Foreign Language Films That Won Oscars
For decades, the Academy Awards were dominated by English-language films. However, powerful stories from around the world gradually broke language barriers and earned Oscar recognition. Today, foreign language films that won Oscars stand as proof that great cinema transcends borders, culture, and subtitles.
This article presents a clear, informative list of foreign language films that won Academy Awards, along with their significance in Oscar history.
Have Foreign Language Films Won Oscars?
Yes. Foreign language films have won multiple Academy Awards, mainly in:
- Best Foreign Language Film / Best International Feature Film
- Major categories like Best Picture
- Technical and artistic categories
These wins reshaped the Oscars and expanded global representation.
Foreign Language Films That Won Oscars (Notable List)
Below is a curated list of well-known foreign language films that won Oscars:
| Film | Language |
|---|---|
| Rashomon | Japanese |
| The Tin Drum | German |
| Babette’s Feast | French |
| Life Is Beautiful | Italian |
| Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon | Mandarin |
| Departures | Japanese |
| Amour | French |
| Parasite | Korean |
| All Quiet on the Western Front | German |
Parasite: The Most Historic Foreign Language Oscar Winner
Parasite (2019) made history by becoming the first foreign language film to win Best Picture.
Why this win mattered:
- Broke a 90-year Oscar tradition
- Proved subtitles are not a barrier
- Elevated international cinema to the highest level
This moment marked a new era for the Academy Awards.
Foreign Language Films and the International Feature Category
The Best Foreign Language Film category (now called Best International Feature Film) was created to honor non-English cinema.
Many foreign films won Oscars through this category, helping countries like:
- France
- Italy
- Germany
- Japan
- Iran
build strong Oscar legacies.
Conclusion: Global Cinema at the Oscars
The journey of foreign language films that won Oscars reflects the Academy’s slow but meaningful shift toward global storytelling. From Rashomon to Parasite, these films have reshaped film history and expanded what the Oscars represent.
Today, foreign language cinema is no longer on the sidelines—it stands at the center of world cinema.
Foreign language films have won Oscars across multiple categories, representing countries from Asia, Europe, and beyond. One of the earliest examples is Rashomon (1950) from Japan, a Japanese-language film that received an Honorary Academy Award in 1952, helping introduce international cinema to Western audiences.
Germany earned major recognition with The Tin Drum (1979), a German-language film that won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980, becoming Germany’s first Oscar winner in this category.
In 1988, Babette’s Feast, produced by Denmark and primarily in the French language, won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, praised for its artistic storytelling and cultural depth.
Italy made history with Life Is Beautiful (1997), an Italian-language film that won Best Actor at the 1999 Academy Awards, proving that foreign language performances could succeed in major acting categories.
Asian cinema gained global attention when Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) from Taiwan, filmed in Mandarin Chinese, won multiple Oscars in 2001, including awards for cinematography, art direction, and original score.
Japan returned to Oscar success with Departures (2008), a Japanese-language film that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2009, touching audiences worldwide with its emotional themes.
France earned acclaim with Amour (2012), a French-language film that won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2013, known for its intimate and powerful storytelling.
A historic moment occurred when Parasite (2019) from South Korea, filmed in the Korean language, became the first foreign language film to win Best Picture at the 2020 Academy Awards, redefining global cinema at the Oscars.
Most recently, Germany achieved massive success with All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), a German-language film that won Best International Feature Film and several technical Oscars in 2023, marking one of Germany’s biggest Oscar achievements.