About 60 foreign films up for Oscar

A record 61 films will compete for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, including the first entry from Kazakhstan. But the list may be reduced if a reluctant Finnish director withdraws his work.

Aki Kaurismaki, who refused in 2003 to attend the Oscars because of his opposition to the Iraq war, had not approved the submission of his film “Lights in the Dusk” by the Finnish selection committee, Daily Variety said.

In a statement, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said that Mark Johnson, chairman of the foreign language committee, has begun “a dialogue” with Kaurismaki to try to change his mind.