Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Shortlist Down To Nine, Including 'A Separation' And 'Pina'

The sixty-three films eligible for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 2012 Oscars have been culled down to nine movies, and the resulting list is a bit surprising. Not making the cut is The Flowers of War, with Christian Bale, or Miss Bala, the Mexican film that did well at festivals last year.

Meanwhile the Belgian film Bullhead, which got a good reception at Fantastic Fest, did make the list, as did likely favorite to win A Separation, which took home a Golden Globe this past weekend.

Get the full list after the break.

The possible contenders for the Oscar are — and note this is not a nomination list, but the shortlist from which nominations can be chosen:

  • Bullhead, directed by Michael R. Roskam (Belgium)
  • Monsieur Lazhar, directed by Philippe Falardeau (Canada)
  • SuperClasico, directed by Ole Christian Madsen (Denmark)
  • Pina, directed by Wim Wenders (Germany)
  • A Separation, directed by Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
  • Footnote, directed by Joseph Cedar (Israel)
  • Omar Killed Me, directed by Roschdy Zem (Morocco)
  • In Darkness, directed by Agnieszka Holland (Poland)
  • Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, directed by Wei Te-sheng (Taiwan)