Pietra Brettkelly is a New Zealand filmmaker, known for her documentaries. She is a documentary filmmaker submitted three times for Oscar consideration, a member of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, and was recently named an Arts Laureate of New Zealand. Her films have premiered in five of the world's top six film festivals – Sundance, Toronto, Venice, Berlin and Tribeca Film Festivals – and have garnered many awards. She is known for her independent, risk-taking style, which has taken her to many different countries. She approaches her subjects' lives with a "quiet" demeanor and "non-judgmental" attitude, allowing her to capture and document real stories.
Sparrows is a 2015 internationally co-produced film directed by the 2006 short film oscar nominee Rúnar Rúnarsson, starring Atli Óskar Fjalarsson, Rakel Björk Björnsdóttir and Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson. It tells the story of a 16-year-old boy who moves from his mother in Reykjavík to his father in the Icelandic countryside. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the Icelandic entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated. Sparrows became a festival darling and on top of its great festival run the film has been honored with 20 international film awards since it was awarded the Golden Shell at the 63rd San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Alias Maria is a 2015 Colombian drama film directed by José Luis Rugeles Gracia. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. It received the Golden Goats Award for the Best Feature Movie for the Young People at the 2016 Ale Kino! Festival. It was also selected as the Colombian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but was not nominated.
From Afar is a 2015 Venezuelan drama film directed by Lorenzo Vigas and written by Vigas and Guillermo Arriaga. It won the Golden Lion at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It was selected as the Venezuelan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
As I Open My Eyes is a 2015 French-Tunisian drama film directed by Leyla Bouzid. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. Baya Medhaffar stars as a teenage rock singer. The film is Bouzid's first feature. It was selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. However, the film was not included on the final list of submissions published by the Academy.
Eva Nová is a 2015 Slovak drama film directed by Marko Škop. It was screened in the Discovery section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival where it won the FIPRESCI Prize. It was selected as the Slovak entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
On the Other Side is a 2016 Croatian-Serbian drama film directed by Zrinko Ogresta. It was shown in the Panorama section at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. The film received a Special Mention from the Europa Cinema Label jury. It was selected as the Croatian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
Losers is a 2015 Bulgarian comedy-drama film directed by Ivaylo Hristov. It won the Golden George at the 2015 Moscow International Film Festival. It was selected as the Bulgarian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
Kalo Pothi: The Black Hen is a 2015 Nepali drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham and produced by Anna Katchko, Tsering Rhitar Sherpa, Min Bahadur Bham, Debaki Rai, Catherine Dussart and Anup Thapa.
Paradise is a 2016 Russian drama film produced and directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. At Venice Konchalovsky won the Silver Lion for Best Director. It was selected as the Russian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. In December 2016, it made the shortlist of nine films to be considered for a nomination at the 89th Academy Awards.
Tonio is a 2016 Dutch drama film directed by Paula van der Oest. It was based on the book of the same name by A.F. Th. van der Heijden. It was selected as the Dutch entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. The film won the Pearl Award at the Film by the Sea festival in the Netherlands in 2017.
House of Others is a 2016 Georgian drama film directed by Rusudan Glurjidze. It was selected as the Georgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
The Companion is a 2015 Cuban drama film directed by Pavel Giroud. It was selected as the Cuban entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
Ukrainian Sheriffs is a 2015 Ukrainian documentary film directed by Roman Bondarchuk. It was selected as the Ukrainian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.
The Flower of Aleppo is a 2016 Tunisian drama film directed by Ridha Behi. It was originally selected as the Tunisian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards, but this was changed to As I Open My Eyes by Leyla Bouzid.
Parting is a 2016 Afghan-Iranian drama film directed by Navid Mahmoudi. It was selected as the Afghan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards. However, the film was not included on the final list of submissions published by the Academy. It was screened at the Busan International Film Festival in October 2016. Parting was the inaugural film at the 21st International Film Festival of Kerala.
Yellow Is Forbidden is a 2018 New Zealand documentary film directed by Pietra Brettkelly. It was selected as the New Zealand entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
