Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
has submitted films for the
Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...
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
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...
to a
feature-length
A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
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
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
and
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
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
The Moscow International Film Festival (russian: Моско́вский междунаро́дный кинофестива́ль, translit. ''Moskóvskiy myezhdunaródniy kinofyestivál''; abbreviated as MIFF) is the film festival first h ...
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
New German Cinema (german: Neuer Deutscher Film) is a period in German cinema which lasted from 1962 to 1982, in which a new generation of directors emerged who, working with low budgets, and influenced by the French New Wave and Italian Neore ...
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
''The Tin Drum'' (german: Die Blechtrommel, ) is a 1959 novel by Günter Grass. The novel is the first book of Grass's ' (''Danzig Trilogy''). It was adapted into a 1979 film, which won both the 1979 Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best ...
'' victory in 1979.
West Germany and East Germany were
formally reunited on 3 October 1990. The
63rd Academy Awards
The 63rd Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 25, 1991, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the cer ...
, held on 25 March 1991, were thus the first at which
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
was able to participate as a single country. Reunified Germany has been successful in the Best Foreign Language Film category, securing two wins and eight nominations in less than two decades.
The two German films that received the award since reunification are ''
The Lives of Others
''The Lives of Others'' (german: link=no, Das Leben der Anderen, ) is a 2006 German drama film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck marking his feature film directorial debut. The plot is about the monitoring of East Berl ...
'' (2006) by
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Florian Maria Georg Christian Graf Henckel von Donnersmarck (; born 2 May 1973) is an Academy Award-winning German and Austrian film director. He is best known for writing and directing the 2006 dramatic thriller ''Das Leben der Anderen (The L ...
and ''
Nowhere in Africa
''Nowhere in Africa'' (german: Nirgendwo in Afrika) is a 2001 German drama film that was written and directed by Caroline Link. The screenplay is based on the 1995 autobiographical novel of the same name by Stefanie Zweig. It tells the story o ...
'' (2001) by
Caroline Link
Caroline Link (born 2 June 1964) is a German film director and screenwriter.
Life and work
Caroline Link is the daughter of Jürgen and Ilse Link. From 1986 to 1990 she studied at the University of Television and Film Munich (HFF), and then wo ...
. Both are the only two German directors to have had more than one film nominated for the award. Several other German films have received Academy Awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film.
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
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
-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
''The White Ribbon'' (german: Das weiße Band) is a 2009 German-language drama film, written and directed by Michael Haneke. Released in black-and-white, the film offers a dark depiction of society and family in a northern German village just be ...
'' in 2009 also caused a minor controversy.
Federal Republic of Germany
(as West Germany from 1956 to 1989, then reunified Germany from 1990 onward)
East Germany
See also
*
Notes
:a: Several German films were nominated for or won Academy Awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film. Although it was never submitted by West Germany for competition in the Best Foreign Language Film category, the submarine film ''
Das Boot
''Das Boot'' (, English: "The Boat") is a 1981 West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. It has been exhibited both as ...
'' by
Wolfgang Petersen
Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film ''Das Boot'' (1981). His other films include ''The Ne ...
was nominated for six other Academy Awards, as it had been commercially released in
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
.
Nine German films were nominated in the documentary categories, but only ''
Serengeti Shall Not Die
''Serengeti Shall Not Die'' (german: Serengeti darf nicht sterben; also known as ''Serengeti'' ) is a 1959 German documentary film written and directed by Bernhard Grzimek.
His son, cinematographer Michael Grzimek, died on-location during the f ...
'' (1959) by
Bernhard Grzimek managed to win the
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
. The eight other nominated documentaries were: ''
Kahl'' (1961) by
Haro Senft
Haro Senft (27 September 1928, Budweis, Czechoslovakia (now České Budějovice, Czech Republic – 4 February 2016, Munich) was a German filmmaker who was one of the founders of the New German Cinema movement. His short documentary film '' Kah ...
, ''Chariots of the Gods'' (1970) by
Harald Reinl
Harald Reinl (8 July 1908 in Bad Ischl, Austria – 9 October 1986 in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) was an Austrian film director. He is known for the films he made based on Edgar Wallace and Karl May books (see Karl May movies and Edgar Walla ...
, ''The Silent Revolution'' (1972) by Edouard de Laurot, ''Battle of Berlin'' (1973) by Franz Baake, ''The Yellow Star – The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933–45'' (1980) by Dieter Hildebrandt, ''Marlene'' (1984) by
Maximilian Schell
Maximilian Schell (8 December 1930 – 1 February 2014) was an Austrian-born Swiss actor, who also wrote, directed and produced some of his own films. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1961 American film ''Judgment at Nuremberg'', h ...
, ''
Buena Vista Social Club
Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the gr ...
'' (1999) by
Wim Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docum ...
and ''
The Story of the Weeping Camel
''The Story of the Weeping Camel'' ( mn, Ингэн нулимс, ', "Tears of the Camel") is a 2003 German docudrama distributed by ThinkFilm. It was released internationally in 2004. The film was directed and written by Byambasuren Davaa and ...
'' (2004) by
Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni.
:Five non-documentary German short films won Academy Awards as well. The
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year ...
was won by
Christoph Lauenstein
Christoph Lauenstein (born 20 March 1962 in Hildesheim, West Germany) is a German producer, director and writer.
Lauenstein entered the School of Fine Arts in Kassel, Germany in 1985. While enrolled at the school Lauenstein, together with his ...
and
Wolfgang Lauenstein
Wolfgang Lauenstein (born 20 March 1962 in Hildesheim, West Germany) is a German film director, writer and animator.
