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 Foreign Language Film every year since the award was created in 1956.[1] The award is presented annually by the Academy to a feature-length motion picture produced outside the United States that contains primarily non-English dialogue.[1][2] The Foreign Language Film Award Committee oversees the process and reviews all the submitted films.[2]
For the 74th Academy Awards, which were held on March 24, 2002, the Academy invited 78 countries to submit films for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[3] Fifty-one countries submitted films to the Academy, including Armenia and Tanzania, all of which submitted films for the first time.[4]Uruguay, whose submission for the 65th Academy Awards was disqualified, submitted an eligible film for the first time. The Academy released a list of the five nominees for the award on February 12, 2002.[5] The winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was Bosnia and Herzegovina's No Man's Land, which was directed by Danis Tanović.[6]
‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was done on a seasonal basis, from August to July. For the 6th ceremony, held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932, to December 31, 1933. From the 7th ceremony, held in 1935, through the 92nd ceremony, held in 2020, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. For the 93rd ceremony, held in 2021, the eligibility period was from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021. For the 94th ceremony, to be held in 2022, the eligibility period was from March 1, 2021, to December 31, 2021.