The 2027 Oscar race is tracking toward a moment that has never happened. Three non-English-language films are currently projecting as Best Picture nominees: Cristian Mungiu's Fjord, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi's La Bola Negra, and the Japanese-French co-production All of a Sudden. The Academy has never nominated three films in that category in the same year.
Fjord is the current frontrunner among them. Mungiu's Palme d'Or winner at the 79th Cannes Film Festival made him only the 10th filmmaker to claim the award twice. Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a Romanian-Norwegian couple whose children are taken by Norwegian authorities on suspicion of abuse, the film arrives in the US via Neon with a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is currently screening at NYFF's Spotlight section.
La Bola Negra, Spain's official submission for Best International Feature Film, took the People's Choice Award at Toronto. Netflix is releasing it with a 47-day theatrical window, the streamer's longest ever, a clear signal of where its awards priorities sit this cycle.
The record has moved in steps. Two non-English Best Picture nominees in one year has been the ceiling: Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest in 2024, Emilia Pérez and I'm Still Here in 2025, Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent in 2026. Only Parasite has won Best Picture as a non-English film. Three has never cleared that ceiling. Whether this cycle changes that depends on how Academy voters respond over the next four months.