Indie studio Neon is mounting ambitious Oscar campaigns for five non-English-language films this awards season, betting on the Academy's growing appetite for global cinema. The slate includes critically acclaimed titles like the Palme d'Or winner 'It Was Just an Accident' and Norwegian drama 'Sentimental Value.' This push follows the success of 'Parasite' and recent international entries in the Best Picture race.
Campaign Overview
Neon, the distributor behind the historic Best Picture win for Bong Joon Ho's 'Parasite' in 2019, is doubling down on international cinema with campaigns for five subtitled films. The studio aims to test whether the Academy's embrace of global stories, seen in recent nominees like 'Anatomy of a Fall' and 'Emilia Pérez,' represents lasting change or a temporary trend. Awards strategists note that international films have appeared more frequently since the Best Picture field expanded to 10 nominees in 2009, with 2023 and 2024 marking historic inclusions of multiple non-English titles.
The Films
The lineup features:
- 'Sentimental Value,' a Norwegian family drama directed by Joachim Trier, which earned runner-up honors at Cannes.
- 'The Secret Agent,' a Brazilian thriller that won two prizes at the festival.
- 'It Was Just an Accident,' an Iranian revenge saga representing France, directed by Jafar Panahi, which took the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
- 'No Other Choice,' a South Korean black dramedy by Park Chan-wook, recipient of the international audience award at Toronto.
- 'Sirāt,' an audacious Spanish film by Oliver Laxe.
Each has garnered critical acclaim on the festival circuit, with early screenings eliciting passionate responses from Academy voters for their emotional depth and craftsmanship.
Challenges and Strategy
Neon is targeting multiple categories, including Best Picture and International Feature, where it hopes to claim all five slots—an unprecedented move. However, strategists warn of potential vote-splitting, as no distributor has pushed three foreign-language contenders in one season before. With nearly 11,000 voters—25% now international—the campaigns emphasize theater screenings to combat subtitle fatigue. As one consultant put it, 'If all three are genuinely loved, you might get all three nominated. But if voters see it as a quota, you could end up with one or none.'
Current predictions from Variety include 'Sentimental Value' in Best Picture, Director, Actress (Renate Reinsve), Supporting Actress (Elle Fanning), and Original Screenplay; 'It Was Just an Accident' in Director; and 'The Secret Agent' in Actor (Wagner Moura). Neon's slate positions it as a top studio contender with 13 projected nominations.