List of best foreign language film
Oscar winners and nominees
Updated: March 11, 2024
Winners and nominees for best foreign language film Academy Award (now called International Feature Film) since a competitive category was created in 1956; does not include special or honorary Oscars issued previously. Year indicates year/period for which films were judged, not year of ceremony. Sources: Oscars.org, Internet Movie Database, Wikipedia
2023: The Zone of Interest (United Kingdom, Jonathan Glazer) — beat Perfect Days (Japan, Wim Wenders), Society of the Snow (Spain, J.A. Bayona), Io Capitano (Italy, Matteo Garrone), The Teachers’ Lounge (Germany, İlker Çatak)
2022: All Quiet on the Western Front (Germany, Edward Berger) — beat Argentina, 1985 (Argentina, Santiago Mitre), EO (Poland, Jerzy Skolimowski), Close (Belgium, Lukas Dhont), The Quiet Girl (Ireland, Colm Bairéad)
2021: Drive My Car (Japan, Ryusuke Hamaguchi) — beat The Worst Person in the World (Norway, Joachim Trier), Flee (Denmark, Jonas Poher Rasmussen), Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan, Pawo Choyning Dorji), The Hand of God (Italy, Paolo Sorrentino)
2020: Another Round (Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg) — beat Better Days (Hong Kong, Derek Tsang), Collective (Romania, Alexander Nanau), The Man Who Sold His Skin (Tunisia, Kaouther Ben Hania), Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jasmila Žbanić)
2019: Parasite (South Korea, Bong Joon Ho) — beat Pain and Glory (Spain, Pedro Almodóvar), Les Misérables (France, Ladj Ly), Honeyland (North Macedonia, Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov), Corpus Christi (Poland, Jan Komasa)
2018: Roma (Mexico, Alfonso Cuarón) — beat Cold War (Poland, Paweł Pawlikowski), Shoplifters (Japan, Hirokazu Kore-eda), Never Look Away (Germany, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck), Capernaum (Lebanon, Nadine Labaki)
2017: A Fantastic Woman (Chile, Sebastian Lelio) — beat The Square (Sweden, Ruben Östlund), The Insult (Lebanon, Ziad Doueiri), Loveless (Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev), On Body and Soul (Hungary, Ildikó Enyedi)
2016: The Salesman (Iran, Asghar Farhadi) — beat Toni Erdmann (Germany, Maren Ade), A Man Called Ove (Sweden, Hannes Holm), Land of Mine (Denmark, Martin Zandvliet), Tanna (Australia, Martin Butler, Bentley Dean)
2015: Son of Saul (Hungary, László Nemes) — beat Mustang (France, Deniz Gamze Ergüven), Theeb (Jordan, Naji Abu Nowar), Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia, Ciro Guerra), A War (Denmark, Tobias Lindholm)
2014: Ida (Poland, Paweł Pawlikowski) — beat Leviathan (Russia, Andrey Zvyagintsev), Tangerines (Estonia, Zaza Urushadze), Wild Tales (Argentina, Damián Szifrón), Timbuktu (Mauritania, Abderrahmane Sissako)
2013: The Great Beauty (Italy, Paolo Sorrentino) — beat Omar (Palestine, Hany Abu-Assad), The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium, Felix Van Groeningen), The Hunt (Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg), The Missing Picture (Cambodia, Rithy Panh)
2012: Amour (Austria, Michael Haneke) — beat A Royal Affair (Denmark, Nikolaj Arcel), No (Chile, Pablo Larraín), Kon-Tiki (Norway, Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg), War Witch (Canada, Kim Nguyen)
