This is a list of submissions for the 97th Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film every year since the award was created in 1956. The award is presented annually by the academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. The International Feature Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. The category was previously called the Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed in April 2019 to Best International Feature Film, after the Academy deemed the word "Foreign" to be outdated.
Aws Al-Banna, Ahmed Al-Danf, Basil Al-Maqousi, Mustafa Al-Nabih, Muhammad Alshareef, Ala Ayob, Bashar Al Balbisi, Alaa Damo, Awad Hana, Ahmad Hassunah, Mustafa Kallab, Satoum Kareem, Mahdi Karera, Rabab Khamees, Khamees Masharawi, Wissam Moussa, Tamer Najm, Abu Hasna Nidaa, Damo Nidal, Mahmoud Reema, Etimad Weshah and Islam Al Zrieai
Albania's Qendra Kombëtare e Kinematografisë invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 12, 2024.[25]
Algeria's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 1, 2024.[26]
Argentina's Academia de las Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas announced they would begin voting for their selection during the first week of September 2024.[27]
Australia's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[28]
Bhutan's Information Communication and Media Authority invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 1, 2024.[29]
Bolivia's Filmmakers Association invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[30]
Bosnia and Herzegovina's Association of Filmmakers invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 10, 2024.[31]
Brazil's Academy of Cinema is scheduled to announce a shortlist of 6 films on September 16, 2024, from a list of 12 films registered: Bittersweet Rain by Haroldo Borges, Cidade; Campo by Juliana Rojas, Estômago 2 - O Poderoso Chefe by Marcos Jorge, Heartless by Nara Normande e Tião, The Hijacking of Flight 375 by Marcus Baldini, I'm Still Here by Walter Salles, Motel Destino by Karim Aïnouz, Nobody Leaves Alive by André Ristum, A Part of Us by Flávio Botelho, Power Alley by Lillah Halla, Vermelho Monet by Halder Gomes and Votos by Ângela Patrícia Reiniger.[32] They are scheduled to announce their submission on September 23, 2024.[33]
Cameroon's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[34]
Colombia's Academia Colombiana de Artes y Ciencias Cinematográficas invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[35]
The Czech Republic's selection committee is scheduled to announce a film on September 10, 2024. Thirteen films are under consideration: Amerikanka by Viktor Tauš, Dry Season by Bohdan Sláma, The End of the World by Bohdan Sláma, Escape to Berlin by Martin Froyda and Jan Novák, The Gardener's Year by Jiří Havelka, Hello, Welcome by Simon Holy, Her Body by Natálie Císařovská, Her Drunken Diary by Dan Svátek, The Meaning and Mystery of Life by Petr Vachler, Our Lovely Pig Slaughter by Adam Martinec, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light by Filip Pošivač, Waltzing Matilda by Petr Slavík, and Waves by Jiří Mádl.[36]
Denmark's selection committee is scheduled to announce their submission on September 19, 2024 from a shortlist of three films: Echo of You by Zara Zerny, The Girl with the Needle by Magnus von Horn, and Sons by Gustav Möller.[37]
Ecuador's Academy of Audiovisual and Cinematographic Arts invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 11, 2024.[38]
France's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by July 15, 2024. They are scheduled to meet in September to determine a shortlist of three to five films.[39]
Georgia's National Film Center invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 6, 2024.[40]
Greece's Hellenic Film Academy invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 4, 2024.[41] However, in August 2024, controversy erupted when filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos alleged that he and other members of the existing selection committee had been replaced by the Greek Culture Ministry.[42] The ministry denied that a selection committee had been previously chosen, though Kekatos and others had already been given links to submitted films, and asserted that approved committee members were announced through official channels on August 13, 2024.[43] In protest of the ministry's actions, 21 out of 26 films that had submitted withdrew from consideration.[44] Twenty filmmakers who withdrew released an open letter saying they "refuse to cooperate in opaque actions, which discredit Greek cinema and its professionals, and we are forced to withdraw our films from the above process." The two known remaining films not yet withdrawn are: Captain Michalis by Kostas Charalambous and Fonissa by Eva Nathena.[45] Local film organizations, unions and the Hellenic Film Academy also issued public statements demanding an investigation into the matter.