List of Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Last updated

Best International Feature Film submissions from Belgium
Flag of Belgium.svg
Highlights
Debut 1967
Submissions50
Nominations8
Oscar winnersnone

Belgium has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film [nb 1] since 1967.[ citation needed ] The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. [3] The "Best Foreign Language Film" category was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since. [4] Between 1947 and 1955, the academy presented a non-competitive Honorary Award for the best foreign language films released in the United States. [5]

Contents

As of 2025, Belgium was nominated eight times, but never won the award.

Submissions

Gerard Corbiau directed two Belgian films nominated for the award, The Music Teacher and Farinelli. Gerard CORBIAU au festival du film Historique de Waterloo en octobre 2014.jpg
Gérard Corbiau directed two Belgian films nominated for the award, The Music Teacher and Farinelli .

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956. [4] The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award. [3]

Even though Belgium was nominated eight times, two-times Palme d'Or winners and acclaimed filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne were never nominated. They hold the record of most submitted directors, with 5 films selected to represent the country: Rosetta (1999), The Son (2002), The Child (2005), Two Days, One Night (2014) and Young Mothers (2025). However, for Two Days, One Night, Marion Cotillard was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Two of the nominees were directed by Gérard Corbiau: The Music Teacher and Farinelli . [6] The six other Belgian directors to have films accepted as nominees are Jacques Boigelot, Stijn Coninx, Dominique Deruddere, Michaël R. Roskam, Felix Van Groeningen and Lukas Dhont. Boigelot's Peace in the Fields was accepted as a nominee at the 43rd Academy Awards, [7] Stijn Coninx's Daens was a nominee in 1993, [8] Deruddere's Everybody's Famous! was a nominee at the 73rd Academy Awards, [9] Roskam's Bullhead for the 84th, Van Groeningen's The Broken Circle Breakdown for the 86th, and Dhont's Close for the 95th.

Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Belgium for review by the academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.

Year
(Ceremony)		Film title used in nominationOriginal titleLanguage(s)DirectorResult
1967
(40th) 		Le Départ French Jerzy Skolimowski Not nominated
1969
(42nd) 		Palaver Swahili, Dutch, French, English, German, Latin Emile Degelin Not nominated
1970
(43rd) 		Peace in the Fields Paix sur les champsFrench Jacques Boigelot Nominated [10]
1972
(45th) 		The Lonely Killers Les tueurs fous Boris Szulzinger Not nominated
1974
(47th) 		The Conscript De lotelingDutch Roland Verhavert Not nominated
1976
(49th) 		High Street Rue HauteFrench André Ernotte Not nominated
1977
(50th) 		Rubens Rubens, schilder en diplomaatDutch Roland Verhavert Not nominated
1979
(52nd) 		Woman in a Twilight Garden Een vrouw tussen hond en wolf André Delvaux Not nominated
1981
(54th) 		Le Grand Paysage d'Alexis Droeven French Jean-Jacques Andrien Not nominated
1982
(55th) 		Minuet MenuetDutch Lili Rademakers Not nominated
1985
(58th) 		Dust French, English Marion Hänsel Not nominated
1986
(59th) 		Jumping SpringenDutchJean-Pierre De DeckerNot nominated
1987
(60th) 		The Cruel Embrace Les noces barbaresFrench Marion Hänsel Not nominated
1988
(61st) 		The Music Teacher Le maître de musique Gérard Corbiau Nominated [11]
1989
(62nd) 		The Sacrament Het SacramentDutch Hugo Claus Not nominated
1991
(64th) 		Toto the Hero Toto le hérosFrench Jaco Van Dormael Not nominated
1992
(65th) 		Daens Flemish, Dutch, French, Latin, Spanish Stijn Coninx Nominated [12]
1993
(66th) 		Just Friends Dutch, French Marc-Henri Wajnberg Not nominated
1994
(67th) 		Farinelli Farinelli, Il Castrato Italian, French Gérard Corbiau Nominated [13]
1995
(68th) 		Manneken Pis Manneken PisDutch Frank Van Passel Not nominated
1996
(69th) 		The Eighth Day Le huitième jourFrench Jaco Van Dormael Not nominated
1997
(70th) 		My Life in Pink Ma vie en rose Alain Berliner Not nominated
1998
(71st) 		Rosie Dutch Patrice Toye Not nominated
1999
(72nd) 		Rosetta French Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Not nominated
2000
(73rd) 		Everybody's Famous! Iedereen beroemd!Flemish, English, Spanish Dominique Deruddere Nominated [14]
2001
(74th) 		Pauline & Paulette Dutch, FrenchLieven DebrauwerNot nominated
2002
(75th) 		The Son Le filsFrench Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Not nominated
2003
(76th) 		Sea of Silence Verder dan de maanDutch Stijn Coninx Not nominated
2004
(77th) 		The Alzheimer Case De zaak AlzheimerDutch, French, Flemish Erik Van Looy Not nominated
2005
(78th) 		The Child L'EnfantFrench Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Not nominated
2006
(79th) 		Someone Else's Happiness Een ander zijn gelukDutch Fien Troch Not nominated
2007
(80th) 		Ben X Flemish, Dutch Nic Balthazar Not nominated
2008
(81st) 		Eldorado French Bouli Lanners Not nominated
2009
(82nd) 		The Misfortunates De helaasheid der dingenDutch, Flemish Felix Van Groeningen Not nominated
2010
(83rd) 		Illegal [15] IllègalFrench, Russian, English Olivier Masset-Depasse Not nominated
2011
(84th) 		Bullhead RundskopDutch, French, Limburgish, West Flemish Michaël R. Roskam Nominated [16]
2012
(85th) 		Our Children [17] À perdre la raisonFrench, Arabic Joachim Lafosse Not nominated
2013
(86th) 		The Broken Circle Breakdown [18] Alabama MonroeFlemish, English, Dutch Felix Van Groeningen Nominated [19]
2014
(87th) 		Two Days, One Night [20] Deux jours, une nuitFrench Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Not nominated
2015
(88th) 		The Brand New Testament [21] Le Tout Nouveau Testament Jaco Van Dormael Made shortlist [22]
2016
(89th) 		The Ardennes [23] D'ArdennenFlemish, French, DutchRobin ProntNot nominated
2017
(90th) 		Racer and the Jailbird [24] Le Fidèle Michaël R. Roskam Not nominated
2018
(91st) 		Girl [25] Flemish, Dutch, French, English Lukas Dhont Not nominated
2019
(92nd) 		Our Mothers [26] Nuestras madresSpanish César Díaz Not nominated
2020
(93rd) 		Working Girls [27] Filles de joieFrench Frédéric Fonteyne , Anne PaulicevichNot nominated
2021
(94th) 		Playground [28] Un monde Laura Wandel Made shortlist [29]
2022
(95th) 		Close [30] French, Dutch Lukas Dhont Nominated [31]
2023
(96th) 		Omen [32] AugureFrench Baloji Not nominated
2024
(97th) 		Julie Keeps Quiet [33] Julie zwijgtDutch, FrenchLeonardo Van DijlNot nominated
2025
(98th) 		Young Mothers [34] Jeunes mèresFrench Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Not nominated

