These are the 15 films that were included in this year's Best International Feature Film shortlist. Academy members will vote to determine the nominees beginning in early March, and nominations will be announced on Monday, March 15th.

Related: What are Oscars shortlists?

Movies on 93rd Oscars International Feature Film Shortlist

Start getting familiar with this year's recognized films from across the world:

The Mole Agent
Country: Chile
Director: Maite Alberdi
Language: Spanish
In a nutshell: Concerned for their mother's wellbeing, a family installs an 83-year-old private investigator as a mole inside her retirement home.
Critic's take: "Alberdi’s documentary effectively blends documentary with dramatic elements to charming, if not always transparent, effect." -Nikki Baughan, Empire

Charlatan
Country: Czech Republic
Language: Czech
Director: Agnieszka Holland
In a nutshell: Inspired by the true story of Jan Mikolášek (1889–1973), who cured hundreds of people using plant-based remedies.
Critic's take: "A rich psychological puzzle about a compromised political survivor."
-Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter

Another Round
Country: Denmark
Language: Danish
Director: Thomas Vinterberg
In a nutshell: Based on an obscure theory, four high school teachers embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the workday.
Critic's take: "Audaciously provocative and wickedly funny..." -Dominic Corry, Chicago Sun-Times

Two of Us
Country: France
Language: French
Director: Filippo Meneghetti
In a nutshell: The secret love between two retired women begins to come to light after unforeseen events.
Critic's take: "A very vivid story about yearning desire, universal in scope." -Paula Arantzazu Ruiz, Cinemanía (Spain)

La Llorona
Country: Guatemala
Language: Spanish
Director: Jayro Bustamante
In a nutshell: In 1970s Los Angeles, La Llorona is stalking the night—and the children.
Critic's take: "You will be mesmerized." -Neely Swanson, Easy Reader

Better Days
Country: Hong Kong
Language: Chinese
Director: Derek Kwok-Cheung Tsang
In a nutshell: A bullied high school student and a small-time criminal become the prime suspects in the murder of a teenage girl.
Critic's take: "Perceptive and gripping drama from China about pressure and bullying in schools..." -Alix Turner, Ready Steady Cut

Sun Children
Country: Iran
Language: Persian
Director: Majid Majidi
In a nutshell: A 12-year-old is entrusted to find underground treasure.
Critic's take: "Energetic and heartfelt, tipping towards tragedy..." -Xan Brooks, Guardian

Night of the Kings
Country: Ivory Coast
Language: French
Director: Philippe Lacôte
In a nutshell: A pickpocketer is sent to prison in Abidjan, where he's tasked with regaling his fellow prisoners with a story compelling enough to ward off the chaos that threatens to overtake the facility.
Critic's take: "When Africa does surrealism one is in for a treat." -Ron Wilkinson, It's Just Movies

I’m No Longer Here
Country: Mexico
Language: Spanish
Director: Fernando Frias
In a nutshell: A young man is forced to leave behind everything after a terrible misunderstanding with a local gang.
Critic's take: "A defense and illustration of a joyously stimulating musical counterculture." -Carlos Bonfil, La Jornada

Hope
Country: Norway
Language: Norwegian
Director: Maria Sødahl
In a nutshell: Based on a true story, Hope portrays the relationship of two artist-partners that gets put to the test after one gets a life-threatening diagnosis.
Critic's take: "Sødahl... is an artist of quiet, disciplined observance." -Stephen Whitty, Screen International

Collective
Country: Romania
Language: Romanian
Director: Alexander Nanau
In a nutshell: Reporters at a Bucharest newspaper work to uncover a deepening scandal surrounding a deadly fire that breaks out in a local nightclub.
Critic's take: "A gripping, despairing exposé of institutional injustice..." -Justin Chang, LA Times

Dear Comrades!
Country: Russia
Language: Russian
Director: Andrei Konchalovsky
In a nutshell: The film portrays a massacre of workers during a 1962 labor demonstration in an industrial Soviet city.
Critic's take: "Beautiful and damning, Dear Comrades! is also an act of remembrance." - Anthony Lane, New Yorker

A Sun
Country: Taiwan
Language: Mandarin
Director: Chung Mong-hong
In a nutshell: An epic family drama that charts the course of two brothers who find themselves on decidedly different paths.
Critic's take: "As wrenching and resonant a cinematic experience as can be found in any country this year..." -Peter Debruge, Variety

The Man Who Sold His Skin
Country: Tunisia
Language: Arabic, English, French
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
In a nutshell: Split apart by the Syrian Civil War, two lovers take desperate measures to find their way back to each other.
Critic's take: "...The cleverest movie plot of 2020..." -Roger Moore, Movie Nation

The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.