Malaysia among 93 hopefuls for Oscars' International Feature Film
8 Oct – Despite some objection to the renaming of the Academy Awards' Foreign Language Film category to the new International Feature Film, this does not deter countries across the globe from submitting their representative films in hope of winning the coveted golden statue.
Among the 93 nations who have submitted their entries for the category is Malaysia, with the political documentary "M for Malaysia".
The film takes a look at the 2018 Malaysian General Election, when one of the longest ruling governments in the world was overthrown by the Malaysian people, led by 92-year-old former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir.
Malaysia will be competing with films from fellow Southeast Asian countries such as Singapore ("A Land Imagined"), Indonesia ("Memories of My Body"), Philippines ("Verdict") and Cambodia ("In the Life of Music") for a place on the shortlist.
Other submissions vying for the spots include China ("Ne Zha"), Hong Kong ("The White Storm 2: Drug Lords"), Japan ("Weathering with You"), Australia ("Buoyancy"), and France ("Les Misérables").
Films that are allowed for submission to the category should fit the criteria of being a feature-length motion picture (more than 40 minutes), including documentary and animated films, that is produced outside the United States with a predominantly non-English dialogue track.
Only 10 out of the 93 hopefuls will be selected for the shortlist, which will be announced on 16 December 2019.
Full list of nominees for the 92nd Academy Awards will be revealed on 13 January 2020, ahead of the awards ceremony that will be held on 9 February 2020.
