Academy's Nine Foreign-Language Film Finalists

As always, I never fully understand how this process works, as big hits like The Past, Wadjda, Gloria, and Gabrielle all managed to missed the cut for this year's foreign language film. So these are the nine left, and some of them will work their way into a competitive race.

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

 By updated predictions:

The Broken Circle Breakdown (Belgium)
The Grandmaster (Hong Kong)
The Great Beauty (Italy)
The Hunt (Denmark)
Omar (Palestine)