[46] Following these events, Greek Deputy Culture Minister Jason Fotilas held a press conference on August 22, 2024, where he claimed a Culture Ministry employee had preemptively contacted Kekatos and the other committee members from a preliminary list, before the Deputy Minister had approved the members. According to Fotilas, "the employee apologized and said he acted out of overzealousness so that the procedures would run faster and we could save time," since the Academy's August 15, 2024, deadline was fast approaching, and the Deputy Minister’s approval was only a formality. Fotilas stated that he was open to discussions with the Hellenic Film Academy to find a solution that would secure the validity of the procedure, even though the Academy noted it had been trying for months to meet with him to discuss the current selection process and other industry issues.[45]
Guatemala's Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced a shortlist of two submissions: Plasticósfera by Sergio Izquierdo and Rita by Jayro Bustamante. The committee was scheduled to vote on submissions until August 20, 2024.[47]
Hungary's National Film Institute invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 25, 2024.[48]
Iceland's Film and Television Academy invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 12, 2024.[49]
India's Film Federation invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 10, 2024. They are scheduled to announce a submission on September 27, 2024.[50]
Indonesia's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 31, 2024. They are scheduled to announce a submission on September 11, 2024.[51]
Israel will submit the winner of the Ophir Award for Best Feature Film, announced on September 16, 2024. The nominees are: Come Closer by Tom Nesher, Eid by Yousef Abo Madegem, Girls Like Us by Lee Gilat, Halisa by Sophie Artus, Highway 65 by Maya Dreifuss and The Milky Way by Maya Kenig.[52]
Italy's Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive Digitali invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 13, 2024.[53]
Jordan's Royal Film Commission invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[54]
Kenya's Film Commission invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 6, 2024.[55]
Lebanon's Ministry of Culture invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 6, 2024.[56]
Malta's Academy Selection Committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[57]
Malaysia's National Film Development Corporation invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 16, 2024.[58]
Montenegro's Ministry of Culture and Media invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 2, 2024.[60]
Nepal's selection committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[61]
The Netherlands' Eye Film Institute announced they would commence voting for a selection in early September 2024 from a shortlist of eight submissions: Fox and Hare Save the Forest by Masha Halberstad, Gerlach by Aliona van der Horst and Luuk Bouwman, Hardcore Never Dies by Jim Taihuttu, Last Call by Boris Paval Cohen, Lost City by Willy Lindwer, Melk by Stefanie Kolk, Memory Lane by Jelle de Jonge, and White Flash by Laura Hermanides.[62]
Nigeria's Official Selection Committee invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 30, 2024.[63]
North Macedonia's Film Professionals Association announced they would not submit a film for lack of an eligible entry.[64]
Panama's Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 30, 2024.[66]
Paraguay's Academia de Cine invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by September 13, 2024.[67]
Peru's Ministry of Culture invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 9, 2024.[68]
The Philippines' Film Academy invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 30, 2024.[69] They are scheduled to announce their submission on September 27, 2024.[70]
Poland's Polski Instytut Sztuki Filmowej invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 23, 2024.[71]
Portugal's Academy of Cinema are scheduled to announce their submission on September 11, 2024 from a shortlist of five films: The Buriti Flower by João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora, The Fortunate Ones by Jeanne Waltz, Grand Tour by Miguel Gomes, Manga D'Terra by Basil da Cunha, and Your Face Will Be The Last by Luís Filipe Rocha.[72]
Senegal's La Direction de la Cinématographie invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 31, 2024.[73]
Serbia's Film Center invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 30, 2024.[74]
Singapore's Film Commission invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[75]
Slovakia's Film and Television Academy invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration.[76]
Slovenia's Federation of Filmmakers' Guilds invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 18, 2024.[77]
South Africa's National Film and Video Foundation invited filmmakers to submit their films for consideration by August 2, 2024.[78]