Oscars Predictions: International Feature – Is ‘Zone of Interest’ the New Frontrunner or Will ‘The Taste of Things’ Bring France Its First Win in 30 Years?

Clayton Davis
·5-min read

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

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2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best International Feature

The Promised Land
The Promised Land

Weekly Commentary (Updated Sept. 28, 2023): In a surprising twist, France’s Oscar committee has chosen the culinary romance “The Taste of Things” over “Anatomy of a Fall,” Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winning film, to represent the country in the international feature film race.

France hasn’t won an Oscar for best international film since Régis Wargnier’s “Indochine” (1992). The last nomination for France in the international feature film category dates back to Ladj Ly’s police brutality thriller “Les Misérables” (2018). Nonetheless, whatever the entrant will be, they’ll face stiff competition with Germany’s “The Teachers’ Lounge” and Finland’s “Fallen Leaves,” which are already announced as representatives for their native lands.

The U.K. has also selected Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” as its contender for the Oscars and a likely best picture player for A24. BAFTA is the organization appointed by AMPAS to select the U.K.’s submission to the category.

In addition, Italy chose “Io Capitano” over “La Chimera,” while Spain chose J.A. Bayona’s “Society of the Snow.”

Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.

The submission deadline for general categories is Nov. 18, 2023. Preliminary shortlist voting will begin on Dec. 18, with the results announced on Dec. 21. The voting period will run from Jan. 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on Jan. 23.

The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10.

***The list below is not final and will be updated throughout the awards season.

And the Predicted Nominees Are:

  1. “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom) — dir. Jonathan Glazer

  2. “Perfect Days” (Japan) — dir. Wim Wenders

  3. “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany) — dir. İlker Çatak

  4. “The Taste of Things” (France) — dir. Trần Anh Hùng

  5. “Society of the Snow” (Spain) — dir. J.A. Bayona

Next in Line

  1. “Fallen Leaves” (Finland) — dir. Aki Kaurismäki

  2. “Io capitano” (Italy) — dir. Matteo Garrone

  3. “The Settlers” (Chile) — dir. Felipe Gálvez Haberle

  4. “The Peasants” (Poland) — dir. D.K. Welchman, Hugh Welchman

  5. “Shayda” (Australia) — dir. Noora Niasari

Other Top-Tier Possibilities

  1. “The Promised Land” (Denmark) — dir. Nikolaj Arcel

  2. “Four Daughters” (Tunisia) — dir. Kaouther Ben Hania

  3. “20 Days in Mariupol” (Ukraine) — dir. Mstyslav Chernov

  4. “The Monk and the Gun” (Bhutan) — dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji

  5. “About Dry Grasses” (Turkey) — dir. Nuri Bilge Ceylan

  6. “Tótem” (Mexico) — dir. Lila Avilés

  7. “Godland” (Iceland) — dir. Hlynur Pálmason

  8. “The Night Guardian” (Iran) — dir. Reza Mirkarimi

  9. “The Mother of All Lies” (Morocco) — dir. Asmae El Moudir

  10. “Amerikatsi” (Armenia) — dir. Michael A. Goorjian

Also In Contention

  1. “Concrete Utopia” (South Korea) — dir. Um Tae-hwa

  2. “A Male” (Colombia) — dir. Fabián Hernández Alvarado

  3. “Excursion” (Bosnia and Herzegovina) — dir. Una Gunjak

  4. “Traces” (Croatia) — dir. Dubravka Turic

  5. “The Visitor” (Bolivia) — dir. Martín Boulocq

  6. “Pictures of Ghosts” (Brazil) — dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho

  7. “Family Album” (Uruguay) — dir. Guillermo Rocamora

  8. “Blaga’s Lessons” (Bulgaria) — dir. Stephan Komandarev

  9. “Rojek” (Canada) — dir. Zaynê Akyol

  10. “A Male” (Colombia) — dir. Fabián Hernández Alvarado

All Official Submissions (Alphabetized by Country)**

  • “Alexander” (Albania)

  • “Amerikatsi” (Armenia)

  • “Shayda” (Australia)

  • “No Ground Beneath the Feet” (Bangladesh)

  • “Omen” (Belgium)

  • “The Monk and the Gun” (Bhutan)

  • “The Visitor” (Bolivia)

  • “Excursion” (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

  • “Pictures of Ghosts” (Brazil)

  • “Blaga’s Lesson” (Bulgaria)

  • “Rojek” (Canada)

  • “The Settlers” (Chile)

  • “A Male” (Colombia)

  • “Traces” (Croatia)

  • “Brothers” (Czech Republic)

  • “The Promised Land” (Denmark)

  • “Voy! Voy! Voy!” (Egypt)

  • “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood” (Estonia)

  • “Fallen Leaves” (Finland)

  • “The Taste of Things” (France)

  • “Citizen Saint” (Georgia)

  • “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany)

  • “Behind the Haystacks” (Greece)

  • “A Light Never Goes Out” (Hong Kong)

  • “Four Souls of Coyote” (Hungary)

  • “Godland” (Iceland)

  • “Autobiography” (Indonesia)

  • “The Night Guardian” (Iran)

  • “Hanging Gardens” (Iraq)

  • “Seven Blessings” (Israel)

  • “Io capitano” (Italy)

  • “Perfect Days” (Japan)

  • “This is What I Remember” (Kyrgyzstan)

  • “My Freedom” (Latvia)

  • “Slow” (Lithuania)

  • “The Last Ashes” (Luxembourg)

  • “Tótem” (Mexico)

  • “Thunders” (Moldova)

  • “Sirin” (Montenegro)

  • “The Mother of All Lies” (Morocco)

  • “Halkara” (Nepal)

  • “Sweet Dreams” (Netherlands)

  • “Housekeeping for Beginners” (North Macedonia)

  • “Songs of Earth” (Norway)

  • “Bye Bye Tiberias” (Palestine)

  • “Tito, Margot & Me” (Panama)

  • “The Last Runway 2, Commando Yaguarete” (Paraguay)

  • “The Erection of Toribio Bardelli” (Peru)

  • “The Peasants” (Poland)

  • “Bad Living” (Portugal)

  • “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World” (Romania)

  • “Photophobia” (Slovakia)

  • “Riders” (Slovenia)

  • “Concrete Utopia” (South Korea)

  • “Society of the Snow” (Spain)

  • “Goodbye Julia” (Sudan)

  • “Opponent” (Sweden)

  • “Thunder” (Switzerland)

  • “Marry My Dead Body” (Taiwan)

  • “Melody” (Tajikistan)

  • “Four Daughters” (Tunisia)

  • “About Dry Grasses” (Turkey)

  • “20 Days in Mariupol” (Ukraine)

  • “The Zone of Interest” (United Kingdom)

  • “Family Album” (Uruguay)

  • “The Burdened” (Yemen)

2022 category winner: “All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany) — dir. Edward Berger

** indicates an unconfirmed release date in 2023 or could campaign in the lead or supporting categories. All release dates are subject to change.

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About the Academy Awards

The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the nearly 10,000-person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.

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