We pointed out yesterday that we already had a record number of submissions for this year's Best Foreign Language Film Oscar race. Well, the Academy released the official list this afternoon and we actually ended up blowing past last year's record of 76: 83 countries have submitted for consideration in the 2014-2015 Oscar race.
Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iraq, Malta and Moldova were the outliers. And Malta, in fact, joins Kosovo, Mauritania and Panama as first-time entrants this year.
We've covered much of this in the lead-up to the official announcement, but to reiterate, frontrunners for nominations include Cannes Palme d'Or winner “Winter Sleep” from Turkey; Xavier Dolan's “Mommy” from Canada, another Cannes prize winner; Poland's striking black-and-white entry “Ida”; and Russia's surprising choice, given the politics of the film, “Leviathan.” Also formiddable are Mauritania's first-time selection, “Timbuktu,” and Argentina's boisterous “Wild Tales.”
We'll keep an eye on the race as it unfolds, but the Academy will help in the narrowing by announcing a list of nine finalists in December. Until then, check out the full list of submissions at our Best Foreign Language Film Contender page and feel free to think out loud on how this race will turn out in the comments section below.