Oscar© 2023 Best International Feature

Voting on the Shortlist of 15 international features that are vying for the Nomination looks tight…leading the pack will be Poland’s EO, So. Korea’s Decision to Leave, Norway’s War Sailor, and Belgium’s Close and Morocco’s Blue Caftan. My pick for the winner is ‘EO’ or ‘Decision to Leave’ but  ‘Close’ will be close in there as well. It's a touch year this year because there are so many good films and some did not even get seen. Below you can read about the films I have seen though I have not yet found the right words to write about Canada's 'Eternal Spring' about China.

My guess is that the shortlist of 15 finalists, to be announced on December 21 (with the final five nominees announced January 24, 2023 and the 95th Academy Awards taking place March 12, 2023) will include ten more from the following: Germany’s All Quiet on the Western Front, Lebanon’s Memory Box, Venezuela’s The Box, Pakistan’s Joyland, Ireland’s The Quiet Girl, Armenia’s Aurora’s Sunrise, Denmark’s Holy Spider, Austria’s Corset, Cambodia’s Return to Seoul, Japan’s Plan 75 and Mexico’s Bardo. Canada’s documentary Eternal Spring (Chángchūn) in Mandarin and English, directed by Jason Loftus would be a contender, but in fairness, it should instead be be shortlisted and nominated for the best documentary, perhaps even winning the Oscar.