Nine shortlisted for foreign film Oscar

BEVERLY HILLS , Calif., Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Nine movies have made the short list for America's best foreign-language film Oscar, but only five will ultimately go on to compete for the honor.

Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category for the 80th Academy Awards.

The films that will proceed to the next round of voting are Austria's "The Counterfeiters," directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky; Brazil's "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation," directed by Cao Hamburger; Canada's "Days of Darkness," directed by Denys Arcand; Israel's "Beaufort," directed by Joseph Cedar; Italy's "The Unknown Woman," directed by Giuseppe Tornatore; Kazakhstan's "Mongol," directed by Sergei Bodrov; Poland's "Katyn," directed by Andrzej Wajda; Russia's "12," directed Nikita Mikhalkov and Serbia's "The Trap," directed by Srdan Golubovic.

From that list, five nominees will be chosen and announced Jan. 22, along with the names of the other 80th Academy Awards contenders, in the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars will be presented Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center.