Peru has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film [nb 1] since 1967, when it became the fourth Western Hemisphere country to enter the Oscar Foreign Film race, after Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. 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]
Prior to 2009, Peru had entered the competition 15 times, but had never yet been nominated for an Academy Award. For the 2009 ceremony, Golden Bear winner The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) was chosen to represent Peru and the nation received its first Academy Award nomination for the film. Six of Peru's submissions were directed by Francisco J. Lombardi while three others were directed by Armando Robles Godoy.
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. 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. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Peru for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.
Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Language(s) | Director | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967 (40th) | No Stars in the Jungle | En la selva no hay estrellas | Spanish | Armando Robles Godoy | Not nominated |
1969 (42nd) | The Green Wall | La muralla verde | Not nominated | ||
1972 (45th) | Mirage | Espejismo | Not nominated | ||
1983 (56th) | Maruja in Hell | Maruja en el infierno | Francisco José Lombardi | Not nominated | |
1985 (58th) | The City and the Dogs | La ciudad y los perros | Not nominated | ||
1988 (61st) | The Mouth of the Wolf | La boca del lobo | Spanish, Quechua | Not nominated | |
1990 (63rd) | Fallen from Heaven | Caídos del cielo | Spanish | Not nominated | |
1991 (64th) | Alias 'La Gringa' | Alberto Durant | Not nominated | ||
1993 (66th) | Report on Death | Reportaje a la muerte | Danny Gavidia | Not nominated | |
1994 (67th) | Without Compassion | Sin compasión | Francisco José Lombardi | Not nominated | |
1999 (72nd) | Captain Pantoja and the Special Services | Pantaleón y las visitadoras | Not nominated | ||
2003 (76th) | Paper Dove | Paloma de papel | Fabrizio Aguilar | Not nominated | |
2005 (78th) | Days of Santiago | Días de Santiago | Josué Méndez | Not nominated | |
2006 (79th) | Madeinusa | Spanish, Quechua | Claudia Llosa | Not nominated | |
2007 (80th) | Crossing a Shadow | Una sombra al frente | Spanish | Augusto Tamayo | Not nominated |
2009 (82nd) | The Milk of Sorrow | La teta asustada | Spanish, Quechua | Claudia Llosa | Nominated |
2010 (83rd) | Undertow [4] | Contracorriente | Spanish | Javier Fuentes-León | Not nominated [5] |
2011 (84th) | October [6] | Octubre | Daniel Vega Vidal, Diego Vega Vidal | Not nominated | |
2012 (85th) | The Bad Intentions [7] | Las malas intenciones | Rosario Garcia-Montero | Not nominated | |
2013 (86th) | The Cleaner [8] | El limpiador | Adrián Saba | Not nominated | |
2014 (87th) | The Gospel of the Flesh [9] | El evangelio de la carne | Eduardo Mendoza de Echave | Not nominated | |
2015 (88th) | NN [10] | NN: Sin identidad | Héctor Gálvez | Not nominated | |
2016 (89th) | Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes) [11] | Videofilia: y otros síndromes virales | Juan Daniel Fernández | Not nominated | |
2017 (90th) | Rosa Chumbe [12] | Jonatan Relayze | Not nominated | ||
2018 (91st) | Eternity [13] | Wiñaypacha | Aymara | Óscar Catacora | Not nominated |
2019 (92nd) | Retablo [14] | Quechua | Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio | Not nominated | |
2020 (93rd) | Song Without a Name [15] | Canción sin nombre | Spanish, Quechua | Melina León | Not nominated |
2021 (94th) | Powerful Chief [16] | Manco Cápac | Spanish, Quechua | Henry Vallejo | Not nominated |
2022 (95th) | Moon Heart [17] | El corazón de la luna | No dialogue | Aldo Salvini | Not nominated |
2023 (96th) | The Erection of Toribio Bardelli [18] | La erección de Toribio Bardelli | Spanish | Adrián Saba | Not nominated |
2024 (97th) | Yana-Wara [19] | Aymara | Óscar Catacora, Tito Catacora | Pending |
Since 2011, Peru has occasionally announced a list of finalists that varies in number over the years (from 3 to 6 films) before announcing its official Oscar nominee. The following films have been preselected by the Ministry of Culture.
2011 | The Inca, The Silly Girl, and the Son of a Thief · The Last Chanka Warrior · The Vigil [20] |
---|---|
2012 | El Buen Pedro · Dark Heaven · The Illusionauts · Lars and the Mystery of the Portal · Reshinn, Blood of Anaconda [21] |
2014 | Guard Dog · El mudo · Trip to Timbuktu · Viejos amigos [22] |
2023 | How to Deal With a Heartbreak · Queens Without a Crown [23] |
The Cleaner is a 2012 Peruvian drama film written and directed by Adrián Saba. The film was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Song Without a Name is a 2019 drama film directed by Melina León. It was screened in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. It was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It is a co-production between Peru, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.
Powerful Chief is a 2020 Peruvian drama film directed by Henry Vallejo. It was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards.
Moon Heart is a 2021 Peruvian science fiction drama film written and directed by Aldo Salvini and starring Haydeé Cáceres. The film tells the story of M, an old homeless woman who one day sees a mechanical angel that will change her life. The film was selected by the Ministry of Culture as the Peruvian entry in the Best International Film at the 95th Academy Awards.
Adrián Saba is a Peruvian-Spanish film director and screenwriter. He is best known for writing and directing the films The Cleaner and The Erection of Toribio Bardelli, both were selected as the Peruvian entry in the Best International Feature Film at the 86th Academy Awards and the 96th Academy Awards respectively. He also wrote and directed the film The Dreamer which premiered at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.