Fábio Barreto's
O Quatrilho was the first Brazilian film nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film since 1962.
Brazil has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film[nb 1] since 1960. The award is handed out annually by the United States-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature length motion picture produced outside the U.S. that contains primarily non-English language dialogue.[3] It was not created until the 1956 Academy Awards, in which a competitive Academy Award of Merit was created for non-English speaking films, and has been given annually since.[4]
As of 2021[update], 51 Brazilian films have been submitted for the award. Four of these submissions resulted in nominations for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, but none of them won. Orfeu Negro, a Portuguese language film shot in Brazil by French director Marcel Camus, won the award at the 1959 ceremony, but it was submitted by the French government and thus France was credited as the only recipient of the award.
Statistics
Films directed by Carlos Diegues (also known as Cacá Diegues) have been chosen to represent Brazil at the Academy Awards six times, more than any other director. He is followed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos, which had four of his films selected. None of their films, however, managed to achieve an Oscar nomination. Three films by Bruno Barreto were submitted, although his biggest success, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, the second highest-grossing film in the history of Brazilian cinema, was not chosen. Four Days in September got nominated in 1998. Suzana Amaral's 1987 film Hour of the Star
was the only Brazilian submission by a female director until The Second Mother, directed by Anna Muylaert, was submitted as the Brazilian's entry for the 88th Academy Awards.
Submissions
Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by the Brazilian government for Academy Award consideration. The Brazilian nominee is selected annually by a committee assembled by the Ministry of Culture (formerly the Ministry of Education and Culture).
Year (Ceremony) |
Film title used in nomination |
Original title |
Director(s) |
Result
|
1960 (33rd)
|
Death Commands Brigandage
|
A Morte Comanda o Cangaço
|
Carlos Coimbra & Walter Guimarães Motta
|
Not nominated
|
1962 (34th)
|
Keeper of Promises [a]
|
O Pagador de Promessas
|
Anselmo Duarte
|
Nominated[5]
|
1964 (37th)
|
Black God, White Devil
|
Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol
|
Glauber Rocha
|
Not nominated
|
1965 (38th)
|
São Paulo Incorporated
|
São Paulo, Sociedade Anônima
|
Luis Sérgio Person
|
Not nominated
|
1967 (40th)
|
The Case of the Naves Brothers
|
O Caso dos Irmãos Naves
|
Luis Sérgio Person
|
Not nominated
|
1968 (41st)
|
The Amorous Ones
|
As Amorosas
|
Walter Hugo Khouri
|
Not nominated
|
1969 (42nd)
|
Antonio das mortes
|
O Dragão da Maldade Contra o Santo Guerreiro
|
Glauber Rocha
|
Not nominated
|
1970 (43rd)
|
Mortal Sin
|
Pecado Mortal
|
Miguel Faria Jr.
|
Not nominated
|
1971 (44th)
|
Pra Quem Fica, Tchau
|
Pra Quem Fica, Tchau
|
Reginaldo Faria
|
Not nominated
|
1972 (45th)
|
How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman
|
Como Era Gostoso o Meu Francês
|
Nelson Pereira dos Santos
|
Not nominated
|
1973 (46th)
|
John, the Knife and the River
|
A Faca e o Rio
|
George Sluizer
|
Not nominated
|
1974 (47th)
|
The Scarecrow's Night
|
A Noite do Espantalho
|
Sérgio Ricardo
|
Not nominated
|
1975 (48th)
|
Ogum's Amulet
|
O Amuleto de Ogum
|
Nelson Pereira dos Santos
|
Not nominated
|
1976 (49th)
|
Xica
|
Xica da Silva
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
1977 (50th)
|
Tent of Miracles
|
Tenda dos Milagres
|
Nelson Pereira dos Santos
|
Not nominated
|
1978 (51st)
|
The Lyre of Delight
|
A Lira do Delírio
|
Walter Lima Jr.
|
Not nominated
|
1979 (52nd)
|
Bye Bye Brazil
|
Bye Bye Brasil
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
1980 (53rd)
|
Pixote
|
Pixote, a Lei do Mais Fraco
|
Héctor Babenco
|
Disqualified[6]
|
1984 (57th)
|
Memoirs of Prison
|
Memórias do Cárcere
|
Nelson Pereira dos Santos
|
Not nominated
|
1986 (59th)
|
Hour of the Star
|
A Hora da Estrela
|
Suzana Amaral
|
Not nominated
|
1987 (60th)
|
Subway to the Stars
|
Um Trem para as Estrelas
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
1988 (61st)
|
The Story of Fausta
|
Romance da Empregada
|
Bruno Barreto
|
Not nominated
|
1989 (62nd)
|
Better Days Ahead
|
Dias Melhores Virão
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
1991 (64th)
|
Exposure[7]
|
A Grande Arte
|
Walter Salles
|
Not nominated
|
1995 (68th)
|
O Quatrilho
|
O Quatrilho
|
Fábio Barreto
|
Nominated[8]
|
1996 (69th)
|
Tieta of Agreste
|
Tieta do Agreste
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
1997 (70th)
|
Four Days in September
|
O Que É Isso, Companheiro?
