List of Central American submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of the films submitted by the Central American countries in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards.
As of 2010, only five Central American films have competed in this category. Nicaragua
sent two films in the 1980s, Guatemala
sent one film in the 1990s, and Costa Rica
sent one film in the 2005 and another in 2010. All films were made in Spanish
. In 1983, Nicaragua's Alsino and the Condor
became the first and thus far only Central American film to be nominated for an Oscar.
El Salvador
, Honduras
and Panama
have never submitted films for consideration.
NOTE: The year listed in the table is the year the film was submitted for Oscar consideration. The Oscar ceremony took place the following year.
All three early submissions were political dramas set against the backdrop of U.S. longstanding involvement in the region's political affairs. Nicaragua's first submission, Alsino and the Condor, tells the story of an 11-year boy named Alsino whose remote village becomes the scene of fighting between visiting U.S. "advisers" and rebel fighters. Six years later, they sent The Spectre of War, funded in part by the Nicaraguan government, about a resort worker who leaves his job to join anti-Contra
forces. The film was most notable for interspersing dance choreography with war footage.
Guatemala's sole Oscar entry, "The Silence of Neto" takes place in 1954, against the backdrop of a U.S.-supported coup d'état as seen through the eyes of an upper-middle-class young boy, witneessing the world changing around him.
The most recent Central American entry is Costa Rica's "Caribe", an ecological soap opera featuring a love triangle between a married couple and the wife's newly-arrived half sister. Like the earlier three, U.S. influence prominently features in the plot in the form of an international oil company which wants to begin oil drilling in the ecologically pristine area.
As of 2010, only five Central American films have competed in this category. Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
sent two films in the 1980s, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
sent one film in the 1990s, and Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
sent one film in the 2005 and another in 2010. All films were made in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. In 1983, Nicaragua's Alsino and the Condor
Alsino and the Condor
Alsino and the Condor is a 1982 Nicaraguan film directed by Miguel Littín. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It won the Golden Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival. The film was a co-production between Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba...
became the first and thus far only Central American film to be nominated for an Oscar.
El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
have never submitted films for consideration.
| Year | Country | English title | Spanish title | Director | Result | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alsino and the Condor Alsino and the Condor is a 1982 Nicaraguan film directed by Miguel Littín. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It won the Golden Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival. The film was a co-production between Nicaragua, Mexico and Cuba... |
Miguel Littin Miguel Ernesto Littín Cucumides is a Chilean film director, screenwriter, film producer and novelist. He was born to a Palestinian father, Hernán Littin and a Greek mother, Cristina Cucumides.... |
Nominee | IMDb | |||
| IMDb | ||||||
Luis Argueta Luis Argueta born November 7, 1946 full name: Luis Alberto Argueta Amézquita) is a critically acclaimed Guatemalan film director and producer. In 1988 He founded Morningside Movies, primarily producing TV commercials, including many for the Spanish speaking demographic... |
IMDb | |||||
| IMDb | ||||||
Of Love and Other Demons (film) Of Love and Other Demons is a 2009 Costa Rican drama film directed by Hilda Hidalgo. The film was selected as the Costa Rican entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist... |
IMDb | |||||
La Yuma La Yuma is a 2009 Nicaraguan drama film directed by Florence Jaugey. The film was selected as the Nicaraguan entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards but it didn't make the final shortlist.-Cast:* Alma Blanco - La Yuma... |
Florence Jaugey | IMDb |
NOTE: The year listed in the table is the year the film was submitted for Oscar consideration. The Oscar ceremony took place the following year.
All three early submissions were political dramas set against the backdrop of U.S. longstanding involvement in the region's political affairs. Nicaragua's first submission, Alsino and the Condor, tells the story of an 11-year boy named Alsino whose remote village becomes the scene of fighting between visiting U.S. "advisers" and rebel fighters. Six years later, they sent The Spectre of War, funded in part by the Nicaraguan government, about a resort worker who leaves his job to join anti-Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
forces. The film was most notable for interspersing dance choreography with war footage.
Guatemala's sole Oscar entry, "The Silence of Neto" takes place in 1954, against the backdrop of a U.S.-supported coup d'état as seen through the eyes of an upper-middle-class young boy, witneessing the world changing around him.
The most recent Central American entry is Costa Rica's "Caribe", an ecological soap opera featuring a love triangle between a married couple and the wife's newly-arrived half sister. Like the earlier three, U.S. influence prominently features in the plot in the form of an international oil company which wants to begin oil drilling in the ecologically pristine area.