List of Japanese submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Japan has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film[nb 1] since the inception of the award. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[3]
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film was not created until 1956; however, between 1947 and 1955, the academy presented Honorary Awards to the best foreign language films released in the United States. These awards were not competitive, as there were no nominees but simply a winner every year that was voted on by the Board of Governors of the academy.[4] Three Japanese films were recipients of Honorary Awards during this period. For the 1956 Academy Awards, a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.[5]
As of 2023[update], thirteen Japanese films have been nominees for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, and two films, Departures and Drive My Car, have won the award.[6][7] The only Japanese directors to have multiple films be nominated for the award are Akira Kurosawa and Noboru Nakamura. Kurosawa received an Honorary Award prior to the inception of the formal award for his work on Rashomon and the actual Academy Award for Dersu Uzala (submitted for the former Soviet Union), and had four other films submitted, with two of them accepted as nominees.[8][9] Notably, Kurosawa's 1985 film Ran was deliberately not nominated by the Japanese film industry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film due to the poor perception he had among Japanese filmmakers at the time.[10] Nakamura had two films, Twin Sisters of Kyoto and Portrait of Chieko, submitted as nominees for the award.[11] Among all the countries that have submitted films for the award, Japan ranks fourth in terms of total nominees, ahead of both Sweden (fourteen nominees) and the former Soviet Union (nine nominees).[12]
Submissions[edit]
Every year, each country is invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to submit its best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. The International Feature Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award.[3] Before the award was created, the Board of Governors of the academy voted on a film every year that was considered the best foreign language film released in the United States, and there were no submissions.[4] Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Japan for review by the academy for the award since its inception.
All Japanese submissions were in Japanese. In 2023, Wim Wenders became the first non-Japanese director to have a film selected.
Year (Ceremony) |
Film title used in nomination | Original title | Director | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
1951 (24th) |
Rashomon | Rashōmon ( |
Akira Kurosawa | Won Honorary Award |
1954 (27th) |
Gate of Hell | Jigokumon ( |
Teinosuke Kinugasa | Won Honorary Award |
1955 (28th) |
Samurai, The Legend of Musashi | Miyamoto Musashi ( |
Hiroshi Inagaki | Won Honorary Award |
1956 (29th) |
Harp of Burma | Biruma no Tategoto (ビルマの |
Kon Ichikawa | Nominated |
1957 (30th) |
Aruse | Arakure (あらくれ) | Mikio Naruse | Not nominated |
1958 (31st) |
The Ballad of Narayama | Narayama-bushi Ko ( |
Keisuke Kinoshita | Not nominated |
1959 (32nd) |
Fires on the Plain | Nobi ( |
Kon Ichikawa | Not nominated |
1960 (33rd) |
Late Autumn | Akibiyori ( |
Yasujirō Ozu | Not nominated |
1961 (34th) |
Immortal Love | Eien no Hito ( |
Keisuke Kinoshita | Nominated |
1962 (35th) |
Being Two Isn't Easy | Watashi wa ni sai ( |
Kon Ichikawa | Not nominated |
1963 (36th) |
Twin Sisters of Kyoto | Koto ( |
Noboru Nakamura | Nominated |
1964 (37th) |
Woman in the Dunes | Suna no Onna ( |
Hiroshi Teshigahara | Nominated |
1965 (38th) |
Kwaidan | Kaidan ( |
Masaki Kobayashi | Nominated |
1966 (39th) |
Lake of Tears | Umi no Koto ( |
Tomotaka Tasaka | Not nominated |
1967 (40th) |
Portrait of Chieko | Chieko-sho ( |
Noboru Nakamura | Nominated |
1968 (41st) |
The Sands of Kurobe | Kurobe no Taiyō ( |
Kei Kumai | Not nominated |
1969 (42nd) |
Kuragejima, Legends From a Southern Island | Kamigami no fukaki yokubō ( |
Shōhei Imamura | Not nominated |
1970 (43rd) |
The Scandalous Adventures of Buraikan | Buraikan ( |
Masahiro Shinoda | Not nominated |
1971 (44th) |