|
Bruno Barreto
|
Nominated[9]
|
1998 (71st)
|
Central Station [b]
|
Central do Brasil
|
Walter Salles
|
Nominated[10]
|
1999 (72nd)
|
Orfeu
|
Orfeu
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
2000 (73rd)
|
Me, You, Them
|
Eu, Tu, Eles
|
Andrucha Waddington
|
Not nominated
|
2001 (74th)
|
Behind the Sun
|
Abril Despedaçado
|
Walter Salles
|
Not nominated
|
2002 (75th)
|
City of God [c]
|
Cidade de Deus
|
Fernando Meirelles
|
Not nominated
|
2003 (76th)
|
Carandiru
|
Carandiru
|
Héctor Babenco
|
Not nominated
|
2004 (77th)
|
Olga
|
Olga
|
Jayme Monjardim
|
Not nominated
|
2005 (78th)
|
Two Sons of Francisco
|
Dois Filhos de Francisco
|
Breno Silveira
|
Not nominated
|
2006 (79th)
|
Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures
|
Cinema, Aspirinas e Urubus
|
Marcelo Gomes
|
Not nominated
|
2007 (80th)
|
The Year My Parents Went On Vacation
|
O Ano em Que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
|
Cao Hamburger
|
Made shortlist[11]
|
2008 (81st)
|
Last Stop 174
|
Última Parada 174
|
Bruno Barreto
|
Not nominated
|
2009 (82nd)
|
Time of Fear
|
Salve Geral
|
Sérgio Rezende
|
Not nominated
|
2010 (83rd)
|
Lula, the Son of Brazil[12]
|
Lula, o Filho do Brasil
|
Fábio Barreto
|
Not nominated
|
2011 (84th)
|
The Elite Squad 2[13]
|
Tropa de Elite 2: o Inimigo Agora É Outro
|
José Padilha
|
Not nominated
|
2012 (85th)
|
The Clown[14]
|
O Palhaço
|
Selton Mello
|
Not nominated
|
2013 (86th)
|
Neighbouring Sounds[15]
|
O Som ao Redor
|
Kleber Mendonça Filho
|
Not nominated
|
2014 (87th)
|
The Way He Looks[16]
|
Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho
|
Daniel Ribeiro
|
Not nominated
|
2015 (88th)
|
The Second Mother[17]
|
Que Horas Ela Volta?
|
Anna Muylaert
|
Not nominated
|
2016 (89th)
|
Little Secret[18][19]
|
Pequeno Segredo
|
David Schurmann
|
Not nominated
|
2017 (90th)
|
Bingo: The King of the Mornings[20]
|
Bingo: O Rei das Manhãs
|
Daniel Rezende
|
Not nominated
|
2018 (91st)
|
The Great Mystical Circus[21]
|
O Grande Circo Místico
|
Carlos Diegues
|
Not nominated
|
2019 (92nd)
|
The Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão[22]
|
A vida invisível de Eurídice Gusmão
|
Karim Aïnouz
|
Not nominated
|
2020 (93rd)
|
Babenco: Tell Me When I Die[23]
|
Babenco: Alguém Tem que Ouvir o Coração e Dizer Parou
|
Bárbara Paz
|
Not nominated
|
2021 (94th)
|
Private Desert[24]
|
Deserto Particular
|
Aly Muritiba
|
Not nominated
|
^ a: Also known as The Given Word and The Promise in the English-speaking market.
^ b: Central do Brasil was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film's lead actress, Fernanda Montenegro, holds the title as the only Brazilian nominated to an acting category.[25]
^ c: Cidade de Deus was submitted for the 75th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated for the Best Foreign Language award. The film, however, was eventually nominated for four awards—Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Film Editing—at the following year. It shares the title with Kiss of the Spider Woman as the Brazilian film with the highest number of nominations. All of Cidade de Deus' nominees were Brazilians, while Hector Babenco was the only Brazilian nominee for Kiss of the Spider Woman, an American co-production.[25]
- ^ The category was previously named the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but this was changed to the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film in April 2019, after the Academy deemed the word "Foreign" to be outdated.[1][2]