The Orange British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) have announced five nominees for its Film Not In The English Language Award. Those films are The Diving Bell and The Butterfly; The Kite Runner; The Lives OfOthers; Lust,Caution; and La Vie En Rose.

Interestingly, none of those films is eligible for the Foreign-Language Oscar this year. The Lives Of Others won the Oscar last year; Lust, Caution was rejected as Taiwan’s submission due to lack of Taiwanese content; US director Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell And The Butterfly was not submitted by France, nor was La Vie En Rose; and The Kite Runner is ineligible for the foreign Oscar category because it is a US production.

This year was the first time that a special chapter of BAFTA members with specific expertise voted on the Foreign Language award.

BAFTA membership at large will now vote for the winner. Today’s early announcement of nominations is intended to give members a longer period to view the five films nominated.

Finola Dwyer, chair of BAFTA’s Film Committee, said: ‘We are delighted to be able to announce the contenders for this award today, chosen by BAFTA members who watch a large number of foreign language films and who have a great interest in world cinema.’

The full list of BAFTA nominations will be revealed Jan 16 and the awards will be handed out Feb 10.

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