The current favorite for Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Academy Awards is the Spanish movie "The Sea Inside." But it faces strong competition from South Africa's first time Oscar nominee "Yesterday," French film "The Choir", Swedish production "As It Is In Heaven", and 'Downfall', a German movie about the last days inside Adolf Hitler's wartime bunker.

"The Sea Inside" tells the true-life story of Spaniard Ramon Sampedro, who fought a 30-year campaign to win the right to end his life with dignity. The film explores Ramon's relationships with two women: Julia, a lawyer who supports his cause, and Rosa, a local woman who wants to convince him that life is worth living.

A powerfully disturbing German film about the final days of Hitler's Third Reich, "Downfall" is the first German-made film about that painful chapter of the country's history since 1956's "The Last Act".

Directed by James Roodt, South African film "Yesterday" touches upon the issue of Aids. It's the first film ever released internationally in the Zulu language, and the film's nomination for an Academy Award is the first such honour for a local film.
Two of the nominated films use the chemistry of a choir to drive the narrative. "The Choir" is set in France not long after the Second World War. When a mild-mannered new teacher introduces a class of seemingly troubled boys to the freedom and joy of music, he discovers there is far more to these children than anyone dared to believe.

Directed by Kay Pollak, Swedish production "As It Is In Heaven" revolves around a famous conductor who returns to the village where he grew up to ponder on his life, but soon finds himself in charge of the local church choir. As he confronts his past demons, he also upsets the insular town's social balance, with dramatic results.