Foreign Oscar Submissions 2009
by dzong | created - 10 Aug 2011 | updated - 02 Apr 2021 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Jamila and the President (2009)
87 min | Drama
Jamila is a prostitute serving a life sentence behind bars. She surrenders herself to the authorities after admitting she killed a high-ranking minister, and refuses to be represented by any lawyer or request a plea to ease her sentence.
Director: Ratna Sarumpaet | Stars: Atiqah Hasiholan, Christine Hakim, Fauzi Baadila, Ria Irawan
Votes: 59
2. El Traspatio (2009)
122 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The true story of the border town of Juarez, Mexico where since the mid-1990s thousands of women have gone missing or turned up as sun-burnt corpses in the desert. Can new police captain Blanca Bravo stop the savagery?
Director: Carlos Carrera | Stars: Ana de la Reguera, Asur Zagada, Marco Pérez, Ivan Cortes
Votes: 1,598
3. I Killed My Mother (2009)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Romance
A semi-autobiographical story about Hubert as a young homosexual at odds with his mother.
Director: Xavier Dolan | Stars: Anne Dorval, Xavier Dolan, François Arnaud, Suzanne Clément
Votes: 31,422
4. The Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A retired legal counselor writes a novel hoping to find closure for one of his past unresolved homicide cases and for his unreciprocated love with his superior - both of which still haunt him decades later.
Director: Juan José Campanella | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago, Carla Quevedo
Votes: 222,448 | Gross: $6.39M
5. Dawson Isla 10 (2008)
117 min | Drama
The ex-members of Chile's cabinet survive the prison on Dawson Island.
Director: Miguel Littin | Stars: Benjamín Vicuña, Bertrand Duarte, Pablo Krögh, Cristián de la Fuente
Votes: 381
6. Casanegra (2008)
131 min | Drama
Two childhood friends, Karim and Adil, prowl the streets of Casablanca, their native city. They do not do much, in fact they hustle rather than work. They are also unashamed dreamers, Karim... See full summary »
Director: Nour Eddine Lakhmari | Stars: Anas El Baz, Omar Lotfi, Mohamed Benbrahim, Ghita Tazi
Votes: 1,164
7. White Wedding (2009)
PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Romance
A young groom and his best man lost on the road trip to the wedding, run into a young English doctor.
Director: Jann Turner | Stars: Kenneth Nkosi, Rapulana Seiphemo, Jodie Whittaker, Zandile Msutwana
Votes: 646 | Gross: $0.01M
8. Ajami (2009)
Not Rated | 124 min | Crime, Drama
Ajami is the religiously mixed community of Muslims and Christians in Tel Aviv. These are five stories about the everyday life in Ajami.
Directors: Scandar Copti, Yaron Shani | Stars: Fouad Habash, Nisrin Siksik, Elias Saba, Youssef Sahwani
Votes: 6,532 | Gross: $0.62M
9. About Elly (2009)
TV-PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery
The mysterious disappearance of a kindergarten teacher during a picnic in the north of Iran is followed by a series of misadventures for her fellow travelers.
