MUMBAI: The Academy’s foreign-language race is gradually picking up steam with entries from Romania, Morocco and Venezuela to join Greece and Poland this year.
 
Under Academy rules, each country is allowed to submit a single film; a lengthy screening process narrows the field from several dozen (65 last year) to nine and then two hand-picked committees choose the final five nominees.
Greece had sprung a surprise nominee last year with its entry Dogtooth, and Romania too had a strong entry in 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days that was grossly overlooked.
 
Last year Greece got the Oscar race’s strangest and most controversial nomination with Dogtooth and the country appears to have gone back to the same well with a film produced by Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos and directed by the film’s producer Tsangari
 
Greece will get Attenberg directed by Anthin Rachel Tsangari followed by the Moroccan entry Omar Killed Me. While Poland will pitch in with In Darkness, Romania will get Morgen.