We will fill in news as it happens and conjecture as it happens as well ...until we have the final submission list and our trademark charts will be as detailed as you've grown accustomed to. 

most recent update: October 14th, 2011

ISRAEL to VENEZUELA

THERE ARE 63 FINALISTS. 

• Albania to Ireland - the first half of the chart

For a quicker survey, here are our "way too soon" predictions (without seeing many of the films) in bold. More to come obviously. In the meantime, follow articles on this year's Oscar race. 

Links to Official Sites will be added this weekend PLEASE EXCUSE A FULL BLANK SPOTS - AND MESSY CODING --  AS WE FILL IN DETAILS / SPRUCE UP CHARTS THIS WEEKEND
ISRAEL  9 nominations "Footnote" Joseph Cedar	ITALY 26 noms | 10 wins | 2 honorary "Terraferma"  Emanuele Crialese	JAPAN 12 noms | 1 win | 3 honorary "Postcard" Kaneto Shindô	KAZAKHSTAN 1 nomination "Returning to the 'A'" Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky	LEBANON never nominated "Where Do We Go Now?" Nadine Labaki
Details 103 min | Hebrew Genre Family Drama Starring Shlomo Bar Aba, Israeli movie star Lior Ashkenazi (Late Marriage) and Yuval Scharf Synopsis  Father and Son Talmud professors are major rivals at Hebrew University in Jerusalem Additional Info The film won big at Israel's Oscars "The Ophirs" [more]	Details 88 min | Italian, Sicilian & Amahric Genre Immigration Drama Starring Filippo Pucillo, Donatella Finocchiara, Guiseppe Fiorello Synopsis  A Sicilian family and the immigrants on their island Additional Info Special Jury Prize at Venice	Details 109 min | Japanese Genre Post War Family Drama Starring Etsushi Toyakawa and Shinobu Ohtake Synopsis A soldier struggles with his family in the aftermath of World War II Additional Info This is the self proclaimed last film from the still living 98 year old filmmaker		Details 110 min | Multilingual Genre Musical Comedy / Religious Drama Starring Nadine Labaki Synopsis Village women attempt to ease the tension between Christian and Muslim men through pranks  Additional Info This won People's Choice at TIFF... always a good sign (TIFF reviews)
LITHUANIA never nominated "Back To Your Arms" Kristijonas Vildžiūnas	MACEDONIA 1 nomination "Punk's Not Dead" Vladimir Blazevski	MEXICO 8 nominations "Miss Bala" Gerardo Naranjo	MOROCCO never nominated  "Omar Killed Me" Roschdy Zem	THE NETHERLANDS 7 noms | 3 wins "Sonny Boy" Maria Peters
Details 90 min | Multilingual Genre Post War Family Drama Synopsis A father and daughter separated by world war II, meeting in Berlin in 1961	Details unknown min | multilingual Genre black comedy Synopsis a group of former punk musicians decide to revive their band 17 years later	Details 113 min | Spanish and English Genre Crime Drama Starring Stephanie Sigman and Irene Azuela Synopsis A beauty queen gets mixed up with organized crime. Additional Info Very buzzy entry which won the submission over:180, Dias de Gracia, El Baile de San Juan, Flores en el Desierto, La Mitad del Mundo, Bala Mordida, Sieta Instantes, Somos lo que Hay, Una Pared Para Cecilia, Viaje Redondo [more on this film]	Details 85 min | French Genre Biopic / Prison Legal Drama Starring Sami Bouajila Synopsis A man suffers through the penal system despite only circumstancial evidence in his case Additional Info Kind of an extension of two recent Algerian nominees Outside the Lawand Days of Glory as it's essentially the same filmmaking trio Rachid Bouchareb, Roschdy Zem and Sami Bouajila... albeit in different job positions this time.	Details 130 min | Dutch Genre Biopic / Romantic Drama / Pre War Epic Starring Martijn Lakemeier Synopsis Scandalous story of a love affair between a 19 year old black student and a married fortysomething mother. The title comes from the nickname they give their baby  Additional Info The Dutch can't ever be counted out Best Foreign Film wise and this year, they've got a film which begins in the 1920s and apparently ends during or just before World War II
