Rankiew

Italian films that won the Oscar for Best International Feature: all 11

All 11 Italian films that won the Oscar for Best International Feature, from La Strada and 8½ to Cinema Paradiso, Life Is Beautiful and The Great Beauty.

By Rankiew · · 3 min read

No country has won this category as often as Italy, with 11 competitive Oscars. The story begins with Federico Fellini, who directed four of the winners, and runs all the way to Paolo Sorrentino.

The 11 Italian winners

1. La Strada (1954)

A naive young woman is sold to a brutal street performer.

Worth it if: you want to start with a classic of Italian cinema.

Oscars: 1957 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

2. Nights of Cabiria (1957)

A Roman prostitute keeps hoping for love despite every betrayal.

Worth it if: you want a heroine you will never forget.

Oscars: 1958 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

3. 8½ (1963)

A film director in crisis retreats into memories and dreams.

Worth it if: you want to see one of the great films about cinema.

Oscars: 1964 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

4. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)

Three stories with Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in Naples, Milan and Rome.

Worth it if: you want classic Italian comedy with two legends.

Oscars: 1965 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

5. Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

A Rome police chief kills his lover and leaves clues to see if anyone dares accuse him.

Worth it if: you like political thrillers with a sting.

Oscars: 1971 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

6. The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (1970)

A rich Jewish family in Ferrara ignores the fascist threat until it is too late.

Worth it if: you want a sad, elegant story of a lost world.

Oscars: 1972 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

7. Amarcord (1973)

A year in a seaside town in 1930s Italy, told through memories.

Worth it if: you want a warm and funny album of memories.

Oscars: 1975 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

8. Cinema Paradiso (1988)

A film director remembers his childhood friendship with the projectionist of a Sicilian cinema.

Worth it if: you love cinema and want to cry for a good reason.

Oscars: 1990 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

9. Mediterraneo (1991)

Italian soldiers forgotten on a Greek island in World War II discover a peaceful life.

Worth it if: you want a light, sunny war comedy.

Oscars: 1992 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

10. Life Is Beautiful (1997)

A Jewish Italian father turns a concentration camp into a game to protect his son.

Worth it if: you want to laugh and cry in the same film.

Oscars: 1999 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

11. The Great Beauty (2013)

An aging Roman writer looks back on a life of parties and lost beauty.

Worth it if: you want Rome at its most beautiful and melancholy.

Oscars: 2014 · Winner: Best International Feature Film

How many Oscars for Best International Feature has Italy won?

Italy has won 11 competitive Oscars in the category, more than any other country, plus three special awards before the category existed.

Which one is your favorite?

Pick your favorite on Rankiew: rate every film, write reviews, build lists and start clubs to talk movies with friends.

More from the series: Oscars 2023: every nominee and winner, category by category

#world cinema#oscars#italian cinema#best international feature#federico fellini#cinema paradiso