LONDON ? A taut domestic drama from Iran is competing against a Belgian thriller, a true Polish tale from the Holocaust and dramas from Canada and Israel in the Academy Awards race for best foreign-language film.
Nominees announced Tuesday in Los Angeles include "A Separation," the story of a marital breakdown and its far-reaching consequences from Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi.
The widely praised film ? being hailed by some as a vital cultural bridge at a time of souring relations between Iran and the West ? has already won the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, and also gained Farhadi an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
It's up against "Footnote," a mordant tale of rivalry between father-son Talmudic scholars by Israel's Joseph Cedar, and "Bullhead," a Belgian crime drama set amid the world of cattle rearing and hormone dealing by first-time feature director Michael R. Roskam.
"Bullhead" producer Bart Van Langendonck welcomed the recognition for a film that "was written so it could be appreciated all over the world, even if the theme of the cattle mafia is extremely Belgian."
The nominees also include the gritty, realistic "In Darkness" by Poland's Agnieszka Holland, based on the true story of Leopold Socha, a Polish petty criminal who hid Jews from the Nazis in the sewage canals of Lviv during World War II.
It's a third Oscar nomination for 63-year-old Holland, one of the country's best-known directors, after "Europa Europa" and "Angry Harvest," both of which also dealt with the Holocaust.
The final contender is "Monsieur Lazhar," the story of an Algerian immigrant substitute teacher who helps a group of children get over a death by Canada's Philippe Falardeau.
It's the second straight year a filmmaker from Quebec has made the shortlist. Denis Villeneuve was nominated last year for his war drama "Incendies."
This year's Oscars contest already has an international flavor. The race is led by Martin Scorsese's Parisian fantasia "Hugo," with 11 nominations, and "The Artist," a French-made silent tale of old Hollywood, with 10.
Winners of the 84th annual Oscars will be announced at a Feb. 26 ceremony at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
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Associated Press writers Raf Casert in Antwerp, Belgium, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Josef Federman in Jerusalem, and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.
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Online: http://www.oscars.org
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