# List of submissions to the 84th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

This is a list of submissions to the 84th 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 were revealed a week before the announcement of the Oscar nominations.
The deadline for all countries to send in their submissions was 3 October 2011. The submitted motion pictures must be first released theatrically in their respective countries between 1 October 2010 and 30 September 2011. On 13 October, AMPAS announced that 63 countries had been accepted to participate in the competition for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, including a first-time submission from New Zealand. On 18 January 2012 the nine shortlisted entries were announced. Six days later, the five nominees were announced.
Iran won the award for the first time with A Separation by Asghar Farhadi, which was also nominated for Original Screenplay.

## Submissions

| Submitting country | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Language(s) | Director(s) | Result |
| Albania | Amnesty | Amnistia | Albanian | Bujar Alimani | Not nominated |
| Argentina | Aballay | Aballay, el hombre sin miedo | Spanish | Fernando Spiner | Not nominated |
| Austria | Breathing | Atmen | German | Karl Markovics | Not nominated |
| Belgium | Bullhead | Rundskop | Dutch, French, Limburgish, West Flemish | Michaël R. Roskam | Nominated |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Belvedere | Belvedere | Bosnian | Ahmed Imamović | Not nominated |
| Brazil | Elite Squad: The Enemy Within | Tropa de Elite 2: O Inimigo Agora É Outro | Brazilian Portuguese | José Padilha | Not nominated |
| Bulgaria | Tilt | Тилт | Bulgarian | Viktor Chouchkov | Not nominated |
| Canada | Monsieur Lazhar | Monsieur Lazhar | French, Arabic | Philippe Falardeau | Nominated |
| Chile | Violeta Went to Heaven | Violeta se fue a los cielos | Spanish | Andrés Wood | Not nominated |
| China | The Flowers of War | 金陵十三釵 | Mandarin, English | Zhang Yimou | Not nominated |
| Colombia | The Colors of the Mountain | Los colores de la montaña | Spanish | Carlos César Arbeláez | Not nominated |
| Croatia | 72 Days | Sedamdeset i dva dana | Croatian, Serbian | Danilo Šerbedžija | Not nominated |
| Cuba | Havanastation | Habanastation | Spanish | Ian Padrón | Not nominated |
| Czech Republic | Alois Nebel | Alois Nebel | Czech | Tomás Lunák | Not nominated |
| Denmark | SuperClásico | SuperClásico | Danish, Spanish | Ole Christian Madsen | Made shortlist |
| Dominican Republic | Love Child | La hija natural | Spanish | Leticia Tonos | Not nominated |
| Egypt | Lust | الشوق | Arabic | Khaled El Hagar | Not nominated |
| Estonia | Letters to Angel | Kirjad Inglile | Estonian | Sulev Keedus | Not nominated |
| Finland | Le Havre | Le Havre | French | Aki Kaurismäki | Not nominated |
| France | Declaration of War | La guerre est déclarée | French | Valérie Donzelli | Not nominated |
| Georgia | Chantrapas | შანტრაპა | Georgian, French, Russian | Otar Iosseliani | Not nominated |
| Germany | Pina | Pina – Tanzt, tanzt sonst sind wir verloren | German, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Korean, Spanish | Wim Wenders | Made shortlist |
| Greece | Attenberg | Attenberg | Greek | Athina Rachel Tsangari | Not nominated |
| Hong Kong | A Simple Life | 桃姐 | Cantonese | Ann Hui | Not nominated |
| Hungary | The Turin Horse | A Torinói ló | Hungarian | Béla Tarr | Not nominated |
| Iceland | Volcano | Eldfjall | Icelandic | Rúnar Rúnarsson | Not nominated |
| India | Abu, Son of Adam | ആദാമിന്റെ മകൻ അബു | Malayalam | Salim Ahamed | Not nominated |
