The Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

presented by

Dick Clark Productions Dick Clark Productions, LLC (DCP, stylized in lowercase as dick clark productions or dcp) is an American multinational television production company founded by radio and TV host Dick Clark. The studio primarily produces Awards ceremony, award sh ...

to reward theatrically-released

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

not in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

. It was first introduced at the 7th Golden Globe Awards for the 1949 film year as Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film, and would return to be awarded yearly from the 1957 film year onwards; from 1948 to 1972, it existed alongside the Best English-Language Foreign Film category, which was intended for English-language films made outside the United States. The two categories were fused into Best Foreign Language Film in 1973, now rewarding any non-American films regardless of language; this was reversed in 1986 when it was renamed to Best Foreign Language Film, although this last change also made American films in non-English language eligible, such as winners ''

Letters from Iwo Jima is a 2006 Japanese-language American war film directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood, starring Ken Watanabe and Kazunari Ninomiya. The film portrays the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers and is a companion ...

'' and ''

Minari ''Minari'' (; ) is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. It stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. A semi-autobiographical take on Chung's upbringing, its plot follow ...

''. The award was originally an equivalent to the pre-existent Best English-Language Foreign Film, for English-language film made outside the United States. Since the 1987 change in the criteria for this award, its eligibility criteria have been considerably broader than those for the

Academy Award for Best International Feature Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

; films are notably not submitted by their country, and there is not limit of one-eligible film per country as in the Academy Awards. Before 1974, the award was given only infrequently, and with several films being jointly honoured per year. The most honored country in this category is the United Kingdom, with seven films honored, followed by Spain and France.

Eligibility criteria

Like the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, this award does not require that an eligible film be released in the United States. The official rules for the award state that submitted films must be at least 70 minutes in length and have at least 51% of their dialogue in a language other than English, and that they be "first released in their country of origin during the 14-months period from November 1 to December 31, prior to the Awards". Films that were not released in their country of origin due to censorship qualify with a one-week release in the U.S. during the specified period.

(through its Golden Globes, LLC subsidiary), which took over the presentation of the Golden Globes from the

Hollywood Foreign Press Association The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) was a nonprofit organization of journalists and photographers who reported on the American entertainment industry for predominantly foreign media markets. It is best known for founding and conduc ...

(HFPA) in 2024, continues the HFPA's practice of not limiting the number of submitted films from a given country. This differs from the practice of the Academy Awards' presenter, the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

(AMPAS), which limits each country to one submission per year. See especially Rule 14, "Special Rules for the Foreign Language Film Award".

Best Foreign-Language Foreign Film

*1949: ''

Bicycle Thieves ''Bicycle Thieves'' (), also known as ''The Bicycle Thief'', is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post-World War II Rome for his stolen bicycle, without which h ...

(Ladri di biciclette)'' (Italy) *1954: ''

Twenty-Four Eyes is a 1954 Japanese drama film directed by Keisuke Kinoshita, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Sakae Tsuboi. The film stars Hideko Takamine as a young schoolteacher who lives during the rise and fall of Japanese nationalism in the ea ...

'' (''Nijushi no hitomi'') (Japan); '' No Way Back'' (''Weg Ohne Umkehr'') (West Germany); ''

The Lady of the Camellias ''The Lady of the Camellias'' (), sometimes called ''Camille'' in English, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas fils, Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. First published in 1848 and subsequently Theatrical adaptation, adapted by Dumas for the Drama, stage, the pl ...

'' (Argentina); ''

Genevieve Genevieve (; ; also called ''Genovefa'' and ''Genofeva''; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) was a consecrated virgin, and is one of the two patron saints of Paris in the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church. Her feast day is on 3 January. Rec ...

'' (United Kingdom) *1955: ''

Ordet ''Ordet'' (, meaning " The Word" and originally released as ''The Word'' in English) is a 1955 Danish drama film, written and directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. It is based on a play by Kaj Munk, a Danish Lutheran priest, first performed in 1932. ...

'' (''The Word'') (Denmark); ''

Stella Stella or STELLA may refer to: Art, entertainment, and media Films * ''Stella'' (1921 film), directed by Edwin J. Collins * ''Stella'' (1943 film), with Zully Moreno * ''Stella'' (1950 film), with Ann Sheridan and Victor Mature * ''Stella'' (1955 ...

'' (Greece); ''

Children, Mother, and the General ''Children, Mother, and the General'' (, and also released as ''Sons, Mothers, and a General'') is a 1955 West German war film directed by László Benedek and starring Hilde Krahl, Therese Giehse and Ewald Balser. The film was not a popular ...

'' (''Kinder, Mutter und Ein General'') (West Germany); ''Eyes of Children'' (Japan); ''Curvas peligrosas (Dangerous Curves)'' (Mexico) *1956: ''

Before Sundown ''Before Sundown'' () is a 1956 West German drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt and starring Hans Albers, Annemarie Düringer and Martin Held. At the 6th Berlin International Film Festival, it won the Golden Bear, Golden Bear (Audience aw ...

'' (''Vor Sonnenuntergang'') (West Germany); ''

A Girl in Black ''A Girl in Black'' () is a 1956 Greek dramatic film by the Cypriot director Michael Cacoyannis starring Dimitris Horn and Ellie Lambeti. The film takes place on the Greek island of Hydra, where two Athenian visitors become entangled in local feu ...

'' (''To Koritsi me ta mavra'') (Greece); ''Roses on the Arm'' (''Taiyo to bara'') (Japan); ''

War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...

'' (Italy); ''

The White Reindeer ''The White Reindeer'' (, ) is a 1952 Finnish folk horror film directed by Erik Blomberg in his feature film debut. Blomberg wrote the screenplay with his wife Mirjami Kuosmanen, who also stars in the lead role. Based on pre-Christian Finnish ...

