The Foreign Language Category is one of the most competitive every year as many countries are represented and the films are so diverse. This year two countries are nominated for the first time while three other countries are receiving nominations after a number of years.

When the Oscar is announced one of the films will join recent winners "Ida (Poland)," "The Great Beauty (Italy)," "Amour (Austria)" and "A Separation (Iran)." Here is a look at the five contenders to join this exclusive group.

Colombia- "Embrace of the Serpent"-This is the first nomination for the South American country. The film by Ciro Guerra made its world premiere at the Cannes Film festival where it was an instant hit and later went on to play at various festivals including Toronto and Sundance. The film is also nominated for the Indie Spirit Awards where it will compete for Best International film. Oscilloscope is releasing the film in February before the Academy Awards.

France-"Mustang"-The European country received its 37th nomination after being absent for a number of years. The film by Deniz Gamze Ergüven represents one of the few pictures directed by a woman at this year's Oscars. "Mustang" made its world premiere at the Cannes Film festival where it received rave reviews and was later nominated for the Golden Globe and Indie Spirit Awards. It was also nominated for a European Film Award and the Queer Palme at Cannes. The movie has been in the awards circuit ever since it began and is one of the strongest contenders for the Best Foreign Film prize.

Hungary-"Son of Saul"-This is the 11th nomination for Hungary. The country was last nominated in 1988 and has since been absent from most awards shows. This year "Son of Saul" by Laszlo Nemes is the front-runner to win the Oscar especially after dominating the Golden Globes, the Critics' Choice and the majority of the Critics' Circle. The film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film festival where it instantly became the front-runner to win the Oscar and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Festival. With such a powerful subject matter it is unlikely this film will lose the award.

Jordan-"Theeb"- This represents the first nomination for Jordan. "Theeb" interestingly made its world premiere in 2014 at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. The film was later released by Film Movement in limited release. "Theeb" was ignored throughout awards season but obtained buzz when the BAFTA surprised with a nomination. While it is unlikely to win, the film will likely get more attention from audiences that may have ignored it.

Denmark-"A War"-Denmark received its 11th nomination for Tobias Lindholm's film.The country recently won the Oscar in 2010 for "In a Better World" and was last nominated in 2013 for "The Hunt." "A War" premiered at the Venice Film festival where it competed in the Horizons sidebar and was one of the biggest surprises of nomination morning. Not only was not really on any radar but it did not get attention throughout awards season. Magnolia is releasing the film but it is unlikely to win a single award.


Prediction-"Son of Saul" is without a doubt the front-runner to win the Oscar and will become the second win for the country.

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