10 Foreign Movies That Won Big at the Oscars (2025)

Held annually, the Academy Awards are viewed by many to be the pinnacle of cinematic prestige and industry recognition, with winners and even nominees being immortalized for their incredible achievements. In recent years, however, the ceremony has faced criticism concerning its efforts - or lack thereof - to acknowledge international cinema beyond the Best Foreign Language Film award.

This backlash has seen a concerted drive from the Academy to broaden its horizons and recognize the accomplishments of international cinema with the same gusto as it does English-speaking (particularly American) films. While films like South Korea's Parasite have paved the way in this regard in modern times, there have still been many overlooked yet important cinematic triumphs from foreign lands which have become deserving recipients of major Academy Awards.

10 'Black Orpheus' (1959)

Country of Origin: Brazil

A modernized retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Black Orpheus has become a landmark achievement in Brazilian film for its celebration of the nation's vibrant culture. Set during the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, it follows the romance between guitarist Orfeu (Breno Mello), who is stuck in an unloving relationship, and Eurydice (Marpessa Dawn), a woman on the run from Death (Adhemar de Silva).

While it is reflected on as being a Brazilian film, it was an international production which was also funded by France and Italy, with France recognized as the country of origin by the Oscars. This was partially on account of it being directed by French filmmaker, Marcel Camus. I t went on to win Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, though it has faced some criticism for exoticizing Brazilian culture.

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9 'Mon Oncle' (1958)

Country of Origin: France

The crowning achievement of Jacques Tati's career, Mon Oncle saw the French filmmaker write, direct, produce, and star in the visual comedy about quaint and gentle values amid times of rapid societal change. It follows a bumbling and impractical man who can't fathom the world's apparent love of all things new. When his sister moves to a new suburb in Paris, he faces post-war France's keen interests in commercialism and mechanical luxuries as he hopes to keep his excitable young nephew from being drawn into the new age mania.

A sweet comedy film which wasn't afraid to embrace tragedy, Mon Oncle went on to win Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, while also claiming a Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Mon Oncle's theme of old world values clashing with progress and rampant modernity remain relevant even today, while its immaculate visual display and accessible characters hold a timeless charm.

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8 'The Artist' (2011)

Country of Origin: France

Another French film which was met with widespread critical acclaim, The Artist was an enormous achievement, not only as a marvel of French cinema, but as a black-and-white silent film which thrived in the modern era. Set in Hollywood in the late 20s and early 30s, it follows silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) who falls in love with a promising starlet, Poppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). However, their relationship is impacted when the advent of the talkies nullifies his stardom while seeing her career soar to new heights.

The film was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning five, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Lead Actor, but was not considered for the Best Foreign Language Film category on account of its lack of dialogue. An elegant display of visual storytelling which juggles its comedic and dramatic elements well, The Artist was a delightfully charming film which was an unlikely but much-deserved film to sweep the Oscars.

The Artist

PG-13

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Release Date

January 20, 2012

Director

Michel Hazanavicius

Cast

Jean Dujardin , Berenice Bejo , John Goodman , James Cromwell , Penelope Ann Miller

Runtime

100 minutes

7 'Talk to Her' (2002)

Country of Origin: Spain

Talk to Her had a bit of a contentious link to the Academy Awards, winning Best Original Screenplay from its two nominations, yet not being selected as Spain's entry for Best Foreign Language Film. In a disastrous misjudgment, Spain put forward Mondays in the Sun as its candidate for the award, only for it to fail to be nominated. Germany's Nowhere in Africa would go on to win Best Foreign Language Film, and not undeservedly so, but one does wonder how Talk to Her would have fared in the category.

The Spanish drama focuses on two men who both love women in comas, following the peculiar friendship which blooms between them. Talk to Her's exploration of themes of love, loss, and the importance of human connection made it a stand-out film of its year. It won in foreign film categories at the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes, and remains one of the few non-English speaking movies to win an Oscar for screenwriting.

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6 'La Vie en Rose' (2007)

Country of Origin: France

Years before American musical biopics started dominating the awards season, the French put forth a masterpiece of the genre in 2007's La Vie en Rose, a biographical drama about the life of famed singer, É dith Piaf (played by Marion Cotillard). It tracks the singer's extraordinary life, from being born in poverty and raised in a brothel to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. Despite her rise to success, her life is marred by tragedy.

In a similar case to Talk to Her, La Vie en Rose missed out on a Best Foreign Language Film nomination as France presented Persepolis to the Academy instead. From its three nominations, La Vie en Rose won for its makeup as well as Cotillard's starring performance, marking the first time an acting Oscar had gone to a French-language role in the ceremony's history.

