According To The variety Neon is going all in on international cinema.
The indie studio that brought “Parasite” (2019) its historic best picture win is doubling down on non-English-language movies this awards season, with five international titles and a series of ambitious Oscar campaigns that could result in multiple foreign-language films landing in the most coveted race.
The scrappy distributor is betting that the floodgates opened by Bong Joon Ho’s 2020 triumph have permanently changed the Academy’s appetite for global stories. With acclaimed international titles in its arsenal — notably the Norwegian family drama “Sentimental Value,” Brazilian thriller “The Secret Agent” and Iranian revenge saga “It Was Just an Accident” (representing France) — the company is testing whether Hollywood’s recognition of world cinema represents genuine evolution or a fleeting trend.
“The question isn’t whether international films belong in the conversation anymore,” says one awards strategist. “It’s whether there are enough major studio titles left for the Academy to vote for.” Neon is also backing Park Chan-wook’s South Korean black dramedy “No Other Choice” and Oliver Laxe’s audacious Spanish film “Sirāt.”
In the wake of “Parasite,” voters have embraced many subtitled wonders, such as the three-hour Japanese meditation “Drive My Car.” In 2023, the best picture category saw a historic first with two non-English-language titles entering the lineup: the French legal procedural “Anatomy of a Fall” and British historical drama “The Zone of Interest.” The record was repeated the following year with nods for the Spanish musical “Emilia Pérez” and Brazilian period drama “I’m Still Here.” All reflected linguistic diversity and a broadening aesthetic palette.
Neon’s current slate attempts to push that advancement further. Each film has earned critical acclaim on the festival circuit. “It Was Just an Accident” took home the prestigious Palme d’Or at Cannes, which also named “Sentimental Value” as runner-up. In addition, “The Secret Agent” won two prizes, while Park Chan-wook’s romp “No Other Choice” claimed the international audience award at Toronto.
The question now is whether Academy voters — who number nearly 11,000 and still skew older, whiter and more American than the global community — will champion multiple subtitled films at once.
Strategists are cautiously optimistic. Since the Academy expanded the best picture field to 10 nominees in 2009, international films have appeared with increasing frequency. However, no single distributor has ever pushed three foreign-language contenders in one season. Neon is also aiming for an unprecedented sweep: occupying all five slots in the international feature category.
“You can split your own vote,” says one veteran Oscar consultant. “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.”
Academy voters receive hundreds of screeners, and subtitled films require active attention in ways English-language features do not. There’s a question pundits often ask when predicting a race: “Will this movie pass the Sunday-morning test?” — meaning, can it connect with voters who might be half-watching while answering emails or folding laundry? That’s why studios and strategists put such an emphasis on screenings in theaters — to ensure maximum engagement.
Yet the films themselves may be Neon’s strongest argument. Early showings have generated passionate responses from attendees, with some voters praising the emotional immediacy of “Sentimental Value,” the propulsive craft of “The Secret Agent” and the moral complexity of “It Was Just an Accident.”
The Academy’s international membership has grown significantly through the diversity initiative launched after the #OscarsSoWhite controversy. Roughly 25% of voting members now reside outside the U.S., up from the low teens a decade ago.
But success requires more than demographic shifts. Voters must fundamentally reconsider what “best picture” means — whether it’s the best American picture, the best English-language picture or simply the best picture, regardless of origin.
As Bong Joon Ho beautifully said, “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.” Neon has put forth the ultimate challenge.
This week’s updated Oscar predictions are below. The individual page updates are forthcoming.
