BELGRADE: Miroslav Lekić’s seventh feature Russian Consul has been selected as Serbia’s contender for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

BUDAPEST: The biopic Semmelweis, Lajos Koltai’s return to directing after over 15 years, has been selected as Hungary’s contender for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

TALLINN: The magical-realist tragedy 8 Views of Lake Biwa / Biwa järve 8 nägu by Marko Raat has been selected as Estonia’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

PRAGUE: The members of the Czech Film and Television Academy (CFTA) have selected Czech/Slovak coproduction Waves by Jiří Mádl as the Czech candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

ZAGREB: Ivona Juka’s sophomore feature Beautiful Evening, Beautiful Day / Lijep avečer, lijep dan has been selected by a commission appointed by the Croatian Society of Film Workers as Croatia’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category. The film is a coproduction between Croatia, Canada, Poland, Cyprus, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

SOFIA: The Bulgarian/Greek black comedy Triumph directed by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov has been selected as Bulgaria’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

BUCHAREST: Emanuel Pârvu’s third feature film, Three Kilometers to the End of the World, has been selected by a committee of professionals appointed by the Romanian Film Centre as Romania’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

VILNIUS: Lithuanian director Laurynas Bareisa’s sophomore feature Drowning Dry / Sesės has been selected as Lithuania’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.

SKOPJE: North Macedonia will not be submitting a film for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category. The decision was confirmed by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association (DFRM), the organisation responsible for the country's Oscar submissions.

RIGA: The long animated film Flow directed by Gints Zilbalodis has been unanimously chosen by the jury appointed by the National Film Centre of Latvia as Latvia’s candidate for the 97th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences award in the Best International Feature Film category.