Germany has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since the creation of the award in 1956, initially as a divided country, and since 1992 as a reunified federation. The award is handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.
As of 2026, Germany received twenty-two nominations, winning four awards for: The Tin Drum (1979) by Volker Schlöndorff, Nowhere in Africa (2001) by Caroline Link, The Lives of Others (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) by Edward Berger.
Submissions Each year, the Academy invites countries to submit their best films for competition according to strict rules, with only one film being accepted from each country. However, because of Germany's status as a divided country throughout much of the second half of the 20th century, West Germany and East Germany competed separately in the Best Foreign Language Film category until 1990. With eight nominations and one win, West Germany was far more successful than East Germany, whose only nomination was received in 1976 for Jacob the Liar, a film which the Moscow International Film Festival had refused to screen. West Germany received four consecutive nominations during the first years of the award's existence. It fared less well in the 1960s, as all of its submissions failed to garner a nomination. The advent of New German Cinema led to an improvement of German cinema's reputation abroad. As a result of this, West Germany received several nominations during the 1970s, culminating with The Tin Drum victory in 1979.
According to Academy rules, the selection of each country's official submission has to be made by "one organization, jury or committee that should include artists and/or craftspeople from the field of motion pictures". In Germany's case, the selection committee and procedure are organized by the Munich-based German Films Service + Marketing GmbH, known as Export-Union of German Cinema until 2004. Film producers and distributors can submit a film for consideration to German Films, which verifies the completeness of the application and the compliance with Academy rules. A committee composed of representatives of nine different German film institutions and film industry trade groups selects a film for submission to the Academy. German Films is not represented in the committee and concentrates solely on the organizational aspects.
Although East Germany used to submit films sparingly, West Germany and later reunified Germany have been regular participants, and have sent a film to the Academy in every year except from 1962 to 1964 and in 1991. West Germany and East Germany were formally reunited on 3 October 1990. The 63rd Academy Awards, held on 25 March 1991, were thus the first at which Germany was able to participate as a single country. The refusal of the selection committee to submit a film in 1991 was highly controversial.
Reunified Germany has been successful in the Best International Feature Film category, securing three wins and ten nominations in three decades. The three German films that received the award since reunification are All Quiet on the Western Front (2022) by Edward Berger, The Lives of Others (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and Nowhere in Africa (2001) by Caroline Link. Donnersmarck and Link are the only two German directors to have had more than one film selected and nominated in this category. Several other German films have received Academy Awards in categories other than Best International Feature Film.
The selection of The White Ribbon (2009) caused a minor controversy, since Michael Haneke is an Austrian filmmaker.
Pina (2011), Two Lives (2013), Labyrinth of Lies (2015), In the Fade (2017), I'm Your Man (2021), and Sound of Falling (2025), advanced to the December shortlists, but were not nominated.
All submissions were primarily in German, with the notable exception of The Seed of the Sacred Fig (2024) by Mohammad Rasoulof, a co-production with Iran shot in Persian, and nominated at the 97th Academy Awards.
Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949)
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Director Result As West Germany (1949–1990) 1956(29th) Der Hauptmann von Köpenick 1957(30th) Nachts, wenn der Teufel kam 1958(31st) Arms and the Man Helden 1959(32nd) Die Brücke 1960(33rd) Faust 1961(34th) The Miracle of Father Malachia Das Wunder des Malachias 1965(38th) It Es 1966(39th) Young Törless Der junge Törless 1967(40th) Tattoo Tätowierung 1968(41st) Artists Under the Big Top: Perplexed Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: ratlos 1969(42nd) Hunting Scenes from Bavaria Jagdszenen aus Niederbayern 1970(43rd) o.k. 1971(44th) Das Schloß 1972(45th) Trotta 1973(46th) Der Fußgänger 1974(47th) One or the Other of Us Einer von uns beiden 1975(48th) Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle 1976(49th) NOTE: The film did not appear on the official AMPAS list Ansichten eines Clowns 1977(50th) Der amerikanische Freund 1978(51st) Die gläserne Zelle 1979(52nd) Die Blechtrommel 1980(53rd) Fabian 1981(54th) Lili Marleen 1982(55th) Fitzcarraldo 1983(56th) Die flambierte Frau 1984(57th) Man Under Suspicion Morgen in Alabama 1985(58th) Angry Harvest Bittere Ernte 1986(59th) Men... Männer… 1987(60th) Wings of Desire Der Himmel über Berlin 1988(61st) Yasemin 1989(62nd) Spider's Web Das Spinnennetz As Germany (since 1990) 1990(63rd) Das schreckliche Mädchen 1992(65th) Schtonk! 1993(66th) Justice Justiz 1994(67th) Das Versprechen 1995(68th) Brother of Sleep Schlafes Bruder 1996(69th) Deathmaker Der Totmacher 1997(70th) Beyond Silence Jenseits der Stille 1998(71st) Run Lola Run Lola rennt 1999(72nd) Aimée & Jaguar Aimée und Jaguar 2000(73rd) No Place to Go Die Unberührbare 2001(74th) Das Experiment 2002(75th) Nowhere in Africa Nirgendwo in Afrika 2003(76th) Good Bye, Lenin! 