Niney two international films had been submitted to the Academy, but only 15 candidates made it onto the shortlist for best international picture:  One of them is the German entry "All Quiet on the Western Front", the US Motion Picture Academy announced on Wednesday.

The harrowing war epic by director Edward Berger is based on the enduringly popular 1929 novel by Erich Maria Remarque of the same title.

"All Quiet on the Western Front" shows the horror of World War I from the perspective of a young soldier. The lead role is played by the Austrian Felix Kammerer.

In addition to the German entry, films such as "Corsage" (Austria), "Saint Omer" (France) and "Bardo: False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths" (Mexico) were also shortlisted. From the shortlist, five films will be nominated on January 24 to go on to compete in the official 2023 Oscar ceremony on March 23.

Nominated in five categories

Volker Bertelmann, better known as Hauschka, who composed the soundtrack for "All Quiet on the Western Front", has also been shortlisted for an Oscar. He is one of 15 contenders in the  Original Score Category, competing with legendary composers such as John Williams, who scored Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans". Nicholas Britell, who wrote the score for "She Said" by German director Maria Schrader, is also among the nominations.

A German production last won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film in 2007, when Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck took the trophy for his Stasi drama "The Life of Others" with the late Ulrich Mühe as the leading man.

"All Quiet on the Westen Front" has been shortlisted in a total of five categories, among them hair and make-up, and special effects, where it may end up contending with Hollywood mega-blockbusters such as "Avatar: Way of the Water" and "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

Two German directors have been shortlisted in the "Live Action Short Film" category, Nils Keller and Andreas Kessler, chosen from a total of 200 applicants. The Academy Awards, commonly referred to as the Oscars, will be awarded at a ceremony in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023.

cl/mg (dpa, AP)