Director: Asghar Farhadi | Stars: Taraneh Alidoosti, Golshifteh Farahani, Shahab Hosseini, Merila Zare'i
Votes: 57,180 | Gross: $0.11M
10. Günesi Gördüm (2009)
120 min | Drama
In the southeast region of Turkey, the Altun family lives in a small mountainside village plagued by a 25-year war that makes their daily lives a hellish struggle. As the war intensifies, ... See full summary »
Director: Mahsun Kirmizigül | Stars: Mahsun Kirmizigül, Demet Evgar, Murat Ünalmis, Cemal Toktas
Votes: 10,701
11. Dare mo mamotte kurenai (2008)
118 min | Drama
Ryoichi Kimizuka's riveting exploration of the Japanese media's feeding frenzy focuses on a15-year-old girl forced into police protection to escape from the journalistic hordes after her ... See full summary »
Director: Ryôichi Kimizuka | Stars: Kôichi Satô, Mirai Shida, Ryûhei Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida
Votes: 358
12. Grandpa Is Dead (2009)
90 min | Comedy
A large family with many issues gather to mourn the death of the family patriarch. But getting in the way of their genuine grief are a load of superstitions about the dead and the family's ... See full summary »
Director: Soxy Topacio | Stars: Roderick Paulate, Gina Alajar, Elizabeth Oropesa, Manilyn Reynes
Votes: 93
13. Dung dot (2009)
100 min | Drama, History
In the spring of 2005, an old mother living in Hanoi receives a diary. The diary carries the notes of a young woman doctor who worked at a national liberation front hospital for two years ... See full summary »
Director: Dang Nhat Minh | Stars: Minh Huong, Tina Duong, Michael Jarmus, Mathew M. Korsch
Votes: 113
14. Kelin (2009)
82 min | Drama, History
A woman is led by her family to her new husband's home, to live with, presumably, his elderly mother and younger brother. Despite being forced into the marriage, she discovers that he is ... See full summary »
Director: Ermek Tursynov | Stars: Gulsharat Zhubyeva, Turakhan Sadykova, Erzhan Nurymbet, Kuandyk Kystykbaev
Votes: 404
15. Prince of Tears (2009)
122 min | Drama
Two sisters whose family moves to Taiwan after their father fights in the civil war against the communists in mainland China, find their lives turned upside-down after their parents are thrown into jail and accused of being spies.
Director: Yonfan | Stars: Hsiao-chuan Chang, Xuan Zhu, Wing Fan, Terri Kwan
Votes: 255
16. Mother (2009)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl's horrific murder.
Director: Bong Joon Ho | Stars: Kim Hye-ja, Won Bin, Jin Goo, Yun Je-mun
Votes: 71,667 | Gross: $0.55M
17. Mei Lanfang (2008)
150 min | Biography, Drama, History
A biographical account of Mei Lanfang, China's greatest opera star.
Director: Kaige Chen | Stars: Leon Lai, Ziyi Zhang, Honglei Sun, Hong Chen
Votes: 1,629
18. Cannot Live Without You (2009)
93 min | Drama
A down and out man and his daughter live in an illegal hovel. The two live a happy peaceful life until the authorities intervene when the child reaches school age.
Director: Leon Dai | Stars: Yo Hsuan Chao, Akira Chen, Chih-Ju Lin, Sze-Chi Lo
Votes: 613
19. The White Ribbon (2009)
R | 144 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Strange events happen in a small village in the north of Germany during the years before World War I, which seem to be ritual punishment. Who is responsible?
Director: Michael Haneke | Stars: Christian Friedel, Ernst Jacobi, Leonie Benesch, Ulrich Tukur
Votes: 77,672 | Gross: $2.22M
20. The Misfortunates (2009)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy, Drama
A thirty-something novelist and impending father looks back on his all-too-formative years in the hapless, alcohol-ridden milieu of his youth in 1980s rural Flanders, Belgium.
Director: Felix van Groeningen | Stars: Kenneth Vanbaeden, Valentijn Dhaenens, Koen De Graeve, Wouter Hendrickx
Votes: 11,531
21. Involuntary (2008)
98 min | Drama
In several unrelated stories, the consequences of putting one's foot down - or failing to do so - are explored.
Director: Ruben Östlund | Stars: Villmar Björkman, Lola Ewerlund, Maria Lundqvist, Henrik Vikman
Votes: 6,481
22. Ein Augenblick Freiheit (2008)
110 min | Drama
Centers on a group of weary Middle Eastern refugees who have made their way to Turkey to apply for European visas.
Director: Arash T. Riahi | Stars: Navid Navid, Pourya Mahyari, Elika Bozorgi, Sina Saba
Votes: 682
23. Terribly Happy (2008)
Unrated | 99 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A thriller about a Copenhagen cop who moves to a small town after having a nervous breakdown.
