Oscar offers surprises in foreign language list of 9

Nine Films advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for Hollywood's 86th Academy Awards, while 'The Past' isn't in the list to the surprise of many. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has unveiled its short list of foreign-language contenders and nine films are semi-finalists to grab an Oscar nomination on Jan. 16. As usual, there are surprises, and there will be howls of protest and head-scratching as some excellent films like 'The Past' from Iran was absent from the list. The nine films are: Belgium: “The Broken Circle Breakdown,” Felix van Groeningen, director Bosnia and Herzegovina: “An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker,” Danis Tanovic, director Cambodia: “The Missing Picture,” Rithy Panh, director Denmark: “The Hunt,” Thomas Vinterberg, director Germany: “Two Lives,” Georg Maas, director Hong Kong: “The Grandmaster,” Wong Kar-wai, director Hungary: “The Notebook,” Janos Szasz, director Italy: “The Great Beauty,” Paolo Sorrentino, director Palestine: “Omar,” Hany Abu-Assad, director