| Indonesia | Under the Protection of Ka'Bah | Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah | Indonesian | Hanny Saputra | Not nominated |
| Iran | A Separation | جدایی نادر از سیمین | Persian | Asghar Farhadi | Won Academy Award |
| Ireland | As If I Am Not There | Као да ме нема | Serbo-Croatian | Juanita Wilson | Not nominated |
| Israel | Footnote | הערת שוליים | Hebrew | Joseph Cedar | Nominated |
| Italy | Terraferma | Terraferma | Italian, Sicilian, Amharic | Emanuele Crialese | Not nominated |
| Japan | Postcard | 一枚のハガキ | Japanese | Kaneto Shindō | Not nominated |
| Kazakhstan | Returning to the 'A' | Возвращение в «А» | Russian | Egor Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky | Not nominated |
| Lebanon | Where Do We Go Now? | وهلّأ لوين؟ | Arabic, English, Russian | Nadine Labaki | Not nominated |
| Lithuania | Back to Your Arms | Kai apkabinsiu tave | Lithuanian, Russian, German | Kristijonas Vildžiūnas | Not nominated |
| Macedonia | Punk is Not Dead | Панкот не е мртов | Macedonian, Albanian | Vladimir Blazevski | Not nominated |
| Mexico | Miss Bala | Miss Bala | Spanish | Gerardo Naranjo | Not nominated |
| Morocco | Omar Killed Me | Omar m'a tuer | French, Arabic | Roschdy Zem | Made shortlist |
| Netherlands | Sonny Boy | Sonny Boy | Dutch | Maria Peters | Not nominated |
| New Zealand | The Orator | O Le Tulafale | Samoan | Tusi Tamasese | Not nominated |
| Norway | Happy, Happy | Sykt lykkelig | Norwegian, Danish | Anne Sewitsky | Not nominated |
| Peru | October | Octubre | Spanish | Daniel Vega Vidal | Not nominated |
| Philippines | The Woman in the Septic Tank | Ang Babae Sa Septic Tank | Tagalog, Filipino | Marlon Rivera | Not nominated |
| Poland | In Darkness | W ciemności | Polish, German, Yiddish, Ukrainian | Agnieszka Holland | Nominated |
| Portugal | José and Pilar | José e Pilar | Portuguese | Miguel Gonçalves Mendes | Not nominated |
| Puerto Rico | America | America | Spanish | Sonia Fritz | Disqualified |
| Romania | Morgen | Morgen | Romanian, Hungarian, Turkish | Marian Crisan | Not nominated |
| Russia | Burnt by the Sun 2: Exodus | Утомлённые солнцем 2: Цитадель | Russian | Nikita Mikhalkov | Not nominated |
| Serbia | Montevideo, God Bless You! | Монтевидео, Бог те видео | Serbian | Dragan Bjelogrlić | Not nominated |
| Singapore | Tatsumi | 辰巳 | Japanese | Eric Khoo | Not nominated |
| Slovakia | Gypsy | Cigán | Slovak, Romani | Martin Šulík | Not nominated |
| Slovenia | Silent Sonata | Circus Fantasticus | No dialogue | Janez Burger | Disqualified |
| South Africa | Beauty | Skoonheid | Afrikaans, English | Oliver Hermanus | Not nominated |
| South Korea | The Front Line | 고지전 | Korean | Jang Hoon | Not nominated |
| Spain | Black Bread | Pa negre | Catalan | Agustí Villaronga | Not nominated |
| Sweden | Beyond | Svinalängorna | Swedish, Finnish | Pernilla August | Not nominated |
| Switzerland | Summer Games | Giochi d'estate | Italian | Rolando Colla | Not nominated |
| Taiwan | Seediq Bale | 賽德克·巴萊 | Seediq, Japanese, Taiwanese Hokkien, Mandarin | Wei Te-sheng | Made shortlist |
| Thailand | Kon Khon | คนโขน | Thai | Sarunyu Wongkrachang | Not nominated |
| Turkey | Once Upon a Time in Anatolia | Bir zamanlar Anadolu'da | Turkish | Nuri Bilge Ceylan | Not nominated |
| United Kingdom | Patagonia | Patagonia | Welsh, Spanish, English | Marc Evans | Not nominated |
| Uruguay | The Silent House | La casa muda | Spanish | Gustavo Hernández | Not nominated |
| Venezuela | The Rumble of the Stones | El rumor de las piedras | Spanish | Alejandro Bellame Palacios | Not nominated |
| Vietnam | The Prince and the Pagoda Boy | Khát vọng Thăng Long | Vietnamese | Lưu Trọng Ninh | Not nominated |