# List of Italian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

Italy has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since the conception of the award. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.
The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was not created until 1956; however, between 1947 and 1955, the Academy presented Honorary Awards to the best foreign language films released in the United States. These awards were not competitive, as there were no nominees but simply a winner every year that was voted on by the Board of Governors of the Academy. Three Italian films received Honorary Awards during this period. For the 1956 Academy Awards, a competitive Academy Award of Merit, known as the Best Foreign Language Film Award, was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.
As of 2023, thirty Italian films have been nominated for Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, and eleven films have won the award. Among all countries that have submitted films for the award, Italy ranks first in terms of films that have won the award, followed by France (nine awards) and Spain (four awards), and second in terms of nominees, behind France (thirty-nine nominations) and ahead of Spain (nineteen nominations). The only Italian directors to win multiple awards are Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica. Fellini received four awards for La Strada, Nights of Cabiria, 8½, and Amarcord, the most in the history of the Academy, and had three other films submitted, although none of them were accepted as nominees. De Sica received two Honorary Awards prior to the conception of the formal award for Shoeshine and The Bicycle Thief and two actual Academy Awards for Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow and The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, and had one other film, Marriage Italian-Style, accepted as a nominee.

## Submissions

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. 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, 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. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by Italy for review by the Academy for the award since its conception.
| Year | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Director | Result |
| 1947 (20th) | Shoeshine | Sciuscià | Vittorio De Sica | Won Honorary Award |
| 1949 (22nd) | The Bicycle Thief | Ladri di biciclette | Vittorio De Sica | Won Honorary Award |
| 1950 (23rd) | The Walls of Malapaga | Le mura di Malapaga | René Clément | Won Honorary Award |
| 1956 (29th) | La Strada | La Strada | Federico Fellini | Won Academy Award |
| 1957 (30th) | Nights of Cabiria | Le notti di Cabiria | Federico Fellini | Won Academy Award |
| 1958 (31st) | Big Deal on Madonna Street | I soliti ignoti | Mario Monicelli | Nominated |
| 1959 (32nd) | The Great War | La grande guerra | Mario Monicelli | Nominated |
| 1960 (33rd) | Kapò | Kapò | Gillo Pontecorvo | Nominated |
| 1961 (34th) | La Notte | La Notte | Michelangelo Antonioni | Not nominated |
| 1962 (35th) | The Four Days of Naples | Le quattro giornate di Napoli | Nanni Loy | Nominated |
| 1963 (36th) | 8½ | Otto e mezzo | Federico Fellini | Won Academy Award |
| 1964 (37th) | Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow | Ieri, oggi, domani | Vittorio De Sica | Won Academy Award |
| 1965 (38th) | Marriage Italian-Style | Matrimonio all'Italiana | Vittorio De Sica | Nominated |
| 1966 (39th) | The Battle of Algiers | La battaglia di Algeri | Gillo Pontecorvo | Nominated |
| 1967 (40th) | China is Near | La Cina è vicina | Marco Bellocchio | Not nominated |
| 1968 (41st) | The Girl with the Pistol | La ragazza con la pistola | Mario Monicelli | Nominated |
| 1969 (42nd) | Fellini Satyricon | Fellini Satyricon | Federico Fellini | Not nominated |
| 1970 (43rd) | Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion | Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto | Elio Petri | Won Academy Award |
| 1971 (44th) | The Garden of the Finzi-Continis | Il giardino dei Finzi-Contini | Vittorio De Sica | Won Academy Award |
| 1972 (45th) | Roma | Roma | Federico Fellini | Not nominated |
| 1974 (47th) | Amarcord | Amarcord | Federico Fellini | Won Academy Award |
| 1975 (48th) | Scent of a Woman | Profumo di donna | Dino Risi | Nominated |
