The films nominated to win an Oscar in the best foreign language category span the world.
First up and favorite to win is "A Separation" from Iran.
The domestic drama about a couple going through a divorce touches upon topics such as tradition, justice and male-female relationships in modern Iran.
The movie has already won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice award.
"Monsieur Lazhar" tells the story of an Algerian immigrant who takes over a traumatized fifth-grade class after the suicide of their former teacher.
The film has won awards at 11 film festivals.
The story of a cranky academic whose career competes with that of his son, is told in the Israeli film "Footnote."
And Holocaust-era film "In Darkness" tells the true story of a small-time thief who winds up hiding more than a dozen Jews in the sewers of the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lvov during World War II.
Finally, "Bullhead," which premiered at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival, is a crime drama that follows a cattle farmer involved with an underworld trafficker in growth hormones.
The winner will be crowned in Hollywood, California on February 26.
Alicia Powell, Reuters.