Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Foreign Film

The competition: Land of Mine (Denmark), A Man Called Ove (Sweden), The Salesman (Iran), Tanna (Australia), Toni Erdmann (Germany)

Previous winners: Son of Saul (Hungary), Ida (Poland), The Great Beauty (Italy), Amour (Austria), A Separation (Iran), In a Better World (Denmark), The Secret in their Eyes (Argentina), Departures (Japan)
My winner: To be announced soon!
The facts: This is the nineteenth nomination for Germany, which was won three times, most recently in 2006. This is the fifteenth nomination for Sweden, which has won three times, most recently in 1983. This is the fourteenth nomination for Denmark, which has won three times, most recently in 2010. This is the third nomination for Iran, which won in 2011 for another film directed by Asghar Farhadi, the only previously nominated filmmaker in this category. This is the first nomination for Australia, recognized for a film with Nauvhal and Nafe languages. “Elle,” which didn’t make the finalist list, won both the Golden Globe and the Critics’ Choice Award.

Who should win: I wasn’t in love with either of the two frontrunners, and “Tanna” took a bit of time to get into for me. “A Man Called Ove” was great, and I’d say that “Land of Mine” is far and away the best one here.
Who will win: I would have gone with “Toni Erdmann,” but I think that The Salesman will benefit from some late momentum to take it.