Dodes'ka-den | Dodes'ka-den (どですかでん) | Akira Kurosawa | Nominated |
1972 (45th) |
Under the Flag of the Rising Sun | Gunki hatameku moto ni ( |
Kinji Fukasaku | Not nominated |
1973 (46th) |
Coup d'Etat | Kaigenrei ( |
Yoshishige Yoshida | Not nominated |
1974 (47th) |
The Fossil | Kaseki ( |
Masaki Kobayashi | Not nominated |
1975 (48th) |
Sandakan No. 8 | Sandakan Hachibanshokan Bohkyo (サンダカン |
Kei Kumai | Nominated |
1977 (50th) |
Mt. Hakkoda | Hakkōda-san ( |
Shiro Moritani | Not nominated |
1978 (51st) |
Empire of Passion | Ai no Bōrei ( |
Nagisa Oshima | Not nominated |
1979 (52nd) |
Gassan | Gassan ( |
Tetsutaro Murano | Not nominated |
1980 (53rd) |
Kagemusha (The Shadow Warrior) | Kagemusha ( |
Akira Kurosawa | Nominated |
1981 (54th) |
Muddy River | Doro no Kawa ( |
Kōhei Oguri | Nominated |
1982 (55th) |
Onimasa | Kiryūin hanako no shōgai ( |
Hideo Gosha | Not nominated |
1983 (56th) |
Antarctica | Nankyoku Monogatari ( |
Koreyoshi Kurahara | Not nominated |
1984 (57th) |
MacArthur's Children | Setouchi Shōnen Yakyū-dan ( |
Masahiro Shinoda | Not nominated |
1985 (58th) |
Gray Sunset | Hanaichimonme ( |
Shunya Ito | Not nominated |
1986 (59th) |
Final Take | Kinema no Tenchi (キネマの |
Yoji Yamada | Not nominated |
1987 (60th) |
Zegen | Zegen ( |
Shōhei Imamura | Not nominated |
1988 (61st) |
Hope and Pain | Dauntaun Hiirōzu (ダウンタウン・ヒーローズ) | Yoji Yamada | Not nominated |
1989 (62nd) |
Rikyu | Rikyu ( |
Hiroshi Teshigahara | Not nominated |
1990 (63rd) |
The Sting of Death | Shi no Toge ( |
Kōhei Oguri | Not nominated |
1991 (64th) |
Rhapsody in August | Hachigatsu no Kyōshikyoku ( |
Akira Kurosawa | Not nominated |
1992 (65th) |
The Oil-Hell Murder | Onna goroshi abura jigoku ( |
Hideo Gosha | Not nominated |
1993 (66th) |
Madadayo | Mādadayo (まあだだよ) | Akira Kurosawa | Not nominated |
1994 (67th) |
Pom Poko | Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko ( |
Isao Takahata | Not nominated |
1995 (68th) |
Deep River | Fukai Kawa ( |
Kei Kumai | Not nominated |
1996 (69th) |
Gakko II | Gakkō II ( |
Yoji Yamada | Not nominated |
1997 (70th) |
Princess Mononoke | Mononoke Hime (もののけ |
Hayao Miyazaki | Not nominated |
1998 (71st) |
Begging for Love | Ai o Kōhito ( |
Hideyuki Hirayama | Not nominated |
1999 (72nd) |
Poppoya | Poppoya ( |
Yasuo Furuhata | Not nominated |
2000 (73rd) |
After the Rain | Ame Agaru ( |
Takashi Koizumi | Not nominated |
2001 (74th) |
Go | GO | Isao Yukisada | Not nominated |
2002 (75th) |
Out | OUT | Hideyuki Hirayama | Not nominated |
2003 (76th) |
The Twilight Samurai | Tasogare Seibei (たそがれ |
Yoji Yamada | Nominated |
2004 (77th) |
Nobody Knows | Dare mo Shiranai ( |
Hirokazu Koreeda | Not nominated |
2005: (78th) |
Blood and Bones | Chi to Hone ( |
Yoichi Sai | Not nominated |
2006 (79th) |
Hula Girls | Hura Gāru (フラガール) | Sang-il Lee | Not nominated |
2007 (80th) |
I Just Didn't Do It | Soredemo boku wa yatte nai (それでもボクはやってない) | Masayuki Suo | Not nominated |
2008 (81st) |
Departures[13] | Okuribito (おくりびと) | Yōjirō Takita | Won Academy Award |
2009 (82nd) |
Nobody to Watch Over Me | Dare mo Mamotte Kurenai ( |
Ryoichi Kimizuka | Not nominated |
2010 (83rd) |
Confessions[14] | Kokuhaku ( |
Tetsuya Nakashima | Made shortlist[15] |
2011 (84th) |
Postcard [16] | Ichimai no hagaki ( |
Kaneto Shindō | Not nominated |
2012 (85th) |
Our Homeland[17] | Kazoku no kuni (かぞくのくに) | Yong-hi Yang | Not nominated |
2013 (86th) |
The Great Passage[18] | Fune o Amu ( |
Yuya Ishii | Not nominated |
2014 (87th) |
The Light Shines Only There[19] | Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (そこのみにて |
Mipo O | Not nominated |
2015 (88th) |
100 Yen Love[20] | Hyakuen no koi ( |
Masaharu Take | Not nominated |
2016 (89th) |
Nagasaki: Memories of My Son[21] | Haha to Kuraseba ( |
Yoji Yamada | Not nominated |
2017 (90th) |
Her Love Boils Bathwater[22] | Yu o Wakasu Hodo no Atsui Ai ( |
Ryōta Nakano | Not nominated |
2018 (91st) |
Shoplifters[23] | Manbiki Kazoku ( |
Hirokazu Kore-eda | Nominated[24] |
2019 (92nd) |
Weathering with You[25] | Tenki no Ko ( |
Makoto Shinkai | Not nominated |
2020 (93rd) |
True Mothers[26] | Asa ga Kuru ( |
Naomi Kawase | Not nominated |
2021 (94th) |
Drive My Car[27] | Doraibu mai kā (ドライブ・マイ・カー) | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Won Academy Award |
2022 (95th) |
Plan 75[28] | Chie Hayakawa | Not nominated | |
