The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
Amarcord is a 1973 comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini, a semi-autobiographical tale about Titta, an adolescent boy growing up among an eccentric cast of characters in the village of Borgo San Giuliano in 1930s Fascist Italy. The film's title is a univerbation of the Romagnol phrase a m'arcôrd. The title then became a neologism of the Italian language, with the meaning of "nostalgic revocation". The central role of Titta is based on Fellini's childhood friend from Rimini, Luigi Titta Benzi. Benzi became a lawyer and remained in close contact with Fellini throughout his life.
8½ is a 1963 comedy drama film co-written and directed by Federico Fellini. The metafictional narrative centers on Guido Anselmi, a famous Italian film director who suffers from stifled creativity as he attempts to direct an epic science fiction film. Claudia Cardinale, Anouk Aimée, Sandra Milo, Rossella Falk, Barbara Steele, and Eddra Gale portray the various women in Guido's life. The film was shot in black and white by cinematographer Gianni Di Venanzo and features a score by Nino Rota, with costume and set designs by Piero Gherardi.
Roma is a 1972 semi-autobiographical comedy-drama film depicting director Federico Fellini's move from his native Rimini to Rome as a youth. The film was directed by Fellini from a screenplay by himself and Bernardino Zapponi. It is a homage to the city, shown in a series of loosely connected episodes set during both Rome's past and present. The plot is minimal, and the only "character" to develop significantly is Rome herself. Peter Gonzales plays the young Fellini, and the film features mainly newcomers in the cast.
Giulia Anna "Giulietta" Masina was an Italian film actress best known for her performances as Gelsomina in La Strada (1954) and Cabiria in Nights of Cabiria (1957), for which she won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival.
Dieter Meier is a Swiss musician, conceptual artist and entrepreneur. He is the frontman of the electronic music group Yello, which was co-founded by music producer Boris Blank. He is a vocalist and lyricist, as well as manager and producer of the group.
Toto the Hero is a 1991 Belgian film by Belgian film director and screenwriter Jaco Van Dormael. It won the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1991, and the César Award for Best Foreign Film in 1992. The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 64th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Daniel Walter Schmid was a Swiss theatre and film director.
Beresina, or the Last Days of Switzerland is a 1999 satiric comedy film by Swiss director Daniel Schmid. It chronicles the story of Irina, a Russian call girl arriving in Switzerland, whose innocent attempt to live the high life there triggers an unintended coup d'état in the country. The title Beresina refers to the Beresinalied, a patriotic song used as the code for initiating the putsch.
Northern Skirts is a 1999 German-language film directed by Barbara Albert. It was an international co-production between Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It was Austria's official Best Foreign Language Film submission at the 72nd Academy Awards, but did not manage to receive a nomination. The film addresses the marginalisation of the Vienna's migrant and ethnic minority population against the background of rising xenophobia encouraged by Joerg Haider and the so-called Freedom Party.
The Human Dutch is a 1963 Dutch documentary film directed by Bert Haanstra, about the daily lives of people in the Netherlands. It was a big success in the Netherlands with almost 1.7 million admissions, the third most successful Dutch film at the time. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It was also selected as the Dutch entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 37th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Macaroni is a 1985 Italian comedy-drama film directed by Ettore Scola. The film, starring Marcello Mastroianni and Jack Lemmon, was selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, ahead of Federico Fellini's Ginger and Fred, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Lounge Chair is a 1988 Swiss-French drama film directed by Jean-François Amiguet. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Pause is a 2014 Swiss comedy film directed by Mathieu Urfer. It was one of seven films shortlisted by Switzerland to be their submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, but it lost out to Iraqi Odyssey.
Fallen from Heaven is a 1990 Peruvian drama film directed by Francisco José Lombardi. The film was selected as the Peruvian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 63rd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
