-of-age drama centers on repressed sisters living in a remote village in Turkey, the film represented France. Women and Hollywood named “Mustang” as one of the 12 best films about girls and women in 2015.

This year’s submissions include previously announced films such as Maren Ade’s Cannes hit “Toni Erdmann,” Elite Zexer’s Bedouin mother and daughter drama “Sand Storm,” and Athina Rachel Tsangari’s dark comedy “Chevalier.”

Paula van der Oest has been selected to represent the Netherlands for the third time with “Tonio,” her adaptation of Dutch author A.F. Th. van der Heijden’s best-selling novel. The country previously submitted “Accused” in 2014, and “Zus & Zo” in 2002. The former made it as far as the shortlist, and the latter earned a nomination.

Yemen’s first-ever submission is woman-helmed: Khadija Al-Salami’s “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced.”

One film that’s sadly absent from the list is Houda Benyamina’s “Divines.” The story of teen girl who risks everything for money, power, and respect snagged the Caméra d’Or at Cannes, but France decided to go with Paul Verhoeven’s “Elle,” a film that Women and Hollywood Founder/Publisher Melissa Silverstein described as “infuriating” and “epically fucked up.”

Check out all of the women directors in the Foreign Language Oscar race below. List adapted from a press release. The shortlist of nine films will be announced in late December.

Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;

Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;

Estonia, “Mother,” Kadri Kõusaar, director;

Georgia, “House of Others,” Rusudan Glurjidze, director;

Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;

Greece, “Chevalier,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, director;

Israel, “Sand Storm,” Elite Zexer, director;

Jordan, “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri, director;

Latvia, “Dawn,” Laila Pakalnina, director;

Malaysia, “Beautiful Pain,” Tunku Mona Riza, director;

Netherlands, “Tonio,” Paula van der Oest, director;

New Zealand, “A Flickering Truth,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;

Taiwan, “Hang in There, Kids!” Laha Mebow, director;

Thailand, “Karma,” Kanittha Kwunyoo, director;

Uruguay, “Breadcrumbs,” Manane Rodríguez, director;

Yemen, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced,” Khadija Al-Salami, director.

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