| 1976 (49th) | Seven Beauties | Pasqualino Settebellezze | Lina Wertmüller | Nominated |
| 1977 (50th) | A Special Day | Una giornata particolare | Ettore Scola | Nominated |
| 1978 (51st) | Viva Italia! | I nuovi mostri | Mario Monicelli, Dino Risi, Ettore Scola | Nominated |
| 1979 (52nd) | To Forget Venice | Dimenticare Venezia | Franco Brusati | Nominated |
| 1980 (53rd) | A Leap in the Dark | Salto nel vuoto | Marco Bellocchio | Not nominated |
| 1981 (54th) | Three Brothers | Tre fratelli | Francesco Rosi | Nominated |
| 1982 (55th) | The Night of the Shooting Stars | La notte di San Lorenzo | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | Not nominated |
| 1983 (56th) | And the Ship Sails On | E la nave va | Federico Fellini | Not nominated |
| 1984 (57th) | Where's Picone? | Mi manda Picone | Nanni Loy | Not nominated |
| 1985 (58th) | Macaroni | Maccheroni | Ettore Scola | Not nominated |
| 1986 (59th) | Summer Night with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes and Scent of Basil | Notte d'estate con profilo greco, occhi a mandorla e odore di basilico | Lina Wertmüller | Not nominated |
| 1987 (60th) | The Family | La famiglia | Ettore Scola | Nominated |
| 1988 (61st) | The Legend of the Holy Drinker | La leggenda del santo bevitore | Ermanno Olmi | Not nominated |
| 1989 (62nd) | Cinema Paradiso | Nuovo Cinema Paradiso | Giuseppe Tornatore | Won Academy Award |
| 1990 (63rd) | Open Doors | Porte aperte | Gianni Amelio | Nominated |
| 1991 (64th) | Mediterraneo | Mediterraneo | Gabriele Salvatores | Won Academy Award |
| 1992 (65th) | The Stolen Children | Il ladro di bambini | Gianni Amelio | Not nominated |
| 1993 (66th) | The Great Pumpkin | Il grande cocomero | Francesca Archibugi | Not nominated |
| 1994 (67th) | Lamerica | Lamerica | Gianni Amelio | Not nominated |
| 1995 (68th) | The Star Maker | L'uomo delle stelle | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated |
| 1996 (69th) | My Generation | La mia generazione | Wilma Labate | Not nominated |
| 1997 (70th) | The Best Man | Il testimone dello sposo | Pupi Avati | Not nominated |
| 1998 (71st) | Life Is Beautiful | La vita è bella | Roberto Benigni | Won Academy Award |
| 1999 (72nd) | Not of This World | Fuori dal mondo | Giuseppe Piccioni | Not nominated |
| 2000 (73rd) | The Hundred Steps | I cento passi | Marco Tullio Giordana | Not nominated |
| 2001 (74th) | The Son's Room | La stanza del figlio | Nanni Moretti | Not nominated |
| 2002 (75th) | Pinocchio | Pinocchio | Roberto Benigni | Not nominated |
| 2003 (76th) | I'm Not Scared | Io non ho paura | Gabriele Salvatores | Not nominated |
| 2004 (77th) | The Keys to the House | Le chiavi di casa | Gianni Amelio | Not nominated |
| 2005 (78th) | Don't Tell | La bestia nel cuore | Cristina Comencini | Nominated |
| 2006 (79th) | Golden Door | Nuovomondo | Emanuele Crialese | Not nominated |
| 2007 (80th) | The Unknown Woman | La sconosciuta | Giuseppe Tornatore | Made shortlist |
| 2008 (81st) | Gomorrah | Gomorra | Matteo Garrone | Not nominated |
| 2009 (82nd) | Baarìa | Baarìa | Giuseppe Tornatore | Not nominated |
| 2010 (83rd) | The First Beautiful Thing | La prima cosa bella | Paolo Virzì | Not nominated |
| 2011 (84th) | Terraferma | Terraferma | Emanuele Crialese | Not nominated |
| 2012 (85th) | Caesar Must Die | Cesare deve morire | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | Not nominated |
| 2013 (86th) | The Great Beauty | La grande bellezza | Paolo Sorrentino | Won Academy Award |
| 2014 (87th) | Human Capital | Il capitale umano | Paolo Virzì | Not nominated |
| 2015 (88th) | Don't Be Bad | Non essere cattivo | Claudio Caligari | Not nominated |
| 2016 (89th) | Fire at Sea | Fuocoammare | Gianfranco Rosi | Not nominated |
| 2017 (90th) | A Ciambra | A Ciambra | Jonas Carpignano | Not nominated |
| 2018 (91st) | Dogman | Dogman | Matteo Garrone | Not nominated |
| 2019 (92nd) | The Traitor | Il traditore | Marco Bellocchio | Not nominated |
| 2020 (93rd) | Notturno | Notturno | Gianfranco Rosi | Not nominated |
| 2021 (94th) | The Hand of God | È stata la mano di Dio | Paolo Sorrentino | Nominated |
| 2022 (95th) | Nostalgia | Nostalgia | Mario Martone | Not nominated |
| 2023 (96th) | Io Capitano | Io Capitano | Matteo Garrone | Nominated |
| 2024 (97th) | Vermiglio | Vermiglio | Maura Delpero | Made shortlist |

