67 countries vie for the top five noms (announced Jan. 22, 2009) to stand as contenders for the 2009 Foreign Language Film Oscar (Feb. 22, 2009). Get global:
Afghanistan: Opium War, Siddiq Barmak (dir. of Osama)
Albania: The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider (Smutek paní Snajdrové), Piro Milkani & Eno Milkani
Algeria: Masquerades, Lyes Salem (actor & first-time feature director)
Argentina: Lion's Den (Leonera), Pablo Trapero (Cannes Palme d'Or nominated film by multi-award winning director with Rodrigo Santoro)
Austria: Revanche, Götz Spielmann (multi-award winning film at Berlin film fest)
Azerbaijan: Fortress, Shamil Nacafzada
Bangladesh: Aha!, Enamul Karim Nirjhar (documentarian and architect)
Belgium: Eldorado, Bouli Lanners (multi-award winning director)
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Snow (Snijeg), Aida Begic (feature debut; fest-hopping after premiere at Cannes)
Brazil: Last Stop 174 (Última Parada 174), Bruno Barreto (premiered in Toronto; Foreign Language Oscar nom for Four Days in September)
Bulgaria: Zift, Javor Gardev (feature debut)
Canada: The Necessities of Life (Ce qu'il faut pour vivre), Benoît Pilon (multi-award winning film at Montreal fest)
Chile: Tony Manero, Pablo Larrain (soph film for filmmaker of 2006 fest winner Fuga)
China: Dream Weavers, Jun Gu
Colombia: Dog Eat Dog (Perro come perro), Carlos Moreno (multi-fest winning film, nominated for Sundance's Grand Jury Prize; feature film debut for director)
Croatia: No One's Son (Niciji sin), Arsen Anton Ostojic (big winner at Croatia's Pula fest; filmmaker behind 2004 multi-award winner A Wonderful Night in Split)
Czech Republic: The Karamazovs, Petr Zelenka (filmmaker behind 1997 multi-award winner The Button-Pushers)
Denmark: Worlds Apart (To verdener), Niels Arden Oplev (filmmaker behind 2006 multi-award winner We Shall Overcome)
Egypt: The Island (El Gezira), Sherif Arafa
Estonia: I Was Here (Mina olin siin), René Vilbre
Finland: The Home of Dark Butterflies (Tummien perhosten koti), Dome Karukoski
France: The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet (Palme d'Or winning film; filmmaker behind 1999 multi-award winner Human Resources)
Georgia: Mediator, Dito Tsintsadze (multi-award winning filmmaker; stars Trainspotting's Ewen Bremner)
Germany: The Baader Meinhof Complex, Uli Edel (dir. of "The Mists of Avalon" and Madonna's Body of Evidence)
Greece: Correction (Diorthosi), Thanos Anastopoulos (winner at Thessaloniki fest; second film for director)
Hong Kong: Painted Skin (Wa pei), Gordon Chan (multi-award winning filmmaker)
Hungary: Iska's Journey (Iszka utazása), Csaba Bollók (award-winning film)
Iceland: White Night Wedding (Brúðguminn), Baltasar Kormákur (award-winning director of 101 Reykjavík & Jar City)
India: Stars on Earth (Taare Zameen Par), Aamir Khan (winner at FilmFare; first-time directing actor, star of Lagaan)
Iran: The Song of Sparrows (Avaze gonjeshk-ha), Majid Majidi (Berlin fest winner; multi-award winning filmmaker of Baran)
Israel: Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir), Ari Folman (multi-award winner & Palme d'Or nom)
Italy: Gomorra, Matteo Garrone (winner of Cannes Grand Prix; multi-award winning director)
Japan: Departures (Okuribito), Yojiro Takita (Montréal World film fest winner; mutli-award winning director)
Jordan: Captain Abu Raed, Amin Matalqa (multi-award winner including Sundance audience award; directing debut)
Kazakhstan: Tulpan, Sergey Dvortsevoy (winner of Cannes Prix Un Certain Regard; director of multi-award winning Bread Day)
Korea: Crossing (Keurosing), Tae-kyun Kim
Kyrgyzstan: Heavens Blue (Tengri), Marie-Jaoul de Poncheville
Latvia: Defenders of Riga, Aigars Grauba
Lebanon: Under the Bombs, Philippe Aractingi
Lithuania: Loss, Maris Martinsons
Luxembourg: Nuits d'Arabie, Paul Kieffer
Macedonia: I'm from Titov Veles, Teona Strugar Mitevska
Mexico: Tear This Heart Out, Roberto Sneider
Morocco: Goodbye Mothers, Mohamed Ismail
The Netherlands: Dunya & Desie, Dana Nechushtan
Norway: O'Horten, Bent Hamer
Palestine: Salt of this Sea, Annemarie Jacir
Philippines: Ploning, Dante Nico Garcia
Poland: Tricks, Andrzej Jakimowski
Portugal: Our Beloved Month of August, Miguel Gomes
Romania: The Rest is Silence, Nae Caranfil
Russia: Mermaid, Anna Melikyan
Serbia: The Tour, Goran Markovic
Singapore: My Magic, Eric Khoo
Slovakia: Blind Loves, Juraj Lehotsky
Slovenia: Rooster's Breakfast, Marko Nabersnik
South Africa: Jerusalema, Ralph Ziman
Spain: The Blind Sunflowers, Jose Luis Cuerda
Sweden: Everlasting Moments, Jan Troell
Switzerland: The Friend, Micha Lewinsky
Taiwan: Cape No. 7, Te-Sheng Wei
Thailand: Love of Siam, Chookiat Sakveerakul
Turkey: 3 Monkeys, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Ukraine: Illusion of Fear, Aleksandr Kiriyenko
United Kingdom: Hope Eternal, Karl Francis
Uruguay: Kill Them All, Esteban Schroeder
Venezuela: The Color of Fame, Alejandro Bellame Palacios