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

Germany has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since the creation of the award in 1956. The award is handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.
Each year, the Academy invites countries to submit their best films for competition according to strict rules, with only one film being accepted from each country. However, because of Germany's status as a divided country throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, West Germany and East Germany competed separately in the Best Foreign Language Film category until 1990. With eight nominations and one win, West Germany was far more successful than East Germany, whose only nomination was received in 1976 for Jacob the Liar, a film which the Moscow International Film Festival had refused to screen. West Germany received four consecutive nominations during the first years of the award's existence. It fared less well in the 1960s, as all of its submissions failed to garner a nomination. The advent of New German Cinema led to an improvement of German cinema's reputation abroad. As a result of this, West Germany received several nominations during the 1970s, culminating with The Tin Drum's victory in 1979.
West Germany and East Germany were formally reunited on 3 October 1990. The 63rd Academy Awards, held on 25 March 1991, were thus the first at which Germany was able to participate as a single country. Reunified Germany has been successful in the Best International Feature Film category, securing three wins and nine nominations in three decades. The three German films that received the award since reunification are All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) by Edward Berger, The Lives of Others (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Nowhere in Africa (2001) by Caroline Link. Donnersmarck and Link are the only two German directors to have had more than one film selected and nominated in this category. Several other German films have received Academy Awards in categories other than Best International Feature Film.
All submissions were primarily in German, with the notable exception of The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024), which was shot in Persian, and nominated at the 97th Academy Awards.

## Submissions

According to Academy rules, the selection of each country's official submission has to be made by "one organization, jury or committee that should include artists and/or craftspeople from the field of motion pictures". In Germany's case, the selection committee and procedure are organized by the Munich-based German Films Service + Marketing GmbH, known as Export-Union of German Cinema until 2004. Film producers and distributors can submit a film for consideration to German Films, which verifies the completeness of the application and the compliance with Academy rules. A committee composed of representatives of nine different German film institutions and film industry trade groups selects a film for submission to the Academy. German Films is not represented in the committee and concentrates solely on the organizational aspects.
Although East Germany used to submit films sparingly, West Germany and later reunified Germany have been regular participants, and have sent a film to the Academy in every year except from 1962 to 1964 and in 1991. The refusal of the selection committee to submit a film in 1991 was highly controversial. The selection of The White Ribbon in 2009 also caused a minor controversy.

### Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949)

| Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Director | Result |
| as West Germany (1949–1990) |||||
| 1956 (29th) | The Captain of Köpenick | Der Hauptmann von Köpenick | Helmut Käutner | Nominated |
| 1957 (30th) | The Devil Strikes at Night | Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam | Robert Siodmak | Nominated |
| 1958 (31st) | Arms and the Man | Helden | Franz Peter Wirth | Nominated |
| 1959 (32nd) | The Bridge | Die Brücke | Bernhard Wicki | Nominated |
| 1960 (33rd) | Faust | Faust | Peter Gorski | Not nominated |
| 1961 (34th) | The Miracle of Father Malachia | Das Wunder des Malachias | Bernhard Wicki | Not nominated |
| 1965 (38th) | It | Es | Ulrich Schamoni | Not nominated |
| 1966 (39th) | Young Törless | Der junge Törless | Volker Schlöndorff | Not nominated |
| 1967 (40th) | Tattoo | Tätowierung | Johannes Schaaf | Not nominated |
| 1968 (41st) | Artists Under the Big Top: Perplexed | Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: ratlos | Alexander Kluge | Not nominated |
| 1969 (42nd) | Hunting Scenes from Bavaria | Jagdszenen aus Niederbayern | Peter Fleischmann | Not nominated |
| 1970 (43rd) | o.k. | o.k. | Michael Verhoeven | Not nominated |
| 1971 (44th) | The Castle | Das Schloß | Rudolf Noelte | Not nominated |
| 1972 (45th) | Trotta | Trotta | Johannes Schaaf | Not nominated |
| 1973 (46th) | The Pedestrian | Der Fußgänger | Maximilian Schell | Nominated |
| 1974 (47th) | One or the Other of Us | Einer von uns beiden | Wolfgang Petersen | Not nominated |
| 1975 (48th) | The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser | Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle | Werner Herzog | Not nominated |
| 1976 (49th) | The Clown | Ansichten eines Clowns | Vojtěch Jasný | Not nominated |
| 1977 (50th) | The American Friend | Der amerikanische Freund | Wim Wenders | Not nominated |
| 1978 (51st) | The Glass Cell | Die gläserne Zelle | Hans W. Geißendörfer | Nominated |
| 1979 (52nd) | The Tin Drum | Die Blechtrommel | Volker Schlöndorff | Won Academy Award |
| 1980 (53rd) | Fabian | Fabian | Wolf Gremm | Not nominated |
| 1981 (54th) | Lili Marleen | Lili Marleen | Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Not nominated |
| 1982 (55th) | Fitzcarraldo | Fitzcarraldo | Werner Herzog | Not nominated |
| 1983 (56th) | A Woman in Flames | Die flambierte Frau | Robert van Ackeren | Not nominated |
| 1984 (57th) | Man Under Suspicion | Morgen in Alabama | Norbert Kückelmann | Not nominated |
| 1985 (58th) | Angry Harvest | Bittere Ernte | Agnieszka Holland | Nominated |
| 1986 (59th) | Men... | Männer… | Doris Dörrie | Not nominated |
| 1987 (60th) | Wings of Desire | Der Himmel über Berlin | Wim Wenders | Not nominated |
| 1988 (61st) | Yasemin | Yasemin | Hark Bohm | Not nominated |
| 1989 (62nd) | Spider's Web | Das Spinnennetz | Bernhard Wicki | Not nominated |
| as reunified Germany (since 1990) |||||
| 1990 (63rd) | The Nasty Girl | Das schreckliche Mädchen | Michael Verhoeven | Nominated |
| 1992 (65th) | Schtonk! | Schtonk! | Helmut Dietl | Nominated |
| 1993 (66th) | Justice | Justiz | Hans W. Geißendörfer | Not nominated |
| 1994 (67th) | The Promise | Das Versprechen | Margarethe von Trotta | Not nominated |
| 1995 (68th) | Brother of Sleep | Schlafes Bruder | Joseph Vilsmaier | Not nominated |
| 1996 (69th) | Deathmaker | Der Totmacher | Romuald Karmakar | Not nominated |
| 1997 (70th) | Beyond Silence | Jenseits der Stille | Caroline Link | Nominated |
| 1998 (71st) | Run Lola Run | Lola rennt | Tom Tykwer | Not nominated |
| 1999 (72nd) | Aimée & Jaguar | Aimée und Jaguar | Max Färberböck | Not nominated |
| 2000 (73rd) | No Place to Go | Die Unberührbare | Oskar Roehler | Not nominated |
| 2001 (74th) | The Experiment | Das Experiment | Oliver Hirschbiegel | Not nominated |
| 2002 (75th) | Nowhere in Africa | Nirgendwo in Afrika | Caroline Link | Won Academy Award |
| 2003 (76th) | Good Bye, Lenin! | Good Bye, Lenin! | Wolfgang Becker | Not nominated |
| 2004 (77th) | Downfall | Der Untergang | Oliver Hirschbiegel | Nominated |
| 2005 (78th) | Sophie Scholl – The Final Days | Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage | Marc Rothemund | Nominated |
| 2006 (79th) | The Lives of Others | Das Leben der Anderen | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Won Academy Award |
| 2007 (80th) | The Edge of Heaven | Auf der anderen Seite | Fatih Akın | Not nominated |
| 2008 (81st) | The Baader Meinhof Complex | Der Baader Meinhof Komplex | Uli Edel | Nominated |
| 2009 (82nd) | The White Ribbon | Das weiße Band | Michael Haneke | Nominated |
| 2010 (83rd) | When We Leave | Die Fremde | Feo Aladag | Not nominated |
| 2011 (84th) | Pina | Pina – Tanzt, tanzt sonst sind wir verloren | Wim Wenders | Made shortlist |
| 2012 (85th) | Barbara | Barbara | Christian Petzold | Not nominated |
| 2013 (86th) | Two Lives | Zwei Leben | Georg Maas | Made shortlist |
| 2014 (87th) | Beloved Sisters | Die geliebten Schwestern | Dominik Graf | Not nominated |
| 2015 (88th) | Labyrinth of Lies | Im Labyrinth des Schweigens | Giulio Ricciarelli | Made shortlist |
| 2016 (89th) | Toni Erdmann | Toni Erdmann | Maren Ade | Nominated |
| 2017 (90th) | In the Fade | Aus dem Nichts | Fatih Akin | Made shortlist |
| 2018 (91st) | Never Look Away | Werk ohne Autor | Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck | Nominated |
| 2019 (92nd) | System Crasher | Systemsprenger | Nora Fingscheidt | Not nominated |
| 2020 (93rd) | And Tomorrow the Entire World | Und morgen die ganze Welt | Julia von Heinz | Not nominated |
| 2021 (94th) | I'm Your Man | Ich bin dein Mensch | Maria Schrader | Made shortlist |
| 2022 (95th) | All Quiet on the Western Front | Im Westen Nichts Neues | Edward Berger | Won Academy Award |
| 2023 (96th) | The Teachers' Lounge | Das Lehrerzimmer | İlker Çatak | Nominated |
| 2024 (97th) | The Seed of the Sacred Fig | دانه‌ی انجیر معابد | Mohammad Rasoulof | Nominated |

