The Zone Of Interest Breaks A 77-Year-Old Oscars Record

By taking home the Oscar for Best International Film, The Zone of Interest has broken a longstanding record. Since the Oscars category for Best International Feature was first introduced in 1947, a submission from the United Kingdom has never taken home the converted award. With The Zone of Interest’s big win at the 96th Academy Awards, it has become the first winner of the Best International Feature Film category for the UK.

Despite the film being told entirely in German, Polish, and Yiddish, The Zone of Interest was the official Oscars submission for the UK due to director Jonathan Glazer, who was born in London. The Zone of Interest was up against a slate of highly-rated nominees including Perfect Days from Japan directed by Wim Wenders, Io capitano from Italy directed by Matteo Garrone, Society of the Snow from Spain directed by J.A. Bayona, and The Teachers’ Lounge from Germany directed by İlker Çatak.

The Zone Of Interest’s Oscars Win Breaks A 77-Year-Old International Film Record For The UK

The Zone of Interest makes a historic achievement for the UK as the first winner of the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. The category has historically gone to submissions from France and Italy but remarkably, no film from England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland has ever taken home the coveted prize. The most recent winners of the award include 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front from Germany, 2021’s Drive My Car from Japan, 2020’s Another Round from Denmark, and 2019’s Parasite from South Korea.

The Zone of Interest tells the harrowing story of an Auschwitz commandment named Rudolf Höss who brings his wife and children to live in their dream house in German-occupied Poland. The house and property, however, share a wall with the infamous conservation camp Auschwitz, which creates a disturbing portrait of a family’s negligence to their neighboring horrific crimes against humanity. Glazer, known for 2013’s Under the Skin, adapted the screenplay based on the novel by Martin Amis.

Only 2 Other UK Movies Have Been Nominated For Best International Film

The only other films from the United Kingdom that have ever been nominated for Best International Feature were Hedd Wyn in 1993 and Solomon & Gaenor in 1999. Hedd Wyn, a romantic war drama directed by Paul Turner, lost in the category to Belle Époque of Spain directed by Fernando Trueba. Solomon & Gaenor, another romantic drama from the United Kingdom written and directed by Paul Morrison, lost to All About My Mother from the renowned Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. The Zone of Interest makes Oscar history for the United Kingdom.