Whittling down 83 submissions to nine, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today released the Best Foreign Language Film shortlist for the 2015 Oscars. It’s a formidable list with notable choices that align with expectations, a few surprises, and some egregious snubs.

The shortlist includes: Andrey Zvagintsev’s Leviathan from Russia, Ruben Ostlund’s Force Majeure from Sweden, Pawl Pawlikowski’s Ida from Poland, Paula van de Oest’s Accused from the Netherlands, Alberto Arvelo’s The Liberator from Venezuela, Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu from Mauritania, George Ovashvili’s Corn Island from Georgia, Zaza Urushadze’s Tangerines from Estonia, and Damian Szifron’s Wild Tales from Argentina.

Of these, Leviathan, Ida, Wild Tales, and Force Majeure were expected, especially after their runaway critical success. Corn Island, Accused, and Tangerines haven’t received nearly as much coverage, and The Liberator seems more notable for its budget than its critical reputation (Our own Vadim Rizov gave it a lukewarm review earlier this year.). Timbuktu is the dark horse, as it’s been well-received, but hasn’t received the galvanizing push of other nominees. It’s an added honor that Timbuktu was Mauritania’s first-ever submission.

The biggest surprise is in the snubs, though. Following the cold shoulder by the Golden Globes, the Dardennes’ Palme d’Or-nominated (and No. 7 on our best films of 2014 list) Two Days, One Night was excluded from the short list. The Dardennes’ previous film, Kid With A Bike, similarly went home empty-handed back in 2011 after being nominated for the Foreign Language Golden Globe.

Other notable snubs include Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s recently Essential-Viewing-certified Winter Sleep, Xavier Dolan’s Mommy, and Kornel Mundruczo’s White God, which have all received rapturous praise at their respective festival showings. The nine films chosen aren’t safe from the cutting board, though. This shortlist still needs to be cut to five official nominees, meaning that not even critical darlings are safe from exclusion.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on January 15, 2015, with the Awards following on February 22.