THE 94th Academy Awards are expected to take place March 1, 2022, and the submission deadline has now passed for the best international feature film Oscar. A shortlist of 15 finalists is to be unveiled Dec. 21, from which five nominees will be announced Feb. 8. Of the 93 films submitted, 27 hail from Asia. Films produced in China’s Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and Iran — on two occasions — have won the award in the 21st century alone. So which Asian films are most likely to find success this awards season? Below are the five most likely Asian candidates for Oscar glory among the submitted entries picked by the South China Morning Post. ‘Rehana,’ Bangladesh Director: Abdullah Mohammad Saad Bangladesh has yet to secure a nomination in the category, but this year’s submission might change all that. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival — the first film from the country to do so. Saad’s film, a hard-hitting psychological drama about a middle-aged female teacher at a private medical school who speaks out against one of her male colleagues, garnered rave reviews. It later won the Jury Grand prize and best actress prize for Azmeri Haque Badhon at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. ‘Cliff Walkers,’ China Director: Zhang Yimou China has never won this award and only had a film nominated twice, despite 35 submissions since 1979. However, there are no safer hands than those of Zhang Yimou, who directed both the Chinese films previously nominated (“Ju Dou” and “Hero”) and secured an Oscar nomination with 1991’s “Raise the Red Lantern.” “Cliff Walkers,” a stylish and sophisticated tale of espionage and betrayal set in 1930s Manchuria and starring Liu Haocun and Zhang Yi, should play well with international voters, and could see the director secure a place in the final five for a fourth time. “Yuni,” Indonesia Director: Kamila Andini Indonesia will be hoping to secure its first Academy Award nomination with Kamila Andini’s festival favorite “Yuni,” winner of the Platform Prize at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. A compelling drama focusing on the struggles of young women to take control of their lives in a male-dominated society, the film stars Arawinda Kirana as a high-achieving high school student with dreams of going to university and becoming a poet. Her future becomes uncertain after she rejects two different marriage proposals, provoking a superstitious backlash from her family and community. ‘A Hero,’ Iran Director: Asghar Farhadi Past form has taught awards pundits never to bet against Asghar Farhadi when he competes in the Oscars race. Director of four submitted films, he won the award for Iran both times when his films were nominated, in 2011 for “A Separation” and in 2016 for “The Salesman.” A third win would be a remarkable achievement, and “A Hero” has already proved popular with critics and at festivals, winning the Grand Prix at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Only a case of Farhadi fatigue from Academy voters seems to stand in his way. ‘Drive My Car,’ Japan Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi This year’s other hot favorite to bag the award on Oscar night is Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s epic three-hour meditation on grief. Tipped by many to win the Palme d’Or (the highest prize awarded) when it premiered at Cannes, “Drive My Car” had to settle for the best screenplay prize when it was beaten out by Julia Ducournau’s “Titane” (also in the running for the Oscar). France’s entry is almost certainly too provocative for the Academy’s traditionally conservative voters and Hamaguchi’s long, understated story of a struggling theater director dealing with the death of his wife may prove similarly divisive. (SD-Agencies) | 