# List of submissions to the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

This is a list of submissions to the 85th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film every year since the award was created in 1956. The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Nine shortlisted contenders will be revealed a week before the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
The submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2011, and 30 September 2012.
On 8 October 2012, the Academy announced the final list of eligible submissions, with a record number of 71 films. Kenya submitted its first film in the Foreign Language category with Nairobi Half Life. Cambodia made its first submission in 18 years (and its second overall) with Lost Loves. Nine finalists were announced in December 2012, which were shortlisted in January, with the final five nominees announced on 10 January 2013.
Austria won the award for the second time with Amour by Michael Haneke, which was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress.

## Submissions

| Submitting Country | Film Title used in nomination | Original Title | Language(s) | Director(s) | Result |
| Afghanistan | The Patience Stone | سنگ صبور | Persian | Atiq Rahimi | Not nominated |
| Albania | Pharmakon | Pharmakon | Albanian | Joni Shanaj | Not nominated |
| Algeria | Zabana! | زبانة | Arabic, French | Saïd Ould Khelifa | Not nominated |
| Argentina | Clandestine Childhood | Infancia clandestina | Spanish | Benjamín Ávila | Not nominated |
| Armenia | If Only Everyone | Եթե բոլորը | Armenian, Russian | Nataliya Belyauskene | Not nominated |
| Australia | Lore | Lore | German, English | Cate Shortland | Not nominated |
| Austria | Amour | Amour | French | Michael Haneke | Won Academy Award |
| Azerbaijan | Buta | Buta | Azeri | Ilgar Najaf | Not nominated |
| Bangladesh | Pleasure Boy Komola | ঘেটুপুত্র কমলা | Bengali, English | Humayun Ahmed | Not nominated |
| Belgium | Our Children | À perdre la raison | French, Arabic | Joachim Lafosse | Not nominated |
| Bolivia | Insurgents | Insurgentes | Spanish, Aymara, Quechua | Jorge Sanjinés | Withdrawn |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Children of Sarajevo | Djeca | Bosnian | Aida Begić | Not nominated |
| Brazil | The Clown | O Palhaço | Brazilian Portuguese | Selton Mello | Not nominated |
| Bulgaria | Sneakers | Кецове | Bulgarian | Valeri Yordanov and Ivan Vladimirov | Not nominated |
| Cambodia | Lost Loves | ឃ្លាតទៅសែនឆ្ងាយ | Khmer | Chhay Bora | Not nominated |
| Canada | War Witch | Rebelle | French, Lingala | Kim Nguyen | Nominated |
| Chile | No | No | Spanish, English | Pablo Larraín | Nominated |
| China | Caught in the Web | 搜索 | Mandarin | Chen Kaige | Not nominated |
| Colombia | The Snitch Cartel | El Cartel de los Sapos | Spanish | Carlos Moreno | Not nominated |
| Croatia | Vegetarian Cannibal | Ljudožder vegetarijanac | Croatian | Branko Schmidt | Not nominated |
| Czech Republic | In the Shadow | Ve stínu | Czech, German | David Ondříček | Not nominated |
| Denmark | A Royal Affair | En kongelig affære | Danish, French, English | Nikolaj Arcel | Nominated |
| Dominican Republic | Jaque Mate | Jaque Mate | Spanish | José María Cabral | Not nominated |
| Estonia | Mushrooming | Seenelkäik | Estonian | Toomas Hussar | Not nominated |
| Finland | Purge | Puhdistus | Finnish | Antti Jokinen | Not nominated |
| France | The Intouchables | Intouchables | French | Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache | Made shortlist |
| Georgia | Keep Smiling | გაიღიმეთ | Georgian | Rusudan Chkonia | Not nominated |
| Germany | Barbara | Barbara | German | Christian Petzold | Not nominated |
| Greece | Unfair World | Άδικος Κόσμος | Greek | Filippos Tsitos | Not nominated |
| Greenland | Inuk | Inuk | Greenlandic | Mike Magidson | Not nominated |
| Hong Kong | Life Without Principle | 奪命金 | Cantonese | Johnnie To | Not nominated |
