Nine films advance in Oscars foreign-language race

Nine movies have made the cut to compete for a nomination for the best foreign-language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Thursday.

The shortlist includes Maren Ade's "Toni Erdmann," a German comedy about a troubled father-daughter relationship, which added a Golden Globe nomination in the foreign-language category on Monday after sweeping the board at the weekend's European film awards.

Other frontrunners include "The Salesman," a drama about violence and its consequences by Iranian Asghar Farhadi, whose 2011 movie "A Separation" won the foreign-language Oscar, and Xavier Dolan's Canadian drama "It's Only the End of the World," which bagged the Cannes Grand Prix.

Among the snubs were Paul Verhoeven's drama "Elle," a French rape revenge comedy, and "Neruda," Pablo Larrain's biopic about the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda -- although the director can expect his English-language film "Jackie" to pick up nominations for major honors.

Foreign language films are whittled down from 85 entries by several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members.  

The Academy's Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee bumps up their six choices to nine to make up the shortlist.

Nominations for the 89th Annual Academy Awards are expected to be announced on January 24, and the ceremony itself set for February 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The films are:  

"Tanna" (Australia)

"It's Only the End of the World" (Canada)

"Land of Mine" (Denmark)

"Toni Erdmann" (Germany)

"The Salesman" (Iran)

"The King's Choice" (Norway)

"Paradise" (Russia)

"A Man Called Ove" (Sweden) 

"My Life as a Zucchini" (Switzerland)