### German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)

| Year (Ceremony) | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Director | Result |
| 1973 (46th) | Her Third | Der Dritte | Egon Günther | Not nominated |
| 1976 (49th) | Jacob the Liar | Jakob der Lügner | Frank Beyer | Nominated |
| 1977 (50th) | Mama, I'm Alive | Mama, ich lebe | Konrad Wolf | Not nominated |
| 1980 (53rd) | The Fiancee | Die Verlobte | Günter Reisch Günther Rücker | Not nominated |
| 1983 (56th) | The Turning Point | Der Aufenthalt | Frank Beyer | Not nominated |

## Shortlisted Films

Every year since 2006, Germany has announced a list of finalists that varied in number over the years (from 4 to 17 films) before announcing its official Oscar nominee, except in the years 2008, 2009 and 2017 where an official list was not announced. The following films have been shortlisted by the Germany's selection committee:
| 2006 | The Cloud · Requiem · Wild Chicks [de] |
| 2007 | And Along Come Tourists · Four Minutes · House of the Sleeping Beauties [de] · My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler · Strike · Winter Journey |
| 2010 | Boxhagener Platz · The Coming Days · Habermann · Henri 4 · Jew Suss: Rise and Fall· Mahler on the Couch · Same Same But Different · Saviors in the Night |
| 2011 | The Albanian · Almanya: Welcome to Germany · The Day I Was Not Born [de] · The Poll Diaries · Promising the Moon [de] · Stopped on Track · Three · Wunderkinder [de] |
| 2012 | Combat Girls · Farewell to the Frogs [de] · Guardians · Hannah Arendt · Hotel Lux · Remembrance · This Ain't California [de] |
| 2013 | A Coffee in Berlin · Free Fall · The German Friend · The Girl with Nine Wigs · Knight Rusty · My Beautiful Country · Nothing Bad Can Happen · Shifting the Blame [de] |
| 2014 | Age of Cannibals · Finsterworld · Hanna's Journey [de] · Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision · Inbetween Worlds · The Last Mentsch [de] · Phoenix · The Police Officer's Wife · Run Boy Run · Stations of the Cross · Stereo · West · The White Horse Inn [de] · Who Am I · Wir sind die Neuen · Wolf Children [de] |
| 2015 | 13 Minutes · Head Full of Honey · Jack · Sanctuary · Schmidt's Nine Lives · Victoria · We Are Young. We Are Strong |
| 2016 | At Eye Level · The Diary of Anne Frank · Fog in August · Look Who's Back · The People vs. Fritz Bauer · Power to Change: The Energy Revolution · Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe |
| 2018 | 3 Days in Quiberon · Ballon · The Captain · In the Aisles · The Invisibles · Mack the Knife: Brecht's Threepenny Film · The Silent Revolution · Simpel · Tehran Taboo · Transit |
| 2019 | All About Me · The Collini Case · The German Lesson · Heimat Is a Space in Time · Lara · Sealed Lips |
| 2020 | Berlin Alexanderplatz · Crescendo · Curveball · Enfant Terrible · Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale · I've Never Been to New York · Undine · A Wet Dog · When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit |
| 2021 | Copilot · Dear Thomas · Die Rettung der uns bekannten Welt · Fabian: Going to the Dogs · Femocracy · Je suis Karl · Mr. Bachmann and His Class · The Last Execution · The Royal Game |
| 2022 | The Forger · Lieber Kurt · Mostly Minimalistic · Nico · No One's with the Calves · Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush · Talking About the Weather · We Might as Well Be Dead |
| 2023 | Afire · Anselm · Elaha · The Ordinaries · Orphea in Love · Sisi & I · The Universal Theory · Weekend Rebels · What You Can See from Here · A Whole Life · A Woman |
| 2024 | Dying · The Femocracy 2: Good Morning, You Beautiful! · From Hilde, with Love · The Glory of Life · Goebbels and the Führer · Hollywoodgate · In the Blind Spot · The Investigation · Sad Jokes · Silence · Stella. A Life. · Two to One |