2011: A Separation (Iran, Asghar Farhadi) — beat Footnote (Israel, Joseph Cedar), In Darkness (Poland, Agnieszka Holland), Monsieur Lazhar (Canada, Philippe Falardeau), Bullhead (Belgium, Michael R. Roskam)
2010: In a Better World (Denmark, Susanne Bier) — beat Biutiful (Mexico, Alejandro González Iñárritu), Dogtooth (Greece, Yorgos Lanthimos), Incendies (Canada, Denis Villeneuve), Outside the Law (Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb)
2009: The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentina, Juan José Campanella) — beat The White Ribbon (Germany, Michael Haneke), Ajami (Israel, Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani), The Milk of Sorrow (Peru, Claudia Llosa), A Prophet (France, Jacques Audiard)
2008: Departures (Japan, Yojiro Takita) — beat The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany, Uli Edel), Revanche (Austria, Götz Spielmann), The Class (France, Laurent Cantet), Waltz with Bashir (Israel, Ari Folman)
2007: The Counterfeiters (Austria, Stefan Ruzowitzky) — beat Katyń (Poland, Andrzej Wajda), 12 (Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov), Beaufort (Israel, Joseph Cedar), Mongol (Kazakhstan, Sergei Bodrov)
2006: The Lives of Others (Germany, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck) — beat Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico, Guillermo del Toro), Water (Canada, Deepa Mehta), After the Wedding (Denmark, Susanne Bier), Days of Glory (Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb)
2005: Tsotsi (South Africa, Gavin Hood) — beat Don’t Tell (Italy, Cristina Comencini), Joyeux Noël (France, Christian Carion), Paradise Now (Palestine, Hany Abu-Assad), Sophie Scholl — The Final Days (Germany, Marc Rothemund)
2004: The Sea Inside (Spain, Alejandro Amenábar) — beat Downfall (Germany, Oliver Hirschbiegel), As It Is in Heaven (Sweden, Kay Pollak), The Chorus (France, Christophe Barratier) Yesterday (South Africa, Darrell Roodt)
2003: The Barbarian Invasions (Canada, Denys Arcand) — beat Evil Ondskan (Sweden, Mikael Håfström), The Twilight Samurai (Japan, Yoji Yamada), Twin Sisters (Netherlands, Ben Sombogaart), Želary (Czech Republic, Ondřej Trojan)
2002: Nowhere in Africa (Germany, Caroline Link) — beat The Crime of Father Amaro (Mexico, Carlos Carrera), Hero (China, Zhang Yimou), The Man Without a Past (Finland, Aki Kaurismäki), Zus & Zo (Netherlands, Paula van der Oest)
2001: No Man’s Land (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Danis Tanović) — beat Amélie (France, Jean-Pierre Jeunet), Elling (Norway, Petter Næss), Lagaan (India, Ashutosh Gowariker), Son of the Bride (Argentina, Juan J. Campanella)
2000: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan, Ang Lee) — Amores Perros (Mexico, Alejandro González Iñárritu), Divided We Fall (Czech Republic, Jan Hřebejk), Everybody’s Famous! (Belgium, Dominique Deruddere), The Taste of Others (France, Agnès Jaoui)
1999: All About My Mother (Spain, Pedro Almodóvar) — beat Himalaya (Nepal, Eric Valli), East-West (France, Régis Wargnier), Solomon and Gaenor (United Kingdom, Paul Morrison), Under the Sun (Sweden, Colin Nutley)
1998: Life Is Beautiful (Italy, Roberto Benigni) — beat Central Station (Brazil, Walter Salles), Children of Heaven (Iran, Majid Majidi), The Grandfather (Spain, José Luis Garci), Tango (Argentina, Carlos Saura)