NEW ZEALAND FIRST SUBMISSION !!! "The Orator" Tusi Tamasese	NORWAY 5 nominations "Happy Happy" Anne Sewitsky	PERU 1 nomination "October" Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal	THE PHILIPPINES never nominated "Woman in a Septic Tank" Marlon Rivera	POLAND 8 nominations "In Darkness" Agnieska Holland
Details unknown min | Samoan Genre unknown Starring Fialu Sanote Synopsis unknown Additional Info this is New Zealand's first submission	Details 85 min | Norwegian Genre Marital Dramedy Starring Agnes Kittlesen, Henrik Rafaelsen, Joachim Rafaelsen, Maibritt Saerens Synopsis A man suffers throu Additional Info Norway's Amanda Awards were misleading this year, focusing on hit high profile homegrown films like Nokas or The King of Devil's Island but neither made the finalist list.Happy Happy beat out two other finalists, the punk rock movie Sons of Norway, and Joachim Trier's Oslo, 31, August.	Details 83 min | Spanish Genre Drama Starring Bruno Odar and Gabriela Velasquez Synopsis A man reconsiders his life when a prostitute drops a baby daughter in his lap and his neighbor begins to care for her.	Details unknown min | Filipino and Tagalog Genre  Filmmaking Satire Starring Eugene Domingo as herself and the character she's playing Synopsis A group of filmmakers planning an epic poverty drama sees them reimagining their film over and over -- with much comic variation -- with their lead actress, the well loved comedic actress who is playing  a version of herself in the movie. A little more on this one...	Details unknown min | Multilingual Genre WW II Drama Starring Robert Wieckiewicz and Benno Fürmann Synopsis One man rescues Jewish refugees in a Nazi occupied Polish city Additional Info  Though they've never won this prize, watch out. This is from the Oscar-nominated writer/director of Europa Europa (which would probably have won the prize had it been submitted in its year).
PORTUGAL never nominated "Jose & Pilar" Miguel Gonçalves Mendes	ROMANIA never nominated "Morgen" Marian Crisan	RUSSIA 13 noms | 4 wins "Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus" Nikita Mikhalkov	SERBIA never nominated "Montevideo God Bless You" Dragan Bjelogrlić	SINGAPORE never nominated "Tatsumi" Eric Khoo
Details 125 min | Spanish and Portuguese Genre Documentary Topic The marriage of the famous novelist Jose Saramago (Blindness) as well as the friction between this private artist and public life.  Additional Info  Both director Fernando Meirelles and actor Gael García Bernal appear in the film as themselves	Details 100 min | Romanian and Hungarian Genre Immigration Drama Starring Andras Hathazi, Yilmaz Yakin and Elvira Rimbu Synopsis A poor farmer and a border guard develop an unlikely friendship.  Additional Info A ittle lighter than what Romania usually submits. Could it be the first Oscar nominee from this cinematic hotspot?	Details 150-181 min (depending on which cut) | Russian Genre WW II Drama Starring Nikita Mikhalkov Synopsis We revisit the characters from the first film who have survived Stalin's Purge and now facing advancing Nazis. Additional Info This sequel to the 90s Oscar winner flopped with critics & audiences.  More on this controversial selection. Will they withdraw it?	Details 140 min | Serbian and Bulgarian Genre Period Sports Drama Starring Milos Bikovic and Petar Strugar  Synopsis Young men with big dreams journey to the World Football event in Uruguay.  Additional Info It's also apparently a nostalgia soaked period piece with a comely young cast about life in 30s Belgrade	Details 94 min | Japanese Genre animated biopic Synopsis About the manga artist Yoshihiru Tatsumi
SLOVAK REPUBLIC never nominated "Gypsy (Cigan)" Martin Sulik	SOUTH AFRICA 2 noms | 1 win "Skoonheid (Beauty)" Oliver Hermanus	SOUTH KOREA never nominated  "The Front Line" Jang Hun	SPAIN 19 noms | 4 wins "Pa Negre (Black Bread)" Agustí Villaronga	SWEDEN 14 noms | 3 wins "Beyond" Pernilla August