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5 'Marie-Louise' (1944)

Country of Origin: Switzerland

1944's World War II film Marie-Louise is something of a trailblazing triumph for international cinema, with Richard Schweizer's Academy Award win for his screenplay the first Oscar ever received by a foreign language film. It follows a young girl, Marie-Louise (Josiane Hegg), as she is evacuated to Switzerland as the Nazis invade France. While she is taken in by a woman and becomes friendly with the father of a social worker, she is still haunted by what she witnessed in her homeland.

The film was an international production between France, Germany, and Switzerland, and Marie-Louise's success at the Academy Awards led to the ceremony presenting Special/Honorary awards to foreign films between 1947 and 1955 (though no award was given in 1953). It wasn't until the 29th Academy Awards in 1956 that foreign language films were nominated in a competitive category. As such, the legacy and impact of Marie-Louise can't be overstated.

Marie-Louise is currently not available to stream, rent, or purchase.

4 'Another Round' (2020)

Country of Origin: Denmark

One of the hit films of 2020, Thomas Vinterberg's black comedy-drama Another Round continued what has been a fine streak of form for Danish cinema in recent years. With the ever-brilliant Mads Mikkelsen in the lead role, it follows a group of school teachers who escape the monotony of middle-age by embarking on a secretive experiment to see if drinking alcohol every day will lead to an improvement in their personal and professional lives.

While it was partially inspired by Vinterberg's conversations with his daughter about the drinking culture of Denmark's youth, the story was changed to be more life-affirming following his daughter's death in a car accident four days after production began. The end result saw Vinterberg earn a richly deserved nomination for his direction, while Another Round won Best International Feature Film. Many also believed Mikkelsen should have earned a nomination for his lead performance.

Another Round

Not Rated

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Release Date

December 18, 2020

Director

Thomas Vinterberg

Cast

Mads Mikkelsen , Thomas Bo Larsen , Lars Ranthe , Magnus Millang , Maria Bonnevie , Susse Wold

Runtime

117 Minutes

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3 'Drive My Car' (2021)

Country of Origin: Japan

Nominated for four Oscars, including Japan's first ever nomination for Best Picture, Drive My Car had a major presence at the 94th Academy Awards, even winning the Oscar for Best International Feature Film. The three-hour-long drama follows Yūsuke Kafuka (Hidetoshi Nishijima), a veteran stage director who gets the opportunity to direct a production of Anton Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' while grieving the death of his wife. Needing a chauffeur for insurance reasons, Yūsuke employs a reserved young woman, with the two forming a tight friendship despite their initial misgivings.

Drive My Car's exploration of themes like aging, grief, life and death, friendship, art, and finding meaning in life made it an emotionally powerful hit which earned widespread critical acclaim. One of a few beneficiaries of the success of South Korea's Parasite in 2019, Drive My Car's universal praise as just being a great movie (without emphasis on it being a foreign language film) is an encouraging sign for audience engagement with international cinema going forward.

Drive My Car

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Release Date

November 24, 2021

Director

Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Cast

Toko Miura , Park Yurim , Hidetoshi Nishijima , Reika Kirishima , Masaki Okada , Jin Daeyeon

Runtime

179 minutes

2 'Roma' (2018)

Country of Origin: Mexico

To stand out as a highlight amid a body of work as illustrious as Alfonso Cuarón's is no easy feat, but his deeply personal 2018 film Roma is now widely viewed to be his defining artistic achievement. Set in 1970s Mexico, the semi-autobiographical drama follows Cleo (Yalitza Aparicio), a domestic worker for a middle-class family, over the course of a tumultuous year both personally and for the country.

It received a staggering 10 nominations at the 91st Academy Awards, becoming the first Mexican film to win Best Foreign Language Film, while it also won for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Impressively, while some Oscar-winning films can drift from relevance pretty quickly, Roma has endured, with many regarding it among the best movies made this century and one of the most visually stunning films of all time.

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1 'Parasite' (2020)

Country of Origin: South Korea

The influence and impact that Parasite had as an international film which made inroads into mainstream pop-culture can not be overstated. A razor-sharp blending of social commentary, black comedy, and thrilling drama, the South Korean eat-the-rich film follows a poor family in Seoul who gradually infiltrate the home of a wealthy family by posing as skilled workers. As they grow more ambitious, the whole situation gets closer to a calamitous ending.

An instant classic, Parasite is among the greatest films of the 21st century if not of all time. It famously became the first ever foreign language film to win Best Picture, which was one of four Academy Awards the film won from its six nominations. It also won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival with a unanimous vote, while it collected hundreds of nominations and wins at other ceremonies as well.

Parasite

R

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Release Date

May 8, 2019

Director

Bong Joon-ho

Cast

Seo Joon Park , Kang-ho Song , Seon-gyun Lee , Yeo-Jeong Jo , Woo-sik Choi , Hye-jin Jang

Runtime

132 minutes

NEXT: Great Foreign Films Recommended by Edgar Wright