List of Australian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Submissions

As a majority-English-speaking country, Australia infrequently sends non-English language movies to the Oscars International Feature category. Three of their first five submissions were stories of the lives of immigrants to Australia. Australia's first submission, Floating Life is a drama about Cantonese immigrants from Hong Kong who reunite with their daughter who moved to Australia several years before. The second submission, La Spagnola is a black comedy about a pregnant Spanish immigrant who is deserted by her husband after arriving in Australia. A subsequent submission, The Home Song Stories is about a Chinese woman from Shanghai who moves to Australia with her two children after marrying an Australian citizen. Both principal actors, Clara Law and Tony Ayres, were born in Macau and became naturalized Australian citizens.

Australia's 2006, 2009 and 2014 submissions were Aboriginal Australian stories. Ten Canoes was the first feature film made primarily in one of Australia's Aboriginal languages. The film, set before the arrival of white Australian settlers, tells a story within a story, about what happens when a young man falls for one of the brides of the local chief. Samson & Delilah, the first Australian film to make an Oscar shortlist, won the Camera d'Or at Cannes in 2009, and focused on a teenaged Aboriginal couple on the run.

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 Australia for review by the Academy for the award by year and the respective Academy Awards ceremony.

Notes

References

References

1. (23 April 2019). "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
2. "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes.
3. "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].
4. "Ten Canoes (2006) - IMDb".
5. "History of the Academy Awards - Page 2". [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].
6. Runner-up: [[Van Diemen's Land (film). Van Diemen's Land]], directed by ''Jonathan auf der Heide''. Source: http://www.screendaily.com/awards/academy-awards/academy-awards-news/australia-selects-samson-for-foreign-language-oscar/5006233.article {{Webarchive. link. (1 October 2012)
7. "Australian film Lore up for an Oscar". Vogue.
8. "Australian film The Rocket has a shot at the Oscars". The Australian.
9. (October 2014). "Oscars: Australia Selects 'Charlie's Country' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter.
10. Maddox, Garry. (9 October 2015). "Arrows the Thunder Dragon: the Australian Oscar contender you won't have heard of". [[The Sydney Morning Herald]].
11. Frater, Patrick. (23 August 2016). "Australia Selects 'Tanna' as Foreign-Language Oscar Contender". [[Variety (magazine).
12. (24 January 2017). "Oscars 2017: The full nominations". BBC News.
13. Kilday, Gregg. (5 October 2017). "Oscars: 92 Films Submitted in Foreign-Language Category". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
14. Groves, Don. (9 October 2018). "'Jirga' is Australia's submission for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar". If.
15. Frater, Patrick. (25 September 2019). "Australia Floats ''Buoyancy'' as Its Oscars Contender". Variety.
16. (24 October 2021). "Oscars Race: Australia Selects Afghanistan Coproduction 'When Pomegranates Howl'". Variety.
17. (2022-10-06). "Oscars International Race 2022: Full Entries List (Updating)".
18. Slatter, Sean. (31 August 2023). "Noora Niasari's 'Shayda' submitted for Best International Feature Oscar".
19. Goodfellow, Melanie. (2025-09-23). "Oscars: Australia Submits 'The Wolves Always Come At Night' For Best International Feature Film Race".