The Academy has narrowed its choices for this year's recipient of the Best Foreign Language Film Award, choosing its favorite nine releases from a field of 65.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Revanche (Austria; Gotz Spielmann, director)
The Necessities of Life (Canada; Benoit Pilon, director)
The Class (France; Laurent Cantet, director)
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany; Uli Edel, director
Waltz with Bashir (Israel; Ari Folman, director)
Departures (Japan; Yojiro Takita, director)
Tear This Heart Out (Mexico; Roberto Sneider, director)
Everlasting Moments (Sweden; Jan Troell, director)
3 Monkeys (Turkey; Nuri Bilge Ceylan, director)

The selection process for the award has been outlined by the Academy in a press release, partially excerpted below:

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2008 are being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and January 10. That group's top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy's Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five 2008 nominees by specially selected committees in New York and Los Angeles. The committee members will spend this Friday, Saturday and Sunday viewing three of the films each day.

The 81st Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22, 2009, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2008 will be presented on Sunday, February 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.