## Shortlisted films

Every year since 2009, Italy has announced a list of finalists that varied in number over the years (from 4 to 25 films) before announcing its official Oscar nominee. The following films have been shortlisted by the Italy's Associazione Nazionale Industrie Cinematografiche Audiovisive e Multimediali:
| 2009 | The Big Dream · The Double Hour · Vincere |
| 2010 | 20 Cigarettes · Basilicata Coast to Coast · The Double Hour · I Am Love · Kiss Me Again · Loose Cannons · The Man Who Will Come · La nostra vita · Le quattro volte |
| 2011 | Angel of Evil · Escort in Love · Heavenly Body · News from the Excavations · Tatanka · We Believed · We Have a Pope |
| 2012 | Balancing Act · The Big Heart of Girls · Diaz – Don't Clean Up This Blood · Dormant Beauty · A Flat for Three · It Was the Son · Là-bas: A Criminal Education · Magnificent Presence · Reality |
| 2013 | A Five Star Life · Long Live Freedom · Midway – Between Life and Death· Miele · The Mongrel · Salvo |
| 2014 | Black Souls · Fasten Your Seatbelts · Quiet Bliss · Song'e Napule · Sotto una buona stella · The Wonders |
| 2015 | Blood of My Blood · For Your Love · Latin Lover · Leopardi · Mia Madre · Sworn Virgin · The Wait · You Can't Save Yourself Alone |
| 2016 | Indivisible · The Last Will Be the Last · Perfect Strangers · Pericle · Suburra · They Call Me Jeeg |
| 2017 | The Ark of Disperata · Cinderella the Cat · Equilibrium · Everything You Want · A Family · Fortunata · I Have Friends in Heaven · It's the Law · Pure Hearts · The Order of Things · Sicilian Ghost Story · The Stuff of Dreams · Tenderness |
| 2018 | As Needed · Bloody Richard · Boys Cry · Caina · L'Esodo · Il figlio sospeso · The Girl in the Fog · Happy as Lazzaro · Imperfect Age · Just Like My Son · Like a Cat on a Highway · Little Tito and the Aliens · Manuel · Naples in Veils · A Woman's Name · On My Skin · The Place · The Stolen Caravaggio · There's No Place Like Home · Where I've Never Lived |
| 2019 | The First King: Birth of an Empire · Martin Eden · Piranhas · The Vice of Hope |
| 2020 | 18 Presents · Alone with Her Dreams · Aspromonte: Land of the Forgotten · Bad Tales · Bar Joseph · Citizens of the World · Il delitto Mattarella · The Goddess of Fortune · Hidden Away · Into the Labyrinth · The Life Ahead · The Macaluso Sisters · Out of My League · Padrenostro · Pinocchio · The Predators · Rose Island · The Shift · The Stonebreaker · Thou Shalt Not Hate · Tornare · Trash · The Truth About La Dolce Vita · Volare |
| 2021 | 3/19 · A Chiara · A Girl Returned · The Bad Poet · The Catholic School · Mondocane · Ennio · I fratelli De Filippo · Freaks Out · The Giants · The Inner Cage · The King of Laughter · Parsifal · Superheroes · Three Floors · We Still Talk · Yaya e Lennie: The Walking Liberty |
| 2022 | Caravaggio's Shadow · Chiara · Dante · The Eight Mountains · Giulia · The Hummingbird · L'immensità · Lord of the Ants · Mindemic · Small Body · Strangeness |
| 2023 | A Brighter Tomorrow · Casanova's Return · Fireworks · Kidnapped · Last Night of Amore · La chimera · Land of Women · Mixed by Erry · Supernova · Thank You Guys · There's Still Tomorrow |
| 2024 | Accattaroma · Battlefield · Confidenza · Food for Profit · Gloria! · How Kids Roll · La casa di Ninetta · The Life Apart · Lubo · My Place Is Here · A Hundred Sundays · The Other Way · Palazzina Laf · Parthenope · Taxi Monamour · The Time It Takes · Volare · Zamora |