2004(77th) Downfall Der Untergang 2005(78th) Sophie Scholl – The Final Days Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage 2006(79th) Das Leben der Anderen 2007(80th) Auf der anderen Seite 2008(81st) Der Baader Meinhof Komplex 2009(82nd) Das weiße Band 2010(83rd) When We Leave Die Fremde 2011(84th) Pina Pina – Tanzt, tanzt sonst sind wir verloren 2012(85th) Barbara Barbara Christian Petzold 2013(86th) Two Lives Zwei Leben 2014(87th) Beloved Sisters Die geliebten Schwestern Dominik Graf 2015(88th) Labyrinth of Lies Im Labyrinth des Schweigens Giulio Ricciarelli 2016(89th) Toni Erdmann Maren Ade 2017(90th) In the Fade Aus dem Nichts Fatih Akin 2018(91st) Never Look Away Werk ohne Autor Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck 2019(92nd) System Crasher Systemsprenger Nora Fingscheidt 2020(93rd) And Tomorrow the Entire World Und morgen die ganze Welt Julia von Heinz 2021(94th) I'm Your Man Ich bin dein Mensch Maria Schrader 2022(95th) All Quiet on the Western Front Im Westen Nichts Neues Edward Berger 2023(96th)The Teachers' LoungeDas Lehrerzimmerİlker Çatak 2024(97th)The Seed of the Sacred Figدانهی انجیر معابدMohammad Rasoulof 2025(98th)Sound of Falling In die Sonne schauen Mascha Schilinski 2026(99th)Everytime Sandra Wollner
German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Director Result 1973(46th) Her Third Der Dritte 1976(49th) Jacob the Liar Jakob der Lügner 1977(50th) Mama, I'm Alive Mama, ich lebe 1980(53rd) Die Verlobte and 1983(56th) Der Aufenthalt
Shortlisted Films Every year since 2006, Germany has announced a list of finalists that varied in number over the years (from 4 to 17 films) before announcing its official Oscar nominee, except in the years 2008, 2009 and 2017 where an official list was not announced. The following films have been shortlisted by the Germany's selection committee: 2006The Cloud · Requiem · 2007And Along Come Tourists · Four Minutes · House of the Sleeping Beauties · My Führer – The Really Truest Truth about Adolf Hitler · Strike · Winter Journey2010Boxhagener Platz · The Coming Days · Habermann · Henri 4 · Jew Suss: Rise and Fall· Mahler on the Couch · Same Same but Different · Saviors in the Night2011The Albanian · Almanya: Welcome to Germany · · The Poll Diaries · · Stopped on Track · Three · 2012Combat Girls · · Guardians · Hannah Arendt · Hotel Lux · Remembrance · 2013A Coffee in Berlin · Free Fall · The German Friend · The Girl with Nine Wigs · Knight Rusty · My Beautiful Country · Nothing Bad Can Happen · 2014Age of Cannibals · Finsterworld · · Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision · Inbetween Worlds · · Phoenix · The Police Officer's Wife · Run Boy Run · Stations of the Cross · Stereo · West · · Who Am I · Wir sind die Neuen · 201513 Minutes · Head Full of Honey · Jack · Sanctuary · Schmidt's Nine Lives · Victoria · We Are Young. We Are Strong2016At Eye Level · The Diary of Anne Frank · Fog in August · Look Who's Back · The People vs. Fritz Bauer · Power to Change: The Energy Revolution · Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe20183 Days in Quiberon · Ballon · The Captain · In the Aisles · The Invisibles · Mack the Knife: Brecht's Threepenny Film · The Silent Revolution · Simpel · Tehran Taboo · Transit2019All About Me · The Collini Case · The German Lesson · Heimat Is a Space in Time · Lara · Sealed Lips2020Berlin Alexanderplatz · Crescendo · Curveball · Enfant Terrible · Fritzi: A Revolutionary Tale · I've Never Been to New York · Undine · Wet Dog · When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit2021Copilot · Dear Thomas · Die Rettung der uns bekannten Welt · Fabian: Going to the Dogs · Femocracy · Je suis Karl · Mr. Bachmann and His Class · The Last Execution · The Royal Game2022The Forger · Lieber Kurt · Mostly Minimalistic · Nico · No One's with the Calves · Rabiye Kurnaz vs. George W. Bush · Talking About the Weather · We Might as Well Be Dead2023Afire · Anselm · Elaha · The Ordinaries · Orphea in Love · Sisi & I · The Universal Theory · Weekend Rebels · What You Can See from Here · A Whole Life · A Woman2024Dying · The Femocracy 2: Good Morning, You Beautiful! · From Hilde, with Love · The Glory of Life · Goebbels and the Führer · Hollywoodgate · In the Blind Spot · The Investigation · Sad Jokes · Silence · Stella. A Life. · Two to One2025Amrum · John Cranko · Riefenstahl · The Tiger202623,000 Lives · Oh - This Unspeakable Void · Babystar · The Dreamed Adventure · Trial of Hein · Visitation · Minotaur · No Good Men · You Belive In Angels, Mr. Drowak? · Prosecution
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film
Notes
a: Several German films were nominated for or won Academy Awards in categories other than Best Foreign Language Film. Although it was never submitted by West Germany for competition in the Best Foreign Language Film category, the submarine film Das Boot by Wolfgang Petersen was nominated for six other Academy Awards, as it had been commercially released in Los Angeles County. Nine German films were nominated in the documentary categories, but only Serengeti Shall Not Die (1959) by Bernhard Grzimek managed to win the Academy Award for Documentary Feature. The eight other nominated documentaries were: Kahl (1961) by Haro Senft, Chariots of the Gods (1970) by Harald Reinl, The Silent Revolution (1972) by Edouard de Laurot, Battle of Berlin (1973) by Franz Baake, The Yellow Star – The Persecution of the Jews in Europe 1933–45 (1980) by Dieter Hildebrandt, Marlene (1984) by Maximilian Schell, Buena Vista Social Club (1999) by Wim Wenders and The Story of the Weeping Camel (2004) by Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni.