Top 10 Foreign Films of the Decade

Although this year’s Oscar nominations for Best Foreign Film have yet to be announced, the past decade’s list of top foreign films, according to Indiewire, proves that there’s more interest than ever in international cultures.

The American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has given an Oscar for top foreign language film since 1947, to recognize the impact foreign films have on the dissemination of language and culture around the world. Through subtitling and dubbing technology, even those who don’t speak the language can enjoy films from all over the globe.

Some of the most popular — and profitable — top foreign films of all time include “Life is Beautiful” (Italy), “Like Water for Chocolate” (Mexico) and the classic “Il Postino” (Italy).

The top foreign films this decade featured 5 movies from Asia, many of which feature the Chinese dialects Mandarin and Cantonese. Spanish was also a popular language for top foreign films, with three Spanish language flicks making the top 10.

Quechua, the ancient language of the former Inca empire, also makes an appearance in Argentina’s “The Motorcycle Diaries.” It’s still currently spoken in parts of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

Watching top foreign films is also a fun and easy way to learn new words and become familiar with new accents when you’re first learning another language.

If you want to immerse yourself in another language for a day – or just have a fun movie night with friends – check out one of these top foreign films of the decade.

Related posts:

1. Foreign Films at the Academy Awards
2. 2010 Foreign Language Film Winner
3. Most Popular Words of the Decade
4. 2010 Foreign Language Film Oscar Nominees
5. Disney Localization for Chinese Viewers