| Hungary | Just the Wind | Csak a szél | Hungarian | Benedek Fliegauf | Not nominated |
| Iceland | The Deep | Djúpið | Icelandic | Baltasar Kormákur | Made shortlist |
| India | Barfi! | बर्फी | Hindi | Anurag Basu | Not nominated |
| Indonesia | The Dancer | Sang Penari | Indonesian, Banyumasan | Ifa Isfansyah | Not nominated |
| Iran | A Cube of Sugar | یک حبه قند | Persian | Reza Mirkarimi | Withdrawn |
| Israel | Fill the Void | למלא את החלל | Hebrew | Rama Burshtein | Not nominated |
| Italy | Caesar Must Die | Cesare deve morire | Italian | Paolo and Vittorio Taviani | Not nominated |
| Japan | Our Homeland | かぞくのくに | Japanese, Korean | Yong-hi Yang | Not nominated |
| Kazakhstan | Myn Bala: Warriors of the Steppe | Жаужүрек мың бала | Kazakh | Akan Satayev | Not nominated |
| Kenya | Nairobi Half Life | Nairobi Half Life | Swahili, English, Sheng | David 'Tosh' Gitonga | Not nominated |
| Kyrgyzstan | The Empty Home | Пустой дом | Kyrgyz, Russian, French | Nurbek Egen | Not nominated |
| Latvia | Gulf Stream Under the Iceberg | Golfa straume zem ledus kalna | Russian | Yevgeni Pashkevich | Not nominated |
| Lithuania | Ramin | რამინი | Georgian | Audrius Stonys | Not nominated |
| Macedonia | The Third Half | Трето полувреме | Macedonian, German, Bulgarian, Serbian, Ladino, English | Darko Mitrevski | Not nominated |
| Malaysia | Bunohan | Bunohan | Malay, Kelantan Malay | Dain Said | Not nominated |
| Mexico | After Lucia | Después de Lucía | Spanish | Michel Franco | Not nominated |
| Morocco | Death for Sale | موت للبيع | Arabic | Faouzi Bensaïdi | Not nominated |
| Netherlands | Kauwboy | Kauwboy | Dutch | Boudewijn Koole | Not nominated |
| Norway | Kon-Tiki | Kon-Tiki | Norwegian, English | Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg | Nominated |
| Palestine | When I Saw You | لما شفتك | Arabic | Annemarie Jacir | Not nominated |
| Peru | The Bad Intentions | Las malas intenciones | Spanish | Rosario Garcia-Montero | Not nominated |
| Philippines | Bwakaw | Bwakaw | Tagalog, Filipino | Jun Lana | Not nominated |
| Poland | 80 Million | 80 milionów | Polish | Waldemar Krzystek | Not nominated |
| Portugal | Blood of My Blood | Sangue do meu Sangue | Portuguese | João Canijo | Not nominated |
| Romania | Beyond the Hills | După dealuri | Romanian | Cristian Mungiu | Made shortlist |
| Russia | White Tiger | Белый тигр | Russian, German | Karen Shakhnazarov | Not nominated |
| Serbia | When Day Breaks | Кад сване дан | Serbian | Goran Paskaljević | Not nominated |
| Singapore | Already Famous | 一泡而红 | Mandarin, Hokkien, Malay, English | Michelle Chong | Not nominated |
| Slovakia | Made in Ash | Až do mesta Aš | Slovak, German, Czech | Iveta Grófová | Not nominated |
| Slovenia | A Trip | Izlet | Slovene | Nejc Gazvoda | Not nominated |
| South Africa | Little One | Little One | Zulu, English | Darrell Roodt | Not nominated |
| South Korea | Pietà | 피에타 | Korean | Kim Ki-duk | Not nominated |
| Spain | Blancanieves | Blancanieves, Blancaneu | Silent (Intertitles in Spanish) | Pablo Berger | Not nominated |
| Sweden | The Hypnotist | Hypnotisören | Swedish | Lasse Hallström | Not nominated |
| Switzerland | Sister | L'Enfant d'en haut | French | Ursula Meier | Made shortlist |
| Taiwan | Touch of the Light | 逆光飛翔 | Mandarin | Chang Jung-Chi | Not nominated |
| Thailand | Headshot | ฝนตกขึ้นฟ้า | Thai | Pen-Ek Ratanaruang | Not nominated |
| Turkey | Where the Fire Burns | Ateşin Düştüğü Yer | Turkish | İsmail Güneş | Not nominated |
| Ukraine | The Firecrosser | Той, хто пройшов крізь вогонь | Ukrainian, Russian, English, Crimean Tatar, Iroquois | Mykhailo Illienko | Not nominated |
| Uruguay | The Delay | La Demora | Spanish | Rodrigo Plá | Not nominated |
| Venezuela | Rock, Paper, Scissors | Piedra, papel o tijera | Spanish | Hernán Jabes | Not nominated |
| Vietnam | The Scent of Burning Grass | Mùi cỏ cháy | Vietnamese | Nguyễn Hữu Mười | Not nominated |