# List of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film

This is a list of submissions to the 71st Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film. The Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was created in 1956 by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to honour non-English-speaking films produced outside the United States. The award is handed out annually, and is accepted by the winning film's director, although it is considered an award for the submitting country as a whole. Countries are invited by the Academy to submit their best films for competition according to strict rules, with only one film being accepted from each country.
For the 71st Academy Awards, the Academy invited 73 countries to submit films for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The submission deadline was set on November 1, 1998. Forty-five countries submitted films to the Academy. The five nominated films came from Argentina, Brazil, Iran, Spain and Italy. Kyrgyzstan submitted a film for the first time, meanwhile, Lebanon and Morocco both returned to the competition after a 20-year absence.
Italy won the award for the thirteenth time, expanding its own winning record, with Life Is Beautiful by Roberto Benigni, which also won Best Actor (for Benigni) and Best Original Dramatic Score, alongside nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing.

## Submissions

| Submitting country | Film title used in nomination | Original title | Language(s) | Director(s) | Result |
| Argentina | Tango | Tango, no me dejes nunca | Spanish | Carlos Saura | Nominated |
| Austria | The Inheritors | Die Siebtelbauern | German | Stefan Ruzowitzky | Not nominated |
| Belgium | Rosie | Rosie | Dutch | Patrice Toye | Not nominated |
| Brazil | Central Station | Central do Brasil | Brazilian Portuguese | Walter Salles | Nominated |
| Canada | August 32nd on Earth | Un 32 Août sur Terre | French, English | Denis Villeneuve | Not nominated |
| China | Genghis Khan | 一代天骄成吉思汗 | Mandarin, Mongolian | Sai Fu & Lisi Mai | Not nominated |
| Colombia | La vendedora de rosas | La vendedora de rosas | Spanish | Víctor Gaviria | Not nominated |
| Croatia | Transatlantic | Transatlantik | Croatian | Mladen Juran | Not nominated |
| Czech Republic | Sekal Has to Die | Je třeba zabít Sekala | Czech | Vladimír Michálek | Not nominated |
| Denmark | The Celebration | Festen | Danish, English | Thomas Vinterberg | Not nominated |
| Finland | A Summer by the River | Kuningasjätkä | Finnish | Markku Pölönen | Not nominated |
| France | The Dreamlife of Angels | La vie rêvée des anges | French | Erick Zonca | Not nominated |
| Germany | Run Lola Run | Lola rennt | German | Tom Tykwer | Not nominated |
| Greece | Eternity and a Day | Μια αιωνιότητα και μια μέρα | Greek | Theo Angelopoulos | Not nominated |
| Hong Kong | Made in Hong Kong | 香港製造 | Cantonese | Fruit Chan | Not nominated |
| Hungary | Gypsy Lore | Romani kris - Cigánytörvény | Hungarian, German | Bence Gyöngyössy | Not nominated |
| Iceland | Count Me Out | Stikkfrí | Icelandic | Ari Kristinsson | Not nominated |
| India | Jeans | ஜீன்ஸ் | Tamil | S. Shankar | Not nominated |
| Indonesia | Leaf on a Pillow | Daun di atas bantal | Indonesian | Garin Nugroho | Not nominated |
| Iran | Children of Heaven | بچه هاي آسمان | Persian | Majid Majidi | Nominated |
| Israel | Circus Palestine | קרקס פלשתינה | Hebrew, Arabic, Russian | Eyal Halfon | Not nominated |
| Italy | Life Is Beautiful | La vita è bella | Italian | Roberto Benigni | Won Academy Award |
| Japan | Begging for Love | 愛を乞う人 | Japanese | Hideyuki Hirayama | Not nominated |
| Kyrgyzstan | Beshkempir | Бешкемпир | Kyrgyz | Aktan Abdykalykov | Not nominated |
| Lebanon | West Beyrouth | غرب بيروت | Arabic | Ziad Doueiri | Not nominated |
| Luxembourg | Back in Trouble | Back in Trouble | Luxembourgish, German | Andy Bausch | Not nominated |
| Macedonia | Goodbye, 20th Century! | Збогум на дваесеттиот век! | Macedonian | Darko Mitrevski & Aleksandar Popovski | Not nominated |
| Mexico | Un embrujo | Un embrujo | Spanish | Carlos Carrera | Not nominated |
| Morocco | Mektoub | مكتوب | Arabic | Nabil Ayouch | Not nominated |
| Netherlands | The Polish Bride | De Poolse bruid | Dutch, Polish | Karim Traidia | Not nominated |
| Norway | Only Clouds Move the Stars | Bare skyer beveger stjernene | Norwegian | Torun Lian | Not nominated |
| Philippines | In the Navel of the Sea | Sa Pusod ng Dagat | Tagalog, Filipino | Marilou Diaz-Abaya | Not nominated |
| Portugal | Anxiety | Inquietude | Portuguese | Manoel de Oliveira | Not nominated |
| Puerto Rico | Heroes from Another Country | Heroes de otra patria | Spanish | Iván Dariel Ortíz | Not nominated |
| Romania | Terminus Paradise | Terminus Paradis | Romanian | Lucian Pintilie | Not nominated |
| Russia | The Barber of Siberia | Сибирский цирюльник | Russian, English | Nikita Mikhalkov | Disqualified |
| Serbia | The Powder Keg | Буре барута | Serbian | Goran Paskaljević | Not nominated |
| Slovakia | Rivers of Babylon | Rivers of Babylon | Slovak | Vlado Balco | Not nominated |
| Spain | The Grandfather | El Abuelo | Spanish | José Luis Garci | Nominated |
| Sweden | Show Me Love | Fucking Åmål | Swedish | Lukas Moodysson | Not nominated |
| Switzerland | War in the Highlands | La Guerre dans le Haut Pays | French | Francis Reusser | Not nominated |
| Taiwan | Flowers of Shanghai | 海上花 | Mandarin | Hou Hsiao-hsien | Not nominated |
| Thailand | Who Is Running? | ท้าฟ้าลิขิต | Thai | Oxide Pang Chun | Not nominated |
| United Kingdom | Chameleon | Cameleon | Welsh | Ceri Sherlock | Not nominated |
| Venezuela | Loop | Rizo | Spanish | Julio Sosa Pietri | Not nominated |