https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2006/02/23/annals-of-the-academy/feed/PJ Media is a leading news site covering culture, politics, faith, homeland security, and more. Our reporters and columnists provide original, in-depth analysis from a variety of perspectives.en-usSat, 13 Jun 2026 07:15:32 -0400<![CDATA[The nominees for Best Foreign Language Film Oscar are chosen by the Foreign Language Film Committee of the Academy. This committee, on which I have served in past years, is voluntary and usually starts with a large number of members. I say starts because attrition soon sets in. In order to vote in the nominating process, you have to see a certain percentage of the movies and very few can keep up. Also, the quality of the films, picked by the countries themselves, is not always particularly good. In fact, a number are downright awful and painful to watch (Academy rules allow you to leave after seeing only the first third of the stinkers.) It usually comes down to just a handful of flicks from Western European countries with significant film industries (Spain, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Germany, etc.) dominating the competition, although Japan and China often have excellent entries. In recent years, there have been interesting films from Iran, although they seem to have dribbled off with the crackdown against dissidents in that country.]]>Thu, 23 Feb 2006 13:27:38 -0500<![CDATA[Roger L. Simon]]>https://pjmedia.com/roger-l-simon/2006/02/23/annals-of-the-academy-n211469