Oscar contenders include Germany's "The White Ribbon," a sober drama that won the main prize at May's Cannes festival. Set on the eve of World War I, the film explores the collective guilt of a small town besieged by strange acts of violence.

Also in the Oscar race is France's "A Prophet," a prison drama that was the runner-up at Cannes.

The top winner at February's Berlin festival, "The Milk of Sorrow," is Peru's entry for the foreign-language Oscar. The film explores the fear of women abused during the Peruvian government's war with leftist guerrillas.