Mexico’s Noche de Fuego, Panama’s Plaza Catedral and Spain’s El Buen Patrón are among the 15 movies shortlisted for the Academy Award to International Feature Film.

The Mexican entry centers on life in a town afflicted by the drug war as seen through the eyes of three pre-teen girls. Directed by internationally awarded filmmaker Tatiana Huezo, the coming-of-age drama won a special mention in the Un Certain Regard Award category at the Cannes Film Festival, where it held its global premiere. The film has also won awards at international fests in China, Greece, Mexico, Sweden and Spain. In the U.S. the dramatic feature earned top prizes at the Chicago and Palm Springs international film festivals as well as from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. Noche de Fuego is an adaptation of Mexican-American author Jennifer Clement’s acclaimed novel Prayers for the Stolen, whose title is used by the movie in English.

Panama’s Plaza Catedral tells the story of violence in Panama City where a grief-stricken mother from an affluent neighborhood takes in a poor 14-year-old. He works looking after people’s cars when the teen comes to her house bleeding. Tragically, the young lead actor Fernando Xavier De Casta himself became a victim of violence in the Panamanian capital when he was shot to death one month before the movie’s world release at Mexico’s Guadalajara International Film Festival held in October. At the festival, Fernando won the Mezcal Award for Best Actor.

The Panamanian drama is directed by Abner Benaim and won the Audience Award at the International Film Festival of Panama. 

Spain’s El Buen Patrón (The Good Boss) is a comedy about the owner of an industrial company who hopes to resolve problems with his employees in time for a visit by a committee that hands out excellence awards to businesses. The film stars Oscar-winner Javier Bardem, Manolo Solo and Almudena Amor and is directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, a recipient of several Goya Awards, Spain’s equivalent of the Academy Award.  

The other films shortlisted in the International Feature Film category for the 94th Academy Awards are Austria’s  Great Freedom, Belgium’s Playground, Bhutan’s Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom, Denmark’s Flee,  Finland’s Compartment No. 6, Germany’s I’m Your Man, Iceland’s Lamb, Iran’s A Hero, Italy’s The Hand of God, Japan’s Drive My Car, Kosovo’s Hive, and Norway’s The Worst Person in the World.

Nominations voting begins on Jan. 27 with final nominees announced Feb.  8.

The 94th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27 at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will be televised live on ABC to more than 200 territories worldwide.

Featured Photos: Posters of ‘Prayers for the Stolen,’ ‘Plaza Catedral’ and ‘The Good Boss’ (Photo: Courtesy Noted)

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