Director: Henrik Ruben Genz | Stars: Jakob Cedergren, Lene Maria Christensen, Kim Bodnia, Lars Brygmann
Votes: 7,055 | Gross: $0.07M
24. Letters to Father Jacob (2009)
74 min | Drama
With few options, newly pardoned convict Leila agrees to work as an assistant to a blind pastor. Father Jacob spends his days answering the letters of the needy, which Leila finds pointless... See full summary »
Director: Klaus Härö | Stars: Kaarina Hazard, Heikki Nousiainen, Jukka Keinonen, Esko Roine
Votes: 2,497
25. Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008)
Not Rated | 88 min | Thriller
Financial concerns tempt a security guard to return to his smuggling ways.
Director: Óskar Jónasson | Stars: Baltasar Kormákur, Ingvar Sigurdsson, Lilja Nótt Þórarinsdóttir, Þröstur Leó Gunnarsson
Votes: 2,468
26. Réfractaire (2009)
97 min | Drama
May 1944. A young man just out of college returns to his hometown in Luxembourg. Refusing to fight on the German side, he chooses a clandestine life and joins other deserters in an abandoned mine.
Director: Nicolas Steil | Stars: Swann Arlaud, Pierre Niney, Guillaume Gouix, Arthur Dupont
Votes: 76
27. Doomed Love (2008)
81 min | Romance
A loner, narcissistic and suicidal teenager attracts most of the people he meets like a fatal aura, a black light. He falls deeply in love with Teresa but does she exist or is she a mere ... See full summary »
Director: Mário Barroso | Stars: Rafael Morais, Tomás Alves, Rui Morisson, Ana Padrão
Votes: 277
28. A Prophet (2009)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama
A delinquent Muslim man struggles to get by in prison until he is taken under the wing of a powerful mob boss. But his gradual rise through the mob's ranks brings him in conflict with his mentor.
Director: Jacques Audiard | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Reda Kateb
Votes: 102,197 | Gross: $2.08M
29. Home (II) (2008)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama
Life for an isolated rural family is upended when a major highway next to their property, constructed 10 years before but apparently abandoned, is finally opened.
Director: Ursula Meier | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Gourmet, Adélaïde Leroux, Madeleine Budd
Votes: 5,030
30. Chameleon (2008)
Not Rated | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Thriller
While cleaning offices at night, Gábor learns a lot about the employees by examining what they leave behind, carefully choosing his targets, always disillusioned women whom he seduces, ... See full summary »
Director: Krisztina Goda | Stars: Ervin Nagy, Gabriella Hámori, Zsolt Trill, János Kulka
Votes: 2,468
31. Broken Promise (2009)
TV-14 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The true story of Jewish boy, and talented soccer player, Martin, who has to make risky lifetime decisions in order to survive in WWII when he sees his family is taken to Poland one by one.
Director: Jirí Chlumský | Stars: Samuel Spisák, Ondrej Vetchý, Vladimir Cerny, Lubomír Bukový
Votes: 466
32. Police, Adjective (2009)
Not Rated | 113 min | Crime, Drama
A police officer refuses to arrest a young man for offering drugs to his friends.
Director: Corneliu Porumboiu | Stars: Dragos Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Ion Stoica, Irina Saulescu
Votes: 5,346 | Gross: $0.05M
33. Protector (2009)
Not Rated | 98 min | Drama, Romance
A Czech journalist joins a Prague radio station that broadcasts German propaganda in order to protect his Jewish wife. However, as the German rule over Czechoslovakia calls for more and ... See full summary »
Director: Marek Najbrt | Stars: Jana Plodková, Marek Daniel, Martin Mysicka, Klára Melísková
Votes: 900 | Gross: $0.00M
34. The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner (2008)
105 min | Drama
The story of Alex, who, with the help of his charismatic grandfather, Bai Dan, embarks on a journey in search of his real self.
Director: Stephan Komandarev | Stars: Predrag 'Miki' Manojlovic, Carlo Ljubek, Hristo Mutafchiev, Ana Papadopulu
Votes: 6,102
35. Cuvari noci (2008)
87 min | Drama
Mahir is married to Geraldine for three years and still they have no children. So Mahir becomes convinced that he is pregnant. From that moment, he keeps throwing up.
