From Lebanese street children to love behind the Iron Curtain and the daily life of a Mexican housekeeper, this year`s Oscar-nominated foreign language films draw from real life and, in some cases, deeply personal experiences. 
 
While Poland`s 'Cold War" and Germany`s 'Never Look Away'&nbsp;are set decades ago, Japan`s 'Shoplifters'&nbsp;and Lebanon`s 'Capernaum'&nbsp;take on contemporary themes, while "Roma" is the most personal film ever made by Alfonso Cuaron. 
 
'Roma,' inspired by Cuaron`s 1970s childhood in Mexico City`s Colonia Roma neighborhood, is seen as the favorite to take not only the foreign language Oscar on Sunday but could make history by also winning best picture. 
 
The film, shot entirely in black and white, is inspired by the two women who raised Cuaron: his mother and a domestic worker. 
 
"The source material were my memories, but then the film took on its own life," Cuaron said. "Now my memories are tainted by the film."&nbsp; 
 
LOVE AND CHAOS&nbsp; 
 
Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski was inspired by the love life of his parents for 'Cold War,' a dark romance between a pianist and a singer set in both Communist-led Poland and postwar France. The lead characters, Wiktor and Zula, are named after his parents. 
 
"It was very personal to start with because that`s where the idea came from," Pawlikowski said. "It`s inspired by the tempestuous and chaotic relationships which involved many divorces, separations, marrying other people, remarrying, moving countries and so on."

Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck also looked back to World War Two for 'Never Look Away.' The story about a struggling artist in Nazi-era Germany and then Communist-ruled East Germany spans four decades. 
 
Donnersmarck was born in West Germany in 1973 and partly grew up in the United States.&nbsp; 
 
Donnersmarck said he wanted to "see how within one family drama you have the murderers and the victims and the Nazis and those whom they abused and killed and destroyed living under one roof." 
 
In Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda`s drama "Shoplifters," an elderly widow, three adults, a boy and a girl create a family unit that is united by financial and emotional need. 
 
They steal to supplement their working-class wages, all while hiding from authorities after kidnapping the girl from her abusive parents.&nbsp; 
 
The film employs a "ripped-from-the-headlines" approach based on news reports Kore-eda read about families who commit crimes.&nbsp; 
 
Lebanese director Nadine Labaki cast street children in "Capernaum" to tell the story of a 12-year-old boy in a Beirut slum who tries to stop his younger sister from being married off. 
 
The plot was largely based on events Labaki witnessed or cast members experienced, and took more than four years to make. The film`s young protagonist is played by a Syrian refugee. Another young cast member was jailed during the shoot, and a third was deported to Kenya. 
 
"None of it was make-believe," Labaki