The contenders for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film have just been narrowed to an elite nine films: El Secreto de Sus Ojos, Samson & Delilah, The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner, Un Prophète, The White Ribbon, Ajami, Kelin, Winter in Wartime, and The Milk of Sorrow.  Germany's The White Ribbon probably has the highest profile stateside, as it recently won the analogous Golden Globe.  If it makes the cut, Un Prophète would give France it's record 35th nomination in the category.  Meanwhile, Australia, Bulgaria, and Peru are all looking to earn their first nominations in the award's 43 years of existence.  Although I haven't seen it, I'm pulling for The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner out of Bulgaria based on title alone.

Hit the break for a press release with the full list including director and nation of origin for each film, plus a description of the selection process.

Beverly Hills, CA (January 20, 2010) - Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards^®. Sixty-five films had originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

• Argentina, "El Secreto de Sus Ojos," Juan Jose Campanella, director;
• Australia, "Samson & Delilah," Warwick Thornton, director;
• Bulgaria, "The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner," Stephan Komandarev, director;
• France, "Un Prophète," Jacques Audiard, director;
• Germany, "The White Ribbon," Michael Haneke, director;
• Israel, "Ajami," Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, directors;
• Kazakhstan, "Kelin," Ermek Tursunov, director;
• The Netherlands, "Winter in Wartime," Martin Koolhoven, director;
• Peru, "The Milk of Sorrow," Claudia Llosa, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2009 are again being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and January 16. The group's top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy's Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 29, through Sunday, January 31, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center^®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.