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The October 1st deadline for all countries wanting into the Academy Award's foreign-language film category has come and gone, but you wouldn't know it since no official list of films submitted has been published. - The October 1st deadline for all countries wanting into the Academy Award's foreign-language film category has come and gone, but you wouldn't know it since no official list of films submitted has been published. You could go tooth and nail on the web and film trades and you'd come up with nada, nothing, zero and zilch – and that goes for the official site. The Lemon of the Week goes to the Oscars for not publishing an official list, which sounds like a trivial complaint, but how difficult can it be for them to collect the titles, include the last minute additions and proudly issue a press release listing all participating nations/first round of nomination hopefuls.

The October 1st deadline for all countries wanting into the Academy Award's foreign-language film category has come and gone. According to IndieWIRE [1], The United Kingdom, which has predominantly submitted Welsh films over the years (if submitting at all), has surprisingly chosen the documentary Afghan Star as its 2009 submission for the Academy Awards. The last time the country received a nomination in this category was in 1999, when Paul Morrison's Welsh and Yiddish Solomon and Gaenor lost out to Pedro Almodovar's All About My Mother. Synopsis After 30 years of war and Taliban rule, pop Idol has come to Afghanistan. Millions are watching the TV series 'Afghan Star' and voting for their favorite singers by mobile phone. For many this is their first encounter with democracy. This timely film follows the dramatic stories of four contestants as they risk all to become the nation's favorite singer. But will they...

Japan’s prospects for winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film are looking bright this year. As Japan was the winner of this category in 2008 as well, this would mean two consecutive years - certain to be a great boon to Japanese cinema and its popularity overseas. Last year’s winner, “Okuribito” (Departures), received not only an Oscar, but also rave reviews internationally. This year’s contender, “Dare Mo Mamotte Kurenai” (Nobody to Watch Over Me) was chosen on the 9th of September. DareMamo, as it is popularly known, was released in Japan in January this year. It is directed by Ryoichi Kimizuka, well-known in the West for the horror titles Parasite Eve and Kansen (Infection), as well as Japan’s record-breaking box-office film, “Odoru Daisosasen” (Bayside Shakedown).

First Look released the latest kick ass movie trailer for the upcoming western “Sukiyaki Western Django” by director Takashi Miike and starring Hideaki Ito, Masanobu Ando, Koichi Sato (The Guardian) and Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Bastards, Grindhouse) as Ringo. Look for “Sukiyaki Western Django” in theaters on August 29, 2008. Synopsis: Set during “The Genpei Wars” at the end of the 1100s, the Minamoto and Taira gangs face off in a town named Yuda, while a deadly gunman (Ito Hideaki) comes to the aid of the townsfolk. Stay tuned to Toxic Shock TV for the latest “Sukiyaki Western Django” movie news and trailers.