Top 9 Countries Without an Oscar Win

Earlier this week we tackled the countries with the highest number of submissions to the Oscars without a single, solitary Oscar nomination-today, we’re going after those countries that were lucky enough to get a nomination, but are still waiting for that first taste of the gold.  Here are the Top 9 (well, eight plus a former country) still looking for a gold man to call their own:

9. India

Number of Nominations: 3

Most Recent Nomination: Lagaan, in 2001

Most Submitted Director: The legendary Satyajit Ray (who went on to eventually win an Honorary Oscar) received three submissions but none of his films were nominated.

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes-they have submitted Liar’s Dice, a motion picture that won a pair of National Film Awards in India.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Kamal Haasan has been in seven submitted films from India, the most of any performer, but has never had one of his films nominated.

Fernanda Montenegro

8. Brazil

Number of Nominations: 4

Most Recent Nomination: Central Station, in 1998

Most Submitted Director: Caca Diegues, who has been chosen six times, but never received an Oscar nomination.

Did They Submit This Year?: The Way He Looks, a gay coming of age drama which looks like something I am seriously hoping is at least shortlisted because I really want to see it.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Walter Salles’ Central Station lost to Life is Beautiful (one of those rare situations that in “any other year” he would have won), but he did gain a major coup with the film: Fernanda Montenegro became the first (and so far only) Brazilian actress to be nominated for an Oscar.

6. Greece (tie)

Number of Nominations: 5

Most Recent Nomination: Dogtooth, the absolutely bizarre film nominated in 2010 for the Oscar.

Most Submitted Director: Theo Angelopoulos, who has been submitted four times but has never won a nomination.

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes-they submitted Little England, a steamy looking period drama about two sisters in love with the same man.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Michael Cacoyannis, twice nominated for his work in Electra and Iphigenia, had a far more impressive Oscar haul when he directed 1964’s Zorba the Greek, which won him a trio of nominations, including for Best Picture.

Liv Ullmann

6. Norway (tie)

Number of Nominations: 5

Most Recent Nomination: Kon-Tiki, in 2012 (if you’ll recall, it came very close to winning the OVP from me).

Most Submitted Director: Peter Vennerod and Svend Wam were submitted three years in a row in the early 1980’s, but continuing our odd streak here, never were nominated for an Oscar (so far this is clearly a “if at first you don’t succeed, skip them in the future” situation).

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes, 1001 Grams.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Actress Liv Ullmann, who directed Kristin Lavransdatter, 1995’s submission, was a two-time Oscar-nominated actress in the 1970’s, receiving citations for The Emigrants and Face to Face, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest actors of her generation.

5. Yugoslavia

Number of Nominations: 6

Most Recent Nomination: 1985’s When Father Was Away on Business

Most Submitted Director: Velijko Bulajic, who was submitted seven times by the country and in a first in our countdown did in fact gain a nomination, for 1969’s The Battle of Neretva.

Did They Submit This Year?: Obviously not, as Yugoslavia is no longer a country.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Yugoslavia joins the Soviet Union, East Germany, West Germany, and Czechoslavakia on the list of countries that no longer exist but were at one point nominated for an Academy Award in this category.

Marion Cotillard in Two Days, One Night

4. Belgium

Number of Nominations: 7

Most Recent Nomination: Last year’s The Broken Circle Breakdown (we’ll be getting to this race tomorrow in the OVP)

Most Submitted Director: The legendary Dardenne Brothers, who have been submitted four times, including both of their Palme d’Or winners (they have never bee nominated, however).

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes, they once again submitted a film from the Dardenne Brothers entitled Two Days, One Night, which is getting raves and stars Marion Cotillard.  This could be a legitimate shot at their eighth nomination.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: As French and Dutch are both spoken in Belgium, there is a solid mix between the two.  Oddly enough, there is an even split with AMPAS, with them preferring three French-language films, three in Dutch, and one (1992’s Daens) which was in both.

3. Mexico

Number of Nominations: 8

Most Recent Nomination: 2010’s Biutiful (which had to have come close to winning considering Javier Bardem got a Best Actor ciation for the film)

Most Submitted Director: Arturo Ripstein, and proving what a fluke Yugoslavia is, he has gone 0 for 5 in terms of getting a nomination.

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes, they did, submitting a biopic of Cantinflas, who is an extremely well-known Mexican comedian who won a Golden Globe Award for the Best Picture-winning Around the World in 80 Days.  Though reviews are tough, biopics are usually gold at the Oscars-I suspect this will be a surprise on the shortlist, though ultimately miss for a nomination.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: While Spanish is the dominant language in Mexico, not all of their submissions have been in Spanish: 2007’s Silent Light was in Plautdietsch, which is the language of the low-German Mennonites (the film didn’t get a nomination at the Oscars, but won the Jury Prize at Cannes).

Andrzej Wajda

2. Poland

Number of Nominations: 9

Most Recent Nomination: The brilliant In Darkness, which was nominated three years ago.

Most Submitted Director: Andrzej Wadja, who throws my entire theory about constantly being submitted out of the water.  With eight submissions, he has scored nominations on half of them.  Wajda is one of the most famous Polish directors of all-time, however, and in fact has won an Honorary Academy Award, so clearly he’s someone that’s safe to bet on.

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes, and what a doozy: Ida, one of the most discussed foreign films of the year, is not only a likely contender for a nomination (allowing Poland to tie for the top spot), but also may knock Poland off this list entirely-it’s the early frontrunner for the win.

A Wee Bit of Trivia: The very first submission from Poland was nominated for Best Foreign Film, and was directed by arguably the most famous director of any Polish film to eventually get nominated: Roman Polanski.  His later films like Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, Tess, and The Pianist would go on to dominate the Oscars, the latter winning him the Best Director trophy.

1. Israel

Number of Nominations: 10

Most Recent Nomination: 2011’s Footnote

Most Submitted Director: Joseph Cedar, who has been submitted four times, twice winning a nomination for Beaufort and Footnote (clearly he’s on a role).

Did They Submit This Year?: Yes-they have Gett: The Trial of Viviane Ansalem, yet another film that screened at Cannes (which is slowly but steadily become the best indicator of what films are going to be submitted for the Oscars).

A Wee Bit of Trivia: Moshe Mizrahi is one of those rare directors who has been submitted from two different countries.  In addition to his two Israeli submissions I Love You Rosa and The House on Chelouche Street (both nominated), he was also the director of Madame Rosa, which won France the trophy in 1977 (and also starred Oscar-winner Simone Signoret).

And there you have it-the most snubbed countries for the Oscar.  Which of these do you think will be the first to get off the list (the obvious answer to me is Poland)?  Which will continue to wrack up nominations without actually taking a trophy?  Share your predictions in the comments!