Will this Oscar go to Neon?

There's a chance that all five international feature nominees will be from the company.

- BY GLENN WHIPP

"SENTIMENTAL VALUE" stars Renate Reinsve, left, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as sisters.

What would surprise you more on Oscar nominations morning — three international films nominated for best picture or all five international feature nominees coming from the same company?

Either way, we're heading toward a banner year for global cinema at the Academy Awards, which shouldn’t be a problem since these days everyone watches TV with the subtitles on.

The last two years we've had two international features nominated for best picture. “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Zone of Interest” made the cut in 2024; “Emilia Pérez” and “I'm Still Here” found their way in last year.

Two nominees in one year is the record, an achievement that’s likely to be surpassed in a couple of weeks, thanks, in part, to the savvy (and spending) of adventurous indie studio Neon. The distribution and production company could also score another achievement, sweeping the five spots for the Oscars’ international feature film category.

Neon’s contending quintet is led by Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” a withering takedown of the cruelty and corruption of authoritarianism, and Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” a drama about a family reckoning with its past.

"THE SECRET AGENT" stars Wagner Moura as an academic on the run from Brazil's military regime.