2023 (96th) |
Perfect Days[29] | Wim Wenders | Nominated |
See also[edit]
- List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film
- List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films
- Cinema of Japan
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
- General
- "List of Japanese films submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film" (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- Specific
- ^ "Academy announces rules for 92nd Oscars". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ "Academy Announces Rule Changes For 92nd Oscars". Forbes. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Rule Thirteen: Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 22 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
- ^ a b "History of the Academy Awards - Page 1". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 13 April 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
- ^ "History of the Academy Awards - Page 2". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
- ^ "List of Asian films nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film". University of California, Los Angeles. Archived from the original on 7 June 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ Variety Staff (1 March 2007). "Best Foreign Film". Variety. Retrieved 13 July 2008.
- ^ Kamimura, Marina (7 September 1998). "Film world mourns loss of 'giant' Akira Kurosawa". CNN. Archived from the original on 1 January 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "Akira Kurosawa - Awards". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2008. Archived from the original on 5 June 2008. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ Prince, Stephen. "Great Performances . Kurosawa . Ask the Experts Q & A". PBS. Retrieved 25 June 2008.
- ^ "Noboru Nakamura - Awards". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ "Foreign Language Film Facts". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 8 March 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2008.
- ^ Schilling, Mark; Lim, Marcus (12 September 2008). "Japan picks 'Departures' for Oscars". Variety. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
- ^ "Tetsuya Nakashima's "Confessions" lands an Oscar nod". japanator. Retrieved 3 October 2010.
- ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Continue to Oscar Race". oscars.org. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
- ^ Blair, Gavin J. (8 September 2011). "Japanese Entry for Foreign Language Oscar to Be 'Postcard'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ "Japan picks 'Our Homeland' as foreign language Oscar entry". Variety. Retrieved 8 September 2011.
- ^ "Japan Picks 'Passage' as Oscar Pic". Variety. Retrieved 9 May 2013.
- ^ "Japan Switches on to 'Light' as Foreign-Language Oscar Contender". Variety. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
- ^ "Japan Selects '100 Yen Love' as Academy Awards Contender". variety. 3 September 2015. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ Blair, Gavin J. (6 September 2016). "Oscars: Japan Selects 'Nagasaki: Memories of My Son' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ Blair, Gavin (5 September 2017). "Oscars: Japan Selects 'Her Love Boils Bathwater' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 September 2017.
- ^ Blair, Gavin (27 August 2018). "Oscars: Japan Selects Palme D'Or Winner 'Shoplifters' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
- ^ "Oscars 2019: The nominees in full". BBC News. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Blair, Gavin. "Oscars: Japan Picks 'Weathering With You' for International Feature Film Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (29 October 2020). "Kawase Naomi's 'True Mothers' Set as Japan's Oscar Nominee". Variety. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ ""Drive My Car" exhibited at the Academy Awards selection for Japan". Sankei. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Oscars Race: Japan Enters Sci-Fi Thriller 'Plan 75' in International Film Contest". Variety. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
- ^ "Japan selects Wim Wenders' 'Perfect Days' as international Oscar entry". Screen Daily. 4 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
External links[edit]