Director: Namik Kabil | Stars: Vahid Piralic, Milan Pavlovic, Namik Kabil, Haris Alic
Votes: 61
36. Donkey (2009)
90 min | Drama
It is 1995. The summer when the war operation Storm will take place. Boro, who is going to be forty in a year and a half, with his wife Jasna and son Luka goes to his home village Drinovci,... See full summary »
Director: Antonio Nuic | Stars: Nebojsa Glogovac, Natasa Janjic Medancic, Roko Roglic, Tonko Lonza
Votes: 652
37. Ocas jesterky (2009)
90 min | Drama
Director: Ivo Trajkov | Stars: David Svehlík, Karel Zima, Marie Durnová, Verica Nedeska
Votes: 43
38. Landscape No.2 (2008)
Unrated | 90 min | Crime, Thriller
The burglars Sergej and Polde steal the valuable painting "Landscape No.2". By coincidence Sergej also takes a mysterious document dating back to the end of the World War II. Instructor is ... See full summary »
Director: Vinko Moderndorfer | Stars: Marko Mandic, Slobodan Custic, Barbara Cerar, Maja Martina Merljak
Votes: 377
39. St. George Shoots the Dragon (2009)
120 min | Drama, History, Romance
Director: Srdjan Dragojevic | Stars: Lazar Ristovski, Natasa Janjic Medancic, Bora Todorovic, Predrag Vasic
Votes: 1,877
40. Ward No. 6 (2009)
Not Rated | 83 min | Drama
Simultaneously nihilistic and heartening, Ward No. 6 is based on a story by Chekov, in which a psychiatric doctor becomes a patient in his own asylum. Updated to contemporary Russia, the ... See full summary »
Directors: Aleksandr Gornovskiy, Karen Shakhnazarov | Stars: Vladimir Ilin, Aleksey Vertkov, Aleksandr Pankratov-Chyornyy, Evgeniy Stychkin
Votes: 812
41. The Dancer and the Thief (2009)
Not Rated | 127 min | Drama
With the advent of democracy in Chile, a general amnesty for prisoners of non violent crime is enacted. Angel Santiago, a young man determined to avenge the abuse he suffered in prison, ... See full summary »
Director: Fernando Trueba | Stars: Ricardo Darín, Abel Ayala, Miranda Bodenhofer, Ariadna Gil
Votes: 1,441
42. Max Manus: Man of War (2008)
Not Rated | 118 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The true story about one of the most brilliant saboteurs during World War II and his battle to overcome his inner demons.
Directors: Joachim Rønning, Espen Sandberg | Stars: Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken
Votes: 29,782
43. Samson & Delilah (II) (2009)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Romance
A glue-sniffing boy and his girlfriend escape the government-controlled no-hope Aboriginal community they live in and go to the city, Alice Springs, looking for a better life.
Director: Warwick Thornton | Stars: Rowan McNamara, Marissa Gibson, Mitjili Napanangka Gibson, Scott Thornton
Votes: 3,765
44. Baaria (2009)
Not Rated | 163 min | Comedy, Drama
Baaria is Sicilian slang for Bagheria where Tornatore was born and this is an autobiographic epic of three generations in the Sicilian village where he was born.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Francesco Scianna, Margareth Madè, Lina Sastri, Ángela Molina
Votes: 7,991 | Gross: $0.00M
45. December Heat (2008)
92 min | Action, Drama, History
The young country of Estonia is dancing to the jazzy tune of the 1920s when, on December 1 1924, the capital Tallinn is overrun by members of the Comintern in an attempt to stage a ... See full summary »
Director: Asko Kase | Stars: Sergo Vares, Liisi Koikson, Tõnu Kark, Mait Malmsten
Votes: 652
46. Britter Bairey (2009)
87 min | Drama
A political fable in which a village musician gets swept up in the market economy of big city Dhaka.
