List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has given Academy Awards to foreign language films since 1945. The Academy defines a foreign language film as a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. Films that meet these criteria are eligible for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. They can be nominated for awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film provided that they have been commercially released in Los Angeles County and comply with the special rules governing those categories. In addition, foreign-language films produced in the United States are not eligible for Best Foreign Language Film, but are eligible for awards in other categories.cite web | title = Special Rules for the Best Foreign Language Film Award|publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | url = http://www.oscars.org/79academyawards/rules/rule14.html | accessdate = 2008-07-13]

As of 2008, 24 foreign language films have won Academy Awards outside of the Best Foreign Language Film category. The foreign language films with the most awards are Sweden's "Fanny and Alexander" and Taiwan's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", with both winning four awards, including the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/forlangothercat.html|title=Foreign Language Films Other Categories|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|date=2008-02-24|accessdate=2008-07-13] "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" received ten Academy Award nominations, the highest number of nominations ever garnered for a foreign language film.cite web|url=http://english.people.com.cn/english/200103/26/eng20010326_65998.html|title='Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' Wins Best Foreign Film Oscar|publisher="People's Daily"|date=2001-03-26|accessdate=2008-07-13] No foreign language film has been a recipient of an Academy Award for Best Picture, although eight foreign language films have been nominees for the award.cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2006-02-27-groundbreaking-films_x.htm|title=When Oscar stood tall|publisher="USA Today"|author=Clark, Mike|date=2006-02-27|accessdate=2008-08-20]

Best Foreign Language Film winners

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1956.cite web | title = History of the Academy Awards - Page 2| publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | url = http://www.oscars.org/aboutacademyawards/history02.html | accessdate = 2008-07-13] The Foreign Language 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. Before the award was created in 1956, 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. These films were recipients of Academy Honorary Awards.cite web | title = History of the Academy Awards - Page 1| publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | url = http://www.oscars.org/aboutacademyawards/history01.html | accessdate = 2008-07-13]

Other categories

Films that are eligible for the Best Foreign Language Film category are able to compete for other Academy Awards if they had been commercially released in Los Angeles County and fulfill the requirements of the categories they are participating in. Among the foreign language films that have won Academy Awards outside the Best Foreign Language Film category, six have won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and "Gate of Hell" was the recipient of an Academy Honorary Award.cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970739.html?categoryid=2661&cs=1|title=Toho's film catalog riddled with gems|publisher="Variety"|author=Mermelstein, David|date=2007-08-23|accessdate=2008-07-13] cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117856491.html?nav=history|title=Best Foreign Film|publisher="Variety"|author="Variety" Staff|date=2007-03-01|accessdate=2008-07-13]

Notes

*note label|Note1|A|A Received an Academy Honorary Award as the best foreign language film in 1954 at the 27th Academy Awards
*note label|Note1|B|B Received an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in addition to awards in other categories
*note label|Note3|C|C Not eligible for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film because it was a U.S. production.

References

;General
*cite web|url=http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/forlangothercat.html|title=Foreign Language Films Other Categories|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences|date=2008-02-24|accessdate=2008-07-11

;Specific

External links

* [http://www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase/ The Official Academy Awards Database]
* [http://www.oscars.org/impc_site2/index.html The Motion Picture Credits Database]
* [http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Academy_Awards_USA/ IMDb Academy Awards Page]