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The category was previously named the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in April 2019, after the Academy deemed the word "Foreign" to be outdated. [1] [2]

References

  1. ↑ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 23 April 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  2. ↑ "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  3. 1 2 "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 30 July 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  4. 1 2 "History of the Academy Awards – Page 2". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
  5. ↑ "History of the Academy Awards – Page 1". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "Gerard Corbiau – Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  7. ↑ "James Boigelot – Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  8. ↑ "Daens, Academy Award nominee in 1993". IMDb. Archived from the original on 28 July 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  9. ↑ Meek, Tom (19 July 2001). "Short Reviews – Everybody's Famous". The Phoenix . Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
  10. ↑ "The 43rd Academy Awards (1971) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "The 65th Academy Awards (1993) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 4 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  14. ↑ "The 73rd Academy Awards (2001) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 5 October 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  15. ↑ Mundell, Ian (17 September 2010). "Belgium selects 'Illegal' for Oscars". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 September 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  16. ↑ "Oscars 2012: Nominees in full". BBC News. 24 January 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  17. ↑ "" A perdre la raison " représentera la Belgique pour l'Oscar du " Meilleur film en langue étrangère "". Radio Télévision Belge Francophone. 14 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  18. ↑ "The Broken Circle Breakdown represents Belgium at Foreign Language Oscars". Flanders Image. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  19. ↑ "Oscars: Main nominations 2014". BBC News. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Belgium enters Dardennes to Oscar race". Screendaily. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  21. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (22 September 2015). "Belgium Sends 'The Brand New Testament' To Foreign-Language Oscar Race". Variety. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  22. ↑ "9 Foreign Language Films Advance in Oscar Race". Oscars. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2015.
  23. ↑ Cavassuto, Maria (30 August 2016). "'The Ardennes' to Represent Belgium in Academy Awards Race". Variety . Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  24. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (25 August 2017). "Belgium's 'Racer and the Jailbird' to Vie for Foreign-Language Oscar Nomination". Variety . Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  25. ↑ Tartaglione, Nancy (27 August 2018). "Oscars: Belgium Selects 'Girl', Cannes' Camera D'Or, As Foreign Language Entry". Deadline. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  26. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (23 August 2019). "Oscars: Belgium Sends Cannes Prizewinner 'Our Mothers' to International Feature Film Race". Variety. Retrieved 23 August 2019.
  27. ↑ "Oscars: le film "Filles de joie" représentera la Belgique dans la catégorie film internationaux". Le Soir. 10 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  28. ↑ "'Un monde' by Laura Wandel is Belgian entry for Oscars". Netherland News Live. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  29. ↑ Davis, Clayton (21 December 2021). "Oscars Shortlists Include Beyoncé, 'Spider-Man' and Two Jonny Greenwood Scores as France's 'Titane' Is Snubbed". Variety. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  30. ↑ Dams, Tim (16 September 2022). "Lukas Dhont's 'Close' selected as Belgium's Oscar entry". Screen Daily. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
  31. ↑ "2023 Oscars Nominations: See the Full List". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . 24 January 2023.
  32. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (14 September 2023). "Oscars: Belgium Picks 'Omen' as International Feature Submission". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  33. ↑ Dams, Tim. "Belgium selects Leonardo Van Dijl's 'Julie Keeps Quiet' as Oscar entry". Screen. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
  34. ↑ "Oscars 2026 : la Belgique sera représentée par "Jeunes mères" de Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne" (in French). [RTBF]. 26 August 2025. Retrieved 26 August 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.