1997: Character (Netherlands, Mike van Diem) — beat Beyond Silence (Germany, Caroline Link), Four Days in September (Brazil, Bruno Barreto), Secrets of the Heart (Spain, Montxo Armendáriz), The Thief (Russia, Pavel Chukhray)
1996: Kolya (Czech Republic, Jan Svěrák) — beat A Chef in Love (Georgia, Nana Dzhordzhadze), The Other Side of Sunday (Norway, Berit Nesheim), Prisoner of the Mountains (Russia, Sergei Bodrov), Ridicule (France, Patrice Leconte)
1995: Antonia’s Line (Netherlands, Marleen Gorris) — beat All Things Fair (Sweden, Bo Widerberg), Dust of Life (Algeria, Rachid Bouchareb), O Quatrilho (Brazil, Fábio Barreto), The Star Maker (Italy, Giuseppe Tornatore)
1994: Burnt by the Sun (Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov) — beat Strawberry and Chocolate (Cuba, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío), Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan, Ang Lee), Before the Rain (Macedonia, Milčo Mančevski), Farinelli: Il Castrato (Belgium, Gérard Corbiau)
1993: Belle Époque (Spain, Fernando Trueba) — beat The Wedding Banquet (Taiwan, Ang Lee), Farewell My Concubine (Hong Kong, Chen Kaige), Hedd Wyn (United Kingdom, Paul Turner), The Scent of Green Papaya (Vietnam, Trần Anh Hùng)
1992: Indochine (France, Régis Wargnier) — beat A Place in the World (Uruguay, Adolfo Aristarain), Close to Eden (Russia, Nikita Mikhalkov), Daens (Belgium, Stijn Coninx), Schtonk! (Germany, Helmut Dietl)
1991: Mediterraneo (Italy, Gabriele Salvatores) — beat The Ox (Sweden, Sven Nykvist), Children of Nature (Iceland, Friðrik Þór Friðriksson), The Elementary School (Czechoslovakia, Jan Svěrák), Raise the Red Lantern (Hong Kong, Zhang Yimou)
1990: Journey of Hope (Switzerland, Xavier Koller) — beat Cyrano de Bergerac (France, Jean-Paul Rappeneau), Ju Dou (China, Zhang Yimou, Yang Fengliang), Open Doors (Italy, Gianni Amelio), The Nasty Girl (Germany, Michael Verhoeven)
1989: Cinema Paradiso (Italy, Giuseppe Tornatore) — beat Camille Claudel (France, Bruno Nuytten), Jesus of Montreal (Canada, Denys Arcand), Waltzing Regitze (Denmark, Kaspar Rostrup), What Happened to Santiago (Puerto Rico, Jacobo Morales)
1988: Pelle the Conqueror (Denmark, Bille August) — beat Salaam Bombay! (India, Mira Nair), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Spain, Pedro Almodóvar), Hanussen (Hungary, István Szabó), The Music Teacher (Belgium, Gérard Corbiau)
1987: Babette’s Feast (Denmark, Gabriel Axel) — beat The Family (Italy, Ettore Scola), Au Revoir Les Enfants (Goodbye, Children) (France, Louis Malle), Course Completed (Spain, José Luis Garci), Pathfinder (Norway, Nils Gaup)
1986: The Assault (Netherlands, Fons Rademakers) — beat My Sweet Little Village (Czechoslovakia, Jiří Menzel), ’38 — Vienna Before the Fall (Austria, Wolfgang Glück), Betty Blue (France, Jean-Jacques Beineix), The Decline of the American Empire (Canada, Denys Arcand)
1985: The Official Story (Argentina, Luis Puenzo) — beat Angry Harvest (West Germany, Agnieszka Holland), Colonel Redl (Hungary, István Szabó), Three Men and a Cradle (France, Coline Serreau), When Father Was Away on Business (Yugoslavia, Emir Kusturica)
1984: Dangerous Moves (Switzerland, Richard Dembo) — beat Beyond the Walls (Israel, Uri Barbash), Camila (Argentina, María Luisa Bemberg), Double Feature (Spain, José Luis Garci), Wartime Romance (Soviet Union, Pyotr Todorovsky)
