The Netherlands has submitted films for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1959. The award is handed out annually by the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue. The award was created for the 1956 Academy Awards, succeeding the non-competitive Honorary Academy Awards which were presented between 1947 and 1955 to the best foreign language films released in the United States.
As of 2026, the Netherlands has won three times, for: The Assault (1987), Antonia's Line (1996), and Character (1998).
Submissions
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited the film industries of various countries to submit their best film for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film since 1956. The International Feature Film Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films. Following this, they vote via secret ballot to determine the five nominees for the award. Before the award was created, the Board of Governors of the academy voted on a film every year that was considered the best foreign language film released in the United States, and there were no submissions.
Two Dutch submissions were disqualified: The Vanishing (1989), because more than half of the film was spoken in French, and Bluebird (2006), because it had aired on television.
Fons Rademakers represented the Netherlands in the competition five times, achieving two nominations, including one win.
Most of the films are primary in Dutch. Below is a list of the films that have been submitted by the Netherlands for review by the academy for the award since its first entry in 1959.
Year(Ceremony) Film title used in nomination Original title Language(s) Director(s) Result 1959(32nd) The Village on the River Dorp aan de rivier Dutch 1963(36th) Like Two Drops of Water Als twee druppels water 1964(37th) The Human Dutch Alleman 1969(42nd) Monsieur Hawarden Monsieur Hawarden 1971(44th) Mira 1973(46th) Turkish Delight Turks Fruit 1974(47th) Help! The Doctor Is Drowning Help, de dokter verzuipt! 1975(48th) Dr. Pulder Sows Poppies Dokter Pulder zaait papavers 1976(49th) Max Havelaar Dutch, Indonesian 1977(50th) Soldier of Orange Soldaat van Oranje Dutch, German, English 1978(51st) Pastorale 1943 Dutch, German 1979(52nd) A Woman Like Eve Een Vrouw als Eva Dutch, English 1980(53rd) In for Treatment Opname Dutch & Erik van Zuylen 1981(54th) Come-Back! Jonne Severijn 1982(55th) The Cool Lakes of Death Van de koele meren des doods Dutch, English, French 1983(56th) The Fourth Man De vierde man Dutch 1984(57th) Army Brats Schatjes! 1985(58th) The Dream De Dream West Frisian 1986(59th) The Assault De Aanslag Dutch, German, English 1987(60th) Count Your Blessings Van geluk gesproken Dutch 1988(61st) The Vanishing Spoorloos Dutch, French 1989(62nd) Polonaise Leedvermaak Dutch 1990(63rd) Evenings De Avonden 1991(64th) Eline Vere Eline Vere Dutch, French, English 1992(65th) The Northerners De Noorderlingen Dutch 1993(66th) The Little Blonde Death De Kleine Blonde Dood 1994(67th) 06 1995(68th) Antonia's Line Antonia 1996(69th) Long Live the Queen Lang leve de koningin Esmé Lammers 1997(70th) Character Karakter 1998(71st) The Polish Bride De Poolse bruid Dutch, Polish Karim Traidia 1999(72nd) Scratches in the Table Madelief: Krassen in het tafelblad Dutch Ineke Houtman 2000(73rd) Little Crumb Kruimeltje Maria Peters 2001(74th) The Moving True Story of a Woman Ahead of Her Time Nynke Dutch, West Frisian 2002(75th) Zus & Zo Dutch 2003(76th) Twin Sisters De Tweeling Dutch, German 2004(77th) Simon Dutch Eddy Terstall 2005(78th) Bluebird 2006(79th) Black Book Zwartboek Dutch, German, English 2007(80th) Duska Dutch, Russian 2008(81st) Dunya & Desie Dutch, Arabic Dana Nechushtan 2009(82nd) Winter in Wartime Oorlogswinter Dutch, German, English 2010(83rd) Tirza Dutch 2011(84th) Sonny Boy Maria Peters 2012(85th) Kauwboy 2013(86th) Borgman 2014(87th) Accused Lucia de B. 2015(88th) The Paradise Suite Bulgarian, Swedish, French, Bosnian, Serbian, Dutch Joost van Ginkel 2016(89th) Tonio Dutch 2017(90th) Layla M. 2018(91st) The Resistance Banker Bankier van het Verzet 2019(92nd) Instinct 2020(93rd) Buladó Papiamento Éche Janga 2021(94th) Do Not Hesitate Dutch, English, Arabic Shariff Korver 2022(95th) Narcosis Dutch Martijn de Jong 2023(96th) Sweet Dreams 2024(97th) Memory Lane De Terugreis Jelle de Jonge 2025(98th) Reedland Rietland Sven Bresser 2026(99th) Paikar پیکار Persian, Dari, Dutch Dawood Hilmandi