Director: Golam Rabbany Biplob | Stars: Jayanto Chattopadhyay, Fazlur Rahman Babu, Firoj Khan Dollar, Junaid Halim
Votes: 46
47. Mal día para pescar (2009)
Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Drama, Western
A flamboyant impresario and an ageing ex-wrestling champion arrive in a small town, offering a hefty award to the local challenger. In fact, the promoter wants to rinse the spectators for every penny. But, is this a good day to go fishing?
Director: Álvaro Brechner | Stars: Gary Piquer, Jouko Ahola, Antonella Costa, César Troncoso
Votes: 1,279
48. By the Will of Chingis Khan (2009)
127 min | History, War
Russian overproduction over the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan (1162-1227) from his birth to the beginning of his great empire, involving much suffering and many bloody battles in the vast steppes of northeast Asia.
Director: Andrei Borissov | Stars: Stepanida Borissova, Sergei Egorov, Irina Engelis, Gernot Grimm
Votes: 477
49. Alive (2009)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
In a country where tradition is constantly at war with modernity, Koll is a college student set on enjoying his youth to the fullest. When his father dies and he is forced to assume ... See full summary »
Director: Artan Minarolli | Stars: Nik Xhelilaj, Xhevdet Ferri, Bruno Shllaku, Niada Saliasi
Votes: 243
50. Gagma napiri (2009)
90 min | Drama
A young refugee and his mother flee war and ethnic cleansing in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia, leaving his father behind. After arriving in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi, the ... See full summary »
Director: George Ovashvili | Stars: Tedo Bekhauri, Tamar Meskhi, Archil Tabukashvili, Temo Goginava
Votes: 1,339
51. The Milk of Sorrow (2009)
94 min | Drama, Music
Fausta is suffering from a rare disease called the Milk of Sorrow, which is transmitted through the breast milk of pregnant women who were abused or raped during or soon after pregnancy. ... See full summary »
Director: Claudia Llosa | Stars: Magaly Solier, Susi Sánchez, Efraín Solís, Marino Ballón
Votes: 7,348 | Gross: $0.01M
52. The Reverse (2009)
99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A story about women, set in the present and in 1950s Warsaw. The main character is Sabina, a quiet, shy woman who has just turned thirty. Clearly, she lacks a man in her life. Her mother ... See full summary »
Director: Borys Lankosz | Stars: Agata Buzek, Krystyna Janda, Anna Polony, Marcin Dorocinski
Votes: 2,305
53. Los viajes del viento (2009)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama, Music
A musician travels a great distance to return an instrument to his elderly teacher.
Director: Ciro Guerra | Stars: Marciano Martínez, Yull Núñez, Agustin Nieves, Jose Luis Torres
Votes: 2,511
54. Khwaam jam sun... Tae rak chan yao (2009)
117 min | Drama, Romance
Some people spend most of their lives trying to forget their first love, but some spend a lifetime reminiscing about their last love. Since men are not goldfish, they don't easily forget ... See full summary »
Director: Yongyoot Thongkongtoon | Stars: Arak Amornsupasiri, Yarinda Bunnag, Sunsanee Wattananukul, James Mackie
Votes: 377
55. Afghan Star (2009)
Unrated | 110 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary about the simultaneously unifying and divisive effects of Afghanistan's version of the TV talent show format on its society. It focuses on "Afghan Star" which airs on the Tolo TV channel in Afghanistan.
Director: Havana Marking | Stars: Rafi Naabzada, Lima Sahar, Hameed Sakhizada, Setara Hussainzada
Votes: 1,018 | Gross: $0.10M
56. Oi sklavoi sta desma tous (2008)
127 min | Drama, Romance
Genteel aristocrats and the terrible impasse erect in front of them their debts, forbidden loves and marriages interests, passions and conflicts.