'' (''Valkoinen Peura'') (Finland) *1957: ''

Confessions of Felix Krull ''Confessions of Felix Krull'' () is an unfinished 1954 novel by the Germany, German author Thomas Mann. Synopsis The novel is narrated by the protagonist, an impostor and adventurer named Felix Krull, the son of a ruined Rhineland winemaker. F ...

'' (''Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull'') (West Germany); ''

Tizoc Tizocic (), or Tizocicatzin (), usually known in English as Tizoc, was the seventh tlatoani of Tenochtitlan, ''tlatoani'' of Tenochtitlan. His name means, "He who makes sacrifices" or "He who does penance." Either Tizoc or his successor Ahuitzot ...

'' (Mexico); ''

Yellow Crow is a 1957 Japanese drama film directed by Heinosuke Gosho. Plot Kiyoshi Yoshida is a 9 year old boy who loves to draw. Although he shows some talent, his teacher is worried because he draws only in black and yellow, which can mean according to ...

'' (''Kiiroi karasu'') (Japan) *1958: ''

Girl and the River ''Girl and the River'' () is a 1958 French drama film directed by François Villiers. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. Cast In alphabetical order * Henri Arius - The uncle from Cavaillon * Pascale Audret - Hortense * Odet ...

(L'Eau vive)'' (France); ''

The Road a Year Long ''The Road a Year Long'' (, ) is a 1958 film directed by Giuseppe De Santis. A Yugoslavian-Italian international co-production, co-production, it was Yugoslavia's first ever submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was n ...

(Cesta duga godinu dana)'' (Yugoslavia); ''

Rosemary ''Salvia rosmarinus'' (), commonly known as rosemary, is a shrub with fragrant, evergreen, needle-like leaves and white, pink, purple, or blue flowers. It is a member of the sage family, Lamiaceae. The species is native to the Mediterranean r ...

(Das Mädchen Rosemarie)'' (West Germany) *1959: ''

Die Brücke Die Brücke (The Bridge), also known as Künstlergruppe Brücke or KG Brücke, was a group of German expressionist artists formed in Dresden in 1905. The founding members were Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckel, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Karl Schmidt-R ...

(The Bridge)'' (West Germany); ''

Black Orpheus ''Black Orpheus'' ( Portuguese: ''Orfeu Negro'' ) is a 1959 romantic tragedy film directed by French filmmaker Marcel Camus and starring Marpessa Dawn and Breno Mello. It is based on the play '' Orfeu da Conceição'' by Vinicius de Moraes, ...

(Orfeu Negro)'' (Brazil/France); ''

Odd Obsession is a 1959 Japanese satirical comedy drama film directed by Kon Ichikawa. It is based on the 1956 novel '' The Key'' by Jun'ichirō Tanizaki. Plot Art historian Kenji Kenmochi is married to the much younger Ikuko. Due to his waning virility, he ...

(Kagi)'' (Japan); '' Wild Strawberries (Smultronstället)'' (Sweden); ''

Wir Wunderkinder ''Wir Wunderkinder'' is a 1958 West German comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Hansjörg Felmy and Robert Graf. The black-and-white film is also known in English as ''Aren't We Wonderful?''. Plot The film recounts the lives of tw ...

(Aren't We Wonderful?)'' (West Germany) *1960: ''

The Virgin Spring ''The Virgin Spring'' () is a 1960 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set in medieval Sweden, it is a tale about a father's merciless response to the rape and murder of his young daughter. The story was adapted by screenwriter Ulla Isakss ...

(Jungfrukällan)'' (Sweden); ''

The Truth The Truth may refer to: Film * ''The Truth'' (1920 film) starring Madge Kennedy * ''The Truth'' (1960 film) or ''La Vérité'', a French film by Henri-Georges Clouzot starring Brigitte Bardot * ''The Truth'' (1988 film), a Hong Kong trial cri ...

'' ''(La Vérité)'' (France) *1961: ''

Two Women ''Two Women'' ( , rough literal translation "The Woman from Ciociaria") is a 1960 war drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica from a screenplay he co-wrote with Cesare Zavattini, based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Alberto Moravia. ...

(La ciociara)'' (Italy) *1962: ''

Divorce Italian Style ''Divorce Italian Style'' () is a 1961 Italian black comedy film directed by Pietro Germi. The screenplay is by Germi, Ennio De Concini, Alfredo Giannetti, and Agenore Incrocci, based on Giovanni Arpino's novel '' Un delitto d'onore'' (English ...

(Divorzio all'italiana)'' (Italy) *1963: '' Any Number Can Win (Mélodie en sous-sol)'' (France) *1964: ''

Marriage Italian Style ''Marriage Italian Style'' ( ) is a 1964 romantic comedy-drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica, starring Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. The film was adapted by Leonardo Benvenuti, Renato Castellani, Piero De Bernardi, and Tonino G ...

(Matrimonio all'italiana)'' (Italy) and ''

Sallah Shabati ''Sallah Shabati'' () is a 1964 Israeli comedy film about the chaos of Israeli immigration and resettlement, as well as the issues Mizrahi Jews faced in the developing Israeli society. This social satire placed the director Ephraim Kishon and p ...

'' (Israel) Notes: * The winner in each year is shown with a blue background.

Best Foreign Film – English Language

Winners and nominations

1965-1972: Best Foreign Film – Foreign Language
1973-1985: Best Foreign Film
1986–present: Best Foreign Language Film

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Multiple winners

Nine directors have won the award multiple times.

References

{{Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Foreign Language Film World cinema is a term in film theory in the United States that refers to films made outside of the Cinema of the United States, American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial Ame ...

Film awards for Best Foreign Language Film History of immigration to the United States