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Although the show will only take place in March next year, the race is already on for the Oscars. European counties are already announcing their contenders for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 97th Academy Awards, better known as the International Oscar.

Candidate films must have been released in their respective countries between the dates of 1 November 2023 and 30 September 2024, and the deadline for submissions is 14 November. In all, fifteen finalists will be selected. The Academy will then choose five, which it will announce on 17 January 2025, alongside the nominees for the rest of the categories.

The European selection - as in previous years – features heavily with arthouse movies, reflecting the production in Europe. One film stands out: Kneecap. This musical biography mixes reality, politics and rap in a glorious combination that is made all the more unusual as a large part of it is in the Gaelic language.

After winning the Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Festival, its producer Trevor Birney said that winning was "surreal. We had ambition for the film from the outset, but never allowed ourselves to dream that it would screen at the world's greatest film festival," he said. “To win a film at Sundance is simply surreal. Irish films and our talent are having a moment, and Belfast is playing its part." One can only imagine what he feels about being nominated for an Oscar.

Kneecap is not the first movie in Gaelic to be nominated for the International Oscar. In 2023, An Cailín Ciúin (The Quiet Girl) was a strong contender but lost to Germany’s All Quiet on the Western Front.

The final European films in the line-up will be announced shortly.

Austria: The Devil's Bath [+], Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala (Austria/Germany)

Bulgaria: Triumph [+], Kristina Grozeva and Peter Vulchanov (Bulgaria/Greece)

Croatia: Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day, Ivona Juka (Croatia)

Czech Republic: Waves [+], Jiří Mádl (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Estonia: 8 Views of Lake Biwa [+], Marko Raat (Estonia/Finland)

Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig [+], Mohammad Rasoulof (Iran/Germany/France)

Hungary: Semmelweis, Lajos Koltai (Hungary)

Ireland: Kneecap [+], Rich Peppiatt (Ireland)

Latvia: Flow [+], Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia/France/Belgium)

Lithuania: Drowning Dry [+], Laurynas Bareiša (Lithuania/Latvia)

Romania: Three Kilometers to the End of the World [+], Emanuel Pârvu (Romania)

Ukraine: La Palisiada [+], Philip Sotnychenko (Ukraine)

(Michael Leahy. Sources : Cineuropa. Photo : © Fine Point Films)