Shortlisted Films YearFilm201512 Months in 1 Day · Alice Cares · The Amazing Wiplala · Around the World in 50 Concerts · Between the Devil and the Deep · Blood, Sweat & Tears · Clean Hands · Don't Lose Heart · The Escape · Frailer · Homies · How to Avoid Everything · In the Heart · The Intruder · Michiel de Ruyter · Prince · Schneider vs. Bax · Sergio Herman: Fucking Perfect · Silent Fear · The Sky Above Us · Son of Mine · The Surprise · Those Who Feel the Fire Burning · Ventoux · The Wolf's Game · Zurich2016Adios Amigos · The Fury · De Held · Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the Devil · History's Future · In My Father's Garden · J. Kessels · Meester Kikker · Public Works · A Real Vermeer2017Brothers · The Day My Father Became a Bush · Disappearance · In Blue · De Matthäus missie van Reinbert de Leeuw · Quality Time · Tulipani, Love, Honour and a Bicycle2018Brothers · Catacombe · Cobain · Craving · Life Is Wonderful · Messi and Maud · Rafaël · Redbad2019About That Life · Bloody Marie · Kabul, City in the Wind · Fight Girl · My Extraordinary Summer with Tess · Open Seas · Romy's Salon · Sheep Hero · Take Me Somewhere Nice2020Hidden in the Spotlight · Last Days of Spring · The Marriage Escape · My Best Friend Anne Frank · My Life · My Rembrandt · Paradise Drifters · The Promise of Pisa · Stop Filming Us · They Call Me Babu · The Warden · Wei202110 Songs for Charity · Anne+ · The East · The Expedition of the Family Fox · The Forgotten Battle · I Don't Wanna Dance · The Judgement · A Man and a Camera · Meskina · My Best Friend Anne Frank · Mitra · Shadow Game · Silence of the Tides2022Along the Way · Bigman · El Houb · The Last Ride of the Wolves · Met Mes · Pink Moon · Sea of Time · Shabu · Totem · Turn Your Body to the Sun2023All Inclusive · Broken · Faithfully Yours · Inside My Heart · Kiddo · Line of Fire · Lost Transport · The Man from Rome · Mascot · Summer Brother · That Afternoon · Under the Naked Sky · Under Water · When We Lost to the Germans2024Fox and Hare Save the Forest · Gerlach · Hardcore Never Dies · Last Call · Lost City · Milk · White Flash2025Alpha. · Fabula · Live for Me · Our Girls · The Propagandist · The System · Three Days of Fish2026Ellie the Elephant · A Family · Honestly, I'm Fine · House of Hope · Our Girls
See also List of Academy Award winners and nominees for Best International Feature Film List of Academy Award-winning foreign language films Cinema of the Netherlands Golden Calf for Best Feature Film
Notes
A: The Vanishing was disqualified because the Academy determined that there was too much French dialogue in the film to meet the requirements. Although the film was produced in the Netherlands by French-Dutch filmmaker and a mostly Dutch cast, AMPAS deemed that the film was unsuitable to represent the Netherlands. The Dutch declined to send another film, leaving them unrepresented for the first time since 1972. B: Bluebird was rejected by the Academy because the film previously aired on Dutch television. The Academy was not persuaded by the fact that the film had been newly edited for cinema since the broadcasting, stating "there was not enough difference between the two versions." Because of the late notification the Netherlands was unable to submit a new entry. C: The Dutch selection committee originally announced The Silent Army, by Jean van de Velde as their official Oscar submission. Several people within the Dutch film industry protested that the film was not eligible since it contained too much English dialogue and because it had screened in Dutch theatres in an alternate version, in violation of AMPAS rules. The committee withdrew the submission and agreed to reconvene. They then chose The Silent Army a second time. After conferring with AMPAS and being told that the film was, in fact, going to be disqualified, they met a third time and selected Winter in Wartime.
Notes
References
External links The Official Academy Awards Database The Motion Picture Credits Database IMDb Academy Awards Page