What's driving the Oscars' embrace of international film
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The cast and crew of Brazil's "The Secret Agent" after the Golden Globes. Photo: Michael Buckner/2026GG/Penske Media via Getty Images
The Oscars' recent support of foreign-language cinema marks one of the most rapid taste turnarounds for the awards body in recent history.
By the numbers: Before "Parasite" broke the foreign-language barrier and took home Best Picture in 2020, only 11 non-English films were nominated for the top award. In the six years since, 10 have been in contention for Best Picture.
- Chalk that up to a change in the Academy itself. The Hollywood Reporter notes that about 25% of its membership hailed from outside the U.S. in 2024, compared to 8% a decade before that.
Flashback: It's a far cry from "Parasite" director Bong Joon-ho's plea at the Golden Globes during its awards run: "Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films."
Driving the news: Two foreign-language films — Norway's "Sentimental Value" and Brazil's "The Secret Agent" — are vying for the top prize this year.
- There had been buzz that Iran's "It Was Just an Accident" and South Korea's "No Other Choice" could join them in the Best Picture lineup, which would have been the first time four non-English films were up for the honor.
- The miss for "It Was Just an Accident" was especially surprising, given its political timeliness. The film — critical of the Iranian regime — was filmed in secret and had to be smuggled out of the country. It won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year.
What happened: It all comes down to time and money. There's only so much Oscar campaign cash to go around — and only so much voter attention to spare.
- All four films got snapped up by distributor du jour Neon, which also acquired Spain's contender for Best International Feature Film, "Sirāt."
- Deadline even headlined back in May that Neon's post-Cannes acquisitions were great for the company but "create [a] confusing picture for [the] Oscar race."
The big picture: This awards trend comes as more Americans than ever are tuning into foreign films and TV. Demand for non-U.S. titles hit 25.3% last year, an all-time high, per Axios' Kerry Flynn.
The bottom line: The Academy's appetite for non-English cinema is there in a way it never has been before. We're likely to see the Oscars highlight even more foreign-language films in the years ahead.
