The Carpetbagger has posted the nine semi-finalists for the Best Foreign Film Oscar Nomination. Comparing this list to the list of 67 films submitted for consideration by their countries of origin, the only real notable omission I can spot is Italy’s Gomorrah; I’ve sen some bloggy chatter already lamenting the exclusion of Let the Right One In, but that film was passed over for submission by its home country of Sweden in favor of Everlasting Moments (which did make the shortlist). The full list, with links to the films we’ve covered (as you’ll see, we have a lot of catching up to do), after the jump.

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Animated, foreign-language, feature-length documentary. These are all separate categories for the Academy Awards, but they also together describe Ari Folman’s Waltz with Bashir, a film that has received tons of praise and Oscar buzz since premiering at Cannes last May. With such a rare combination and transcendence of genres, Waltz could possibly have been the first film to be nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Language Film. Unfortunately, soon after being announced as Israel’s submission to the foreign category, Folman’s film fell out of contention for the documentary prize after its distributor, Sony Pictures Classics, had to choose between having a qualifying theatrical release and taking part in the New York Film Festival.

But even if Waltz had been deemed technically eligible for the doc category, would the nominating committee have given it much of a chance? According to the Academy’s Documentary Feature rules, the film “may employ partial re-enactment … animation … or other techniques, as long as the emphasis is on fact and not fiction.” Waltz could possibly fall under this guideline, yet the word “partial” is key. Does “mostly” constitute as ‘partial”? It will be interesting to see if another mostly animated documentary, Brett Morgen’s Chicago 10, is deemed ineligible or if it makes the committee’s shortlist of 15 semi-finalists.

Now, left with two categories to be considered for, Waltz will probably only garner one nomination. Here’s why Sony would be foolish not to concentrate on a push for the Animated Feature category:

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• Robin Williams and a title like World’s Greatest Dad reek of a possible broad comedy combining Father’s Day, RV and Mrs. Doubtfire. But would you believe it will be a dark comedy in which Williams’ son dies in “an apparent autoerotic accident”? What if I told you Bobcat Goldthwait is the writer-director?

• Danny DeVito, who also had the honor of directing Williams in an audience-limiting black comedy, will make up the difference here by helming the young-adult-geared period piece The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. Morgan Freeman, Pierce Brosnan and Atonement’s Saoirse Ronan star.
• Speaking of Father’s Day, once-huge screenwriting duo Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are the latest to rework Touchstone’s Charlie Kaufman-by-way-of-Zach Helm-wannabe reflexive musical Bob: The Musical.
• Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards is on the fast track towards its eventual post-theatrical Showtime run with trade-reported rumors that Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio could costar. Let me just put it out there that Williams would be a great addition, as well.
• From E3: Sony has finally launched its movie download service for its PlayStation, though it won’t feature any Universal titles (sorry, no Patch Adams), which are exclusive to Xbox 360, which of course also now works with Netflix streams.
• The New York Film Festival will open with Lauren Cantet’s Palme D’or winner, The Class. Which will probably one day be remade with Williams starring.

• Walden Media is planning a huge blitz to promote their fall Bill Murray starrer City of Ember at ComicCon. The current plan is to “re-create the mythical city depicted in the film on a private two-car train that will transport 25 members of the media on a 2½-hour journey to the convention’s San Diego locale,” accompanied by the film’s director, screenwriter and producer.
• Expect to be inundated with “Hulk Smash!” headlines on come Monday morning. Variety kindly suggests that The Happening “will likely play like a traditional horror film rather than a broad summer title”––read: $20 million opening––leaving the by all accounts imperfect but not that bad Hulk to reel in mid-five figures.
• Sony Pictures Classics, the only studio other tha IFC to seriously stock their shelves last month at Cannes, has announced another acquisition: Palme D’or winner The Class.