Biography
Lauenstein entered the School of Fine Arts in Hamburg, Germany in 1985. While enrolled at the school Lauenstein, to ...
for ''
Balance
Balance or balancing may refer to:
Common meanings
* Balance (ability) in biomechanics
* Balance (accounting)
* Balance or weighing scale
* Balance as in equality or equilibrium
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Balance'' (1983 film), a Bulgaria ...
'' in 1989, and by Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach for ''
Quest
A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ever ...
'' in 1996. Two other German films were nominated for but did not win the Academy Award for Animated Short Film: ''The Periwig-Maker'' (2000) by Steffen Schäffler and ''
Das Rad
''Das Rad'' (English title: ''Rocks'') meaning "The Wheel" is a 2001 German animated film written and directed by Chris Stenner, Arvid Uibel and Heidi Wittlinger. Produced using a mixture of stop motion, puppetry, and CGI animation, it was no ...
'' (2002) by Chris Stenner, Arvid Uibel and Heidi Wittlinger. The
Academy Award for Live Action Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957.
From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...
was won by Pepe Danquart for ''
Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer)'' in 1993, by
Florian Gallenberger
Florian Gallenberger (born 23 February 1972 in Munich) is a German film director and writer. His film '' Quiero ser (I want to be...)'' was awarded the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2001.
Career
Gallenberger appeared in various ...
for ''
Quiero ser (I want to be...)'' in 2000 and by Jochen Alexander Freydank for ''
Spielzeugland (Toyland)'' in 2008. ''Gregor's Greatest Invention'' by Johannes Kiefer was nominated for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film in 2001 but lost.
:b: The committee which selects the German submission to the Academy is composed of the following nine associations:
Verband der Filmproduzenten(Association of German Feature Film Producers);
Verband Deutscher Filmexporteure(Association of German Film Exporters);
AG Neuer Deutscher Spielfilmproduzenten(Association of New Feature Film Producers);
Verband der Filmverleiher(Association of Film Distributors);
Hauptverband Deutscher Filmtheater(Association of German Film Theaters);
Bundesverband Kamera(Association of Cinematographers);
Verband der deutschen Filmkritik(Association of German Film Critics);
Bundesverband Regie/Bundesverband der Fernseh- und Filmregisseure(Association of Television & Film Directors);
Filmförderungsanstalt(German Federal Film Board).
:c: In 1991, the selection committee issued an official statement according to which no German film possessed the high quality to become a nominee.
Although
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland (born 28 November 1948) is a Poles, Polish film and television director and screenwriter, best known for her political contributions to Polish cinema. She began her career as assistant to directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej ...
's film ''
Europa Europa
''Europa Europa'' (german: Hitlerjunge Salomon, lit. "Hitler Youth Salomon") is a 1990 historical war drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland, and starring Marco Hofschneider, Julie Delpy, Hanns Zischler, and André Wilms. It is based on the 19 ...
'' was critically acclaimed (winning prizes from the
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
and
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
film critics, the
National Board of Review
The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...
, as well as a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
) and was at the time the second highest-grossing German film ever in the United States (after ''
Das Boot
''Das Boot'' (, English: "The Boat") is a 1981 West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, and Klaus Wennemann. It has been exhibited both as ...
''), it was not chosen. This was widely criticized and prompted several prominent German filmmakers to write an
open letter
An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally.
Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...
denouncing the selection panel's refusal to submit ''Europa Europa''. It was claimed that the committee did not choose the film due to its delicate subject matter (the story of a
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...
who escaped persecution by the
Nazis
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
by masquerading as an
Aryan
Aryan or Arya (, Indo-Iranian *''arya'') is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan' (*''an-arya''). In Ancient India, the term ' ...
). Members of the selection committee were reported to have unofficially said that the film was "junk" and "an embarrassment". It was also doubted whether the film would comply with Academy rules, as it was largely filmed in Poland and only partially produced with German financing.
Although ''Europa Europa'' was not submitted, it was commercially released in
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
and thus qualified for Academy Awards in other categories. It was nominated for
Best Adapted Screenplay but did not win.
:d: In 2009 the selection committee chose ''
The White Ribbon
''The White Ribbon'' (german: Das weiße Band) is a 2009 German-language drama film, written and directed by Michael Haneke. Released in black-and-white, the film offers a dark depiction of society and family in a northern German village just be ...
'' as the official German submission. This has caused some controversy as well as confusion about the rules of the Academy, which would have accepted a submission from either Germany or Austria. Martin Schweighofer, head of the
Austrian Film Commission 'The Austrian Film Commission (AFC), founded in 1987, is an organisation dedicated to promoting Austrian cinema throughout the world.
Activities
The AFC's role is to increase awareness of Austrian film making abroad and to support the positioning a ...
, has expressed that he isn't happy with the decision: "The discomfort arises because of the vague rules of the Academy. In essential regards the film is Austrian." It has been reported that the American distributor,
Sony Pictures Classics
Sony Pictures Classics Inc. is an American film production and distribution company that is a division of Sony Pictures. It was founded in 1992 by former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom. It distributes, produc ...
, pressured Germany to submit it rather than Austria for tactical reasons, since Austrian films have been nominated two years in a row with 2007's ''
The Counterfeiters'' and 2008's ''
Revanche''.
:e: Each year is linked to an article about that particular year in film history.
References
General references
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:List of German Submissions for the Academy Award For Best Foreign Language Film
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...