1983: Fanny & Alexander (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman) — beat Entre Nous (France, Diane Kurys), Carmen (Spain, Carlos Saura), Job’s Revolt (Hungary, Imre Gyöngyössy, Barna Kabay), Le Bal (Algeria, Ettore Scola)
1982: Volver a Empezar (Spain, José Luis Garci) — beat Alsino and the Condor (Nicaragua, Miguel Littín), Coup de Torchon (France, Bertrand Tavernier), The Flight of the Eagle (Sweden, Jan Troell), Private Life (Soviet Union, Yuli Raizman)
1981: Mephisto (Hungary, István Szabó) — beat The Boat Is Full (Switzerland, Markus Imhoof), Man of Iron (Poland, Andrzej Wajda), Muddy River (Japan Kōhei Oguri), Three Brothers (Italy, Francesco Rosi)
1980: Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (Soviet Union, Vladimir Menshov) — beat Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior), (Japan, Akira Kurosawa), The Last Metro (France, François Truffaut), Confidence (Hungary, István Szabó), The Nest (Spain, Jaime de Armiñán)
1979: The Tin Drum (West Germany, Volker Schlöndorff) — beat The Maids of Wilko (Poland, Andrzej Wajda), Mama Turns a Hundred (Spain, Carlos Saura), A Simple Story (France, Claude Sautet), To Forget Venice (Italy, Franco Brusati)
1978: Get Out Your Handkerchiefs (France, Bertrand Blier) — beat The Glass Cell (West Germany, Hans W. Geißendörfer), Viva Italia! (Italy, Mario Monicelli, Dino Risi, Ettore Scola), White Bim Black Ear (Soviet Union, Stanislav Rostotsky), Hungarians (Hungary, Zoltán Fábri)
1977: Madame Rosa (France, Moshé Mizrahi) — beat Operation Thunderbolt (Israel, Menahem Golan), Iphigenia (Greece, Michael Cacoyannis), A Special Day (Italy, Ettore Scola), That Obscure Object of Desire (Spain, Luis Buñuel)
1976: Black and White in Color (Ivory Coast, Jean-Jacques Annaud) — beat Cousin, Cousine (France, Jean-Charles Tacchella), Jacob the Liar (East Germany, Frank Beyer), Nights and Days (Poland, Jerzy Antczak), Seven Beauties (Italy, Lina Wertmüller)
1975: Dersu Uzala (Soviet Union, Akira Kurosawa) — beat Scent of a Woman (Italy, Dino Risi), Letters from Marusia (Mexico, Miguel Littín), The Promised Land (Poland, Andrzej Wajda), Sandakan No. 8 (Japan, Kei Kumai)
1974: Amarcord (Italy, Federico Fellini) — beat Cats’ Play (Hungary, Károly Makk), Lacombe, Lucien (France, Louis Malle), The Truce (Argentina, Sergio Renán), The Deluge (Poland, Jerzy Hoffman)
1973: Day for Night (France, François Truffaut) — beat L’Invitation (Switzerland, Claude Goretta), The Pedestrian (West Germany, Maximilian Schell), The House on Chelouche Street (Israel, Moshé Mizrahi), Turkish Delight (Netherlands, Paul Verhoeven)
1972: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (France, Luis Buñuel) — beat The New Land (Sweden, Jan Troell), The Dawns Here Are Quiet (Soviet Union, Stanislav Rostotsky), I Love You Rosa Ani (Israel, Moshé Mizrahi), My Dearest Señorita (Spain, Jaime de Armiñán)
1971: The Garden of the Finzi Continis (Italy, Vittorio De Sica) — beat The Emigrants (Sweden, Jan Troell), Dodes’ka-Den (Japan, Akira Kurosawa), The Policeman (Israel, Ephraim Kishon), Tchaikovsky (Soviet Union, Igor Talankin)
1970: Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (Italy, Elio Petri) — beat Tristana (Spain, Luis Buñuel), First Love (Switzerland, Maximilian Schell), Hoa-Binh (France, Raoul Coutard), Paix Sur Les Champs (Belgium, Jacques Boigelot)