Director: Tonis Lykouresis | Stars: Giannis Fertis, Dimitra Matsouka, Akis Sakellariou, Christos Loulis
Votes: 153
57. Harishchandrachi Factory (2009)
Not Rated | 96 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
In 1913 India's cinema industry is born from Dadasaheb Phalke's efforts to make Raja Harishchandra (1913), India's first feature-length B&W silent film.
Director: Paresh Mokashi | Stars: Nandu Madhav, Vibhawari Deshpande, Atharva Karve, Mohit Gokhale
Votes: 2,699
58. Salve Geral (2009)
119 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The widow piano teacher Lúcia and her unemployed teenage son Rafa move to a poor neighborhood in the periphery of São Paulo after the bankrupting of her pension plan. Rafa a.k.a. Pilot ... See full summary »
Director: Sergio Rezende | Stars: Andrea Beltrão, Denise Weinberg, Lee Taylor, Eucir de Souza
Votes: 542
59. Southern District (2009)
Unrated | 108 min | Drama
For a rich upper-class family locked into their own little world, Bolivia's social changes threaten to burst their bubble.
Director: Juan Carlos Valdivia | Stars: Ninón del Castillo, Pascual Loayza, Nicolás Fernández, Juan Pablo Koria
Votes: 396
60. Duburys (2009)
140 min | Drama
The story of the generation who lived through the entire Soviet period is told through the main character: his childhood spent in a village, true friendship, work in Soviet Klaipeda, thrilling eroticism, and a final, fatal love.
Director: Gytis Luksas | Stars: Giedrius Kiela, Egle Mikulionyte, Oksana Borbat, Yevgeniya Varenitsa
Votes: 256
61. Kabo & Platon (2009)
90 min | Drama
Two adolescent boys want their first reggaeton music demo produced, hoping fame and fortune will come their way and put an end to their life of economic struggle.
Director: Edmundo H. Rodríguez | Stars: Aramis Benitez, Albert Torres, Priscilla Medina, Oscar H. Guerrero
Votes: 28
62. Los dioses rotos (2008)
97 min | Drama
Director: Ernesto Daranas | Stars: Sílvia Águila, Carlos Ever Fonseca, Héctor Noas, Annia Bu Maure
Votes: 108
63. Winter in Wartime (2008)
R | 103 min | Drama, History, War
In German-occupied Netherlands, a teenage boy gets involved in the Dutch resistance after coming to the aid of a wounded RAF pilot.
Director: Martin Koolhoven | Stars: Martijn Lakemeier, Jamie Campbell Bower, Yorick van Wageningen, Raymond Thiry
Votes: 13,531 | Gross: $0.54M
64. London River (2009)
Not Rated | 84 min | Drama, Mystery
Two strangers come to discover the fate of their respective children in the 2005 terrorist attacks on London.
Director: Rachid Bouchareb | Stars: Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyaté, Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem
Votes: 3,879 | Gross: $0.00M
65. Libertador Morales, el justiciero (2009)
TV-14 | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
An honest motorcycle-taxi driver and law-abiding citizen, Libertador Morales dons a disguise to become El Justiciero, an avenging motorcycle hero who foils the crime spree of a local street gang in Caracas.
Director: Efterpi Charalambidis | Stars: Rafael Gil, Alba Valvé, Yugui López, Dilia Waikkaran
Votes: 74
66. Autumn of the Magician (2009)
53 min | Documentary
Scriptwriter, author, artist, sculptor, dramatist, architect, journalist, constructor, philanthropist, pedagogue, metalworker, inventor, public figure, agriculturist, gardener, chemist and ... See full summary »
Directors: Ruben Gevorkyants, Vahe Kevorkov | Star: Tonino Guerra
Votes: 27
67. Alimankada (2010)
120 min | Action, Romance, War
At the time of the Sri Lankan civil war, an army officer's routine assignment to pick up a woman informant near Jaffna turns into a nightmare when the LTTE launch a massive attack in the peninsula targeting the camp at Elephant Pass.
Director: Chandran Rutnam | Stars: Suranga Ranawaka, Ashan Dias, Athula Pathirana, Kumar Mirchandani
Votes: 124
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