Oscars 2021: 18 Films From Latin America And Spain Make It To First Round Of International Film Category

The pandemic has forced the postponement of everything Oscar-related, including the selection process, nominations and the 2021 awards ceremony. But now things are starting to move along.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced 93 films were eligible for consideration in the International Feature Film category for the 93rd Academy Awards®. The lengthy list includes a film from Spain and 17 from Latin American countries.

“I think it reflects the Academy’s commitment to increasing diversity among its members,” says Anne Hoyt, film critic and industry expert. She points out the efforts to attract and nurture voting members from different countries and backgrounds is helping open the doors for more international entries and in particular, Latin American films to enter the selection process.

“They can understand topics that would be too difficult for an audience unfamiliar with our culture to grasp,” she says, pointing to Mexico’s Ya No Estoy Aquí (I’m No Longer Here), as an example. The musical drama written and directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra, follows a teenager from a poor neighborhood in Monterrey, who belongs to a gang that loves cumbia rebajada music. When he’s a witness to a drug cartel crime, he flees to the United States, leaving his family and everything he knows behind. But his arrival to Queens, NY poses a myriad of challenges as he struggles with isolation and language issues. 

The Latin American contenders for the 2021 competition have a wide range of themes and genres. Earlier this year, the Academy’s Board of Governors voted to expand the International Film category shortlist from 10 to 15 films. The preliminary round of voting is underway and the shortlist of 15 films will be announced on Tuesday, February 9, 2021.

“I think that Mexico’s Ya No Estoy Aquí, La Llorona from Guatemala and Chile’s El Agente Topo, a documentary in which an old man infiltrates a nursing home as a spy to find out if they’re abusing the elderly, have a good shot at making it to the list of semifinalists,” says Hoyt.

Several of the films are currently available on different streaming services. Below is the list of films from Latin America and Spain that made the first round, including the streaming service in which some are currently available for viewing.

Nominations for all the categories in the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on Monday, March 15 and the 93rd Oscars® is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 25.

Available on Netflix
NFLX
:

Mexico, Ya No Estoy Aquí (I’m No Longer Here) 

Uruguay, Alelí 

Spain, La trinchera infinita (The Endless Trench)

Available on Hulu and for rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video: 

Chile, El Agente Topo (The Mole Agent)  

Available for rent on Apple TV and Amazon Prime Video: 

Peru, Canción sin nombre (Song without a Name)

Available on AMC+ and Shudder:

Guatemala, La Llorona 

Available on global indie streamer Topic:

Venezuela, Érase Una Vez en Venezuela, Congo Mirador (Once upon a Time in Venezuela)  

Here are the rest of the eligible entries:

Argentina, Los sonámbulos (The Sleepwalkers)

Bolivia, Chaco

Brazil, Babenco: Alguém Tem que Ouvir o Coração e Dizer Parou (Babenco – Tell Me When I Die)

Colombia, El Olvido Que Seremos (Memories of My Father)

Costa Rica, Ceniza Negra (Land of Ashes)

Cuba, Buscando a Casal

Dominican Republic, Mis 500 Locos (A State of Madness)

Ecuador, Vacío (Emptiness)

Honduras, Días de luz (Days of Light)

Panama, Operación Causa Justa (Operation Just Cause)

Paraguay, Matar a un muerto (Killing the Dead)