Details unknown min (depending on which cut) | Slovakian and Romanian Genre Coming of Age Drama Starring apparently the director used real gypsies and non-actors Synopsis a gypsy boy's father dies and he must fend for himself	Details 98 min | Afrikaans and English Genre Sexual Drama Starring Deon Lotz Synopsis The story of an Afrikaaner who hides his secret from family, friends and even himself. Additional Info Winner of the Queer Palmes at Cannes 2011	Details 133 min | Korean Genre War Drama Starring Shin Ha-kyun, Go Soo, and Ok-bin Kim (fromThirst) Synopsis A ceasefire during the Korean War leads to a murder investigation as a commander is found dead. Additional Info Selected over 5 other finalists Poonsang, Sunny, The Yellow Sea, Hanji andthe Day He Arrives	Details 108 min | Catalan (the first Spanish submission in the Catalan language) Genre War Drama Starring Francesc Colomer Synopsis After the Spanish Civil War a young boy finds dead bodies in the forest. The authorities want his father charged with the murder. Investigation follows and the boy must find his own moral compass. Additional Info This Goya winner was selected over Almodovar'sThe Skin I Live In and the Franco-era women's rights drama La Voz Dormida more on this film	Details unknown min | Swedish and Finnish Genre Family Drama, Abuse Starring Ola and Noomi Rapace (husband and wife) Synopsis Character study of the adult child of alcoholics  in the 1970s. Additional Info This is the directorial debut of actress Pernilla August. The film was nominated for several Swedish Oscars but Noomi lost Best Actress to 22 year old rising star Alicia Vikander (Pure).
SWITZERLAND 5 noms | 2 wins "Summer Games" Rolando Colla	TAIWAN 3 noms | 1 win "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale" Wei Te-Sheng	THAILAND never nominated  "Kon Khon" Sarunyu Wongkrachang	TURKEY never nominated "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia" Nuri Bilge Ceylan	UNITED KINGDOM "Patagonia" Marc Evans
Details unknown min | Italian Genre Family Drama Starring Fiorella Campanella, Armando Condolucci Synopsis Two couples (one adult, one teenage) holiday at the beach.	Details unknown but over 120 min | Aboriginal Genre Epic War Action Film Starring Masanobu Andô and Umin Boya Synopsis Taiwans tribal villages lash back at the Japanese who have robbed them of their lands.	Details unknown min | Thai Genre unknown Starring Sorapong Chatree Synopsis unknown Additional Info  The director is also an actor and has appeared in the Ong Bak movies	Details 150 min | Turkish Genre Crime Drama Starring Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan, Ahmet Mumtaz Taylan, Firat Tanis Synopsis The search for a dead body. Additional Info  Won the Grand Jury prize at Cannes and was just nominated for the Asian Pacific Awards Best Feature Film prize.
URUGUAY 1 nomination "The Silent House" Gustavo Hernandez	VENEZUELA never nominated "The Rumble of the Stones" Alejandro Bellame Palacios	VIETNAM 1 nomination "Thang Long Aspiration" Lưu Trọng Ninh
Details 74-86 min (depending on cut) | Spanish Genre Period Horror Starring Florencio Colucci, Abel Tripaldi Synopsis  A father and a daughter spend the night in a cottage that holds dark secrets based on a 1940s legend. Additional Info It bills itself as the first horror film in one continuous shot.	Details 100 min | Spanish Genre Family Drama Starring Rossana Fernández, Christian González and Juan Carlos Nuñez Synopsis A mother struggles to keep her family together as her sons are prey to a violent poverty-stricken environment	Details unknown min | Vietnamese Genre Historical Epic  Synopsis The violent transition between feudal system and a dynasty in the 9th century Additional Info This film won a very narrow victory for submission over the controversial “Floating Lives” and another historical epic “The Fate of a Songstress in Thang Long”
ALL OSCAR ARTICLES

back to ALBANIA to IRELAND

Thank you to the following readers or friends (or both) for their help thus far:
Brad, David, Geert, Guy, Hugo, Ivan, Jin, Jonah, Jordi, Jorge, José, Marcio, Marcos, Patrick, SkyFly, Thomas and Yonatan

Entries that were submitted but do not appear on the finalist list for one reason or another: 
Albania's "The Forgiveness of Blood" and Slovenia's "Silent Sonata" which is sometimes referred to as "Circus Fantasticus"

Countries that sometimes or regularly submit that didn't this year:
Algeria, Bangladesh, Iraq,  and Luxembourg