1969: Z (Algeria, Costa-Gavras) — beat Ådalen ’31 (Sweden, Bo Widerberg), The Battle of Neretva (Yugoslavia, Veljko Bulajić), The Brothers Karamazov (Soviet Union, Kirill Lavrov and Ivan Pyryev and Mikhail Ulyanov), My Night with Maud (France, Eric Rohmer)
1968: War and Peace (Soviet Union, Sergei Bondarchuk) — beat Stolen Kisses (France, François Truffaut), The Boys of Paul Street (Hungary, Zoltán Fábri), The Firemen’s Ball (Czechoslovakia, Miloš Forman), The Girl with the Pistol (Italy, Mario Monicelli)
1967: Closely Watched Trains (Czechoslovakia, Jiří Menzel) — beat El Amor Brujo (Spain, Francisco Rovira Beleta), Live for Life (France, Claude Lelouch), Even Met Happy Gypsies (Yugoslavia, Aleksandar Petrović), Portrait of Chieko (Japan, Noboru Nakamura)
1966: A Man and a Woman (France, Claude Lelouch) — beat The Battle of Algiers (Italy, Gillo Pontecorvo), Loves of a Blonde (Czechoslovakia, Miloš Forman), Pharaoh (Poland, Jerzy Kawalerowicz), Three (Yugoslavia, Aleksandar Petrović)
1965: The Shop on Main Street (Czechoslovakia, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos Slovak) — beat Blood on the Land (Greece, Vasilis Georgiadis), Dear John (Sweden, Lars-Magnus Lindgren), Kwaidan (Japan, Masaki Kobayashi), Marriage Italian Style (Italy, Vittorio De Sica)
1964: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (Italy, Vittorio De Sica) — beat Raven’s End (Sweden, Bo Widerberg), Sallah (Israel, Ephraim Kishon), The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (France, Jacques Demy), The Woman in the Dunes (Japan, Hiroshi Teshigahara)
1963: 8½ (Italy, Federico Fellini) — beat Knife in the Water (Poland, Roman Polanski), Los Tarantos (Spain, Francisco Rovira Beleta), The Red Lanterns (Greece, Vasilis Georgiadis), Twin Sisters of Kyoto (Japan, Noboru Nakamura)
1962: Sundays and Cybele (France, Serge Bourguignon) — beat Keeper of Promises (Brazil, Anselmo Duarte), Electra (Greece, Michael Cacoyannis), The Four Days of Naples (Italy, Nanni Loy), Tlayucan (Mexico, Luis Alcoriza)
1961: Through a Glass Darkly (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman) — beat Plácido (Spain, Luis García Berlanga), Immortal Love (Japan, Keisuke Kinoshita), The Important Man (Mexico, Ismael Rodríguez), Harry and the Butler (Denmark, Bent Christensen)
1960: The Virgin Spring (Sweden, Ingmar Bergman) — beat Kapò (Italy, Gillo Pontecorvo), La Vérité (France, Henri-Georges Clouzot), Macario (Mexico, Roberto Gavaldón), The Ninth Circle (Yugoslavia, France Štiglic)
1959: Black Orpheus (France, Marcel Camus) — beat The Great War (Italy, Mario Monicelli), Paw (Denmark, Astrid Henning-Jensen), The Bridge (West Germany, Bernhard Wicki), The Village on the River (Netherlands, Fons Rademakers)
1958: My Uncle (France, Jacques Tati) — beat La Venganza (Spain, Juan Antonio Bardem), Arms and the Man (West Germany, Franz Peter Wirth), The Road a Year Long (Yugoslavia, Giuseppe De Santis), The Usual Unidentified Thieves (Italy, Mario Monicelli)
1957: Nights of Cabiria (Italy, Federico Fellini) — beat Mother India (India, Mehboob Khan), The Devil Strikes at Night (West Germany, Robert Siodmak), Gates of Paris (France, René Clair), Nine Lives (Norway, Arne Skouen)
1956: La Strada (Italy, Federico Fellini) — beat Gervaise (France, René Clément), Captain of Köpenick (West Germany, Helmut Käutner), Harp of Burma (Japan, Kon Ichikawa), Qivitoq (Denmark, Erik Balling)
