List of German submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Germany has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language 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.cite web | title = Special Rules for the Best Foreign Language Film Award|publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | url = http://www.oscars.org/81academyawards/rules/rule14.html | accessdate = 2008-08-29]

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,cite web | title = Foreign Language Film Facts | work = Academy Award Statistics | publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | date = last updated in March 2007 | url = http://awardsdatabase.oscars.org/ampas_awards/help/statistics/forlangfacts.html | accessdate = 2008-02-15] 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. [cite book | last = Baron | first = Lawrence | title = Projecting the Holocaust Into the Present: The Changing Focus of Contemporary Holocaust Cinema | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield | date = 2005 | location = Lanham, MD | pages = p. 155 | url = http://books.google.com/books?id=U9b7r0QFCagC&printsec=frontcover#PPA155,M1 | isbn = 9780742543331 | oclc = 60245614] West Germany received four consecutive nominations during the first years of the award's existence. It fared less well in the 1960s, with all of its submissions failing 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.cite web | author = H. G. Pflaum | title = On the history of the German candidates for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film | publisher = German Films | url = http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/topicalsubjects/focuson/thetindrum-alonevictor/index.html | accessdate = 2008-08-27]

West Germany and East Germany were formally reunited on 3 October 1990. The 63rd Academy Awards, which were held on 25 March 1991, [cite web | title = Academy Awards Ceremonies | publisher = Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences | url = http://www.oscars.org/aboutacademyawards/ceremonies/ceremonies07.html | accessdate = 2008-08-31] were thus the first at which Germany was able to participate as a single country. Reunified Germany has been very successful in the Best Foreign Language Film category, managing to secure two wins and seven nominations in less than two decades. The two German films which received the award since reunification are "The Lives of Others" (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and "Nowhere in Africa" (2001) by Caroline Link, who is also the only German director to have more than one film nominated for the award. Several other German films have received Academy Awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film.ref label|1|A|

ubmissions

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. [cite web|url=http://www.german-films.de/en/about/germanfilms/index.html|title=About us|publisher=German Films Service + Marketing GmbH|accessdate=2008-08-30] 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.ref label|2|B| German Films is not represented in the committee and concentrates solely on the organizational aspects.cite web|url=http://www.german-films.de/en/newsreleases_1_1/index.html|title=Best Foreign Language Film|work=Selection procedure and eligibility requirements|publisher=German Films|language=German|accessdate=2008-08-30] 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.ref label|3|C|

West Germany

ee also

*Cinema of Germany
*List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best Foreign Language Film

Notes

:A: Several German films were nominated for or won Academy Awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film. Most notably, the Wolfgang Petersen film "Das Boot" was nominated for six Academy Awards, as it had been commercially released in Los Angeles County. ] Nine German films were nominated in the documentary categories, but only "Serengeti Shall Not Die" (1959) by Bernhard Grzimek managed to win the Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The eight other nominated documentaries were: "Atomkraftwerk Kahl" (1961) by Haro Senft, "Chariots of the Gods" (1970) by Harald Reinl, "Silent Revolution" (1972) by Edouard de Laurot, "Battle of Berlin" (1973) by Franz Baake, "The Yellow Star" (1980) by Dieter Hildebrandt, "Marlene" (1984) by Maximilian Schell, "Buena Vista Social Club" (1999) by Wim Wenders and "The Story of the Weeping Camel" (2004) by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni. [cite web|url=http://www.german-films.de/app/filmarchive/oscar_documentaries.php|title=Documentaries (feature-length and short)|publisher=German Films|accessdate=2008-08-30] Four non-documentary German short films won Academy Awards as well. The Academy Award for Animated Short Film was won by Christoph Lauenstein and Wolfgang Lauenstein for "Balance" in 1989, and by Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach for "Quest" in 1996. The Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was won by Pepe Danquart for "Schwarzfahrer" in 1994, and by Florian Gallenberger for "Quiero ser" in 2000. Two other German films were nominated for but did not win the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film: "Gregor's Greatest Invention" (2001) by Johannes Kiefer and "Rocks" (2002) by Chris Stenner, Arvid Uibel and Heidi Wittlinger. [cite web|url=http://www.german-films.de/app/filmarchive/oscar_short.php|title=Short Film Academy Awards|publisher=German Films|accessdate=2008-08-30] :B: [http://www.filmproduzentenverband.de Verband der Filmproduzenten] (Association of German feature film producers); [http://www.vdfe.de Verband Deutscher Filmexporteure] (Association of German film exporters); [http://www.ag-spielfilm.de AG Neuer Deutscher Spielfilmproduzenten] (Association of new feature film producers); [http://www.vdfkino.de Verband der Filmverleiher] (Association of film distributors); [http://www.kino-hdf.com Hauptverband Deutscher Filmtheater] (Association of German film theaters); [http://www.bvkamera.org Bundesverband Kamera] (Association of cinematographers); [http://www.vdfk.de Verband der deutschen Filmkritik] (Association of German film critics); [http://www.regieverband.de Bundesverband Regie/Bundesverband der Fernseh- und Filmregisseure] (Association of television & film directors); [http://www.ffa.de 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.cite journal | last = Weinraub | first = Bernard | title = The Talk of Hollywood; "Europa" Surfaces In Oscar Angling | journal = The New York Times | date = 14 January 1992 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D8123AF937A25752C0A964958260 | accessdate = 2008-08-29] Although Agnieszka Holland's film "Europa Europa" was critically acclaimed (winning prizes from the New York and Boston film critics, the National Board of Review, as well as a Golden Globe) and was at the time the second highest-grossing German film ever in the United States (after "Das Boot"), it was not chosen. This was widely criticized and prompted several prominent German filmmakers to write an open letter denouncing the selection panel's refusal to submit "Europa Europa". [cite journal | last = Weinraub | first = Bernard | title = German Film Makers Express Support for "Europa" | journal = The New York Times | date = 28 January 1992 | url = http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE7DF123AF93BA15752C0A964958260 | accessdate = 2008-08-31] It was claimed that the committee did not choose the film due to its delicate subject matter (the story of a Jew who escaped persecution by the Nazis by masquerading as an Aryan). Members of the selection commitee 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 and thus qualified for Academy Awards in other categories. It was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay but did not win. [cite journal | title = "Europa Europa" (1991) - Awards | journal = The New York Times | url = http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/16131/Europa-Europa/awards | accessdate = 2008-08-31]

References

;General
*cite web | author = | title = Best Features | work = List of German submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film | publisher = German Films | url = http://www.german-films.de/app/filmarchive/oscar_features.php | accessdate = 2008-08-29
*cite web | author = H. G. Pflaum | title = On the history of the German candidates for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film | publisher = German Films | url = http://www.german-films.de/en/germanfilmsquaterly/previousissues/topicalsubjects/focuson/thetindrum-alonevictor/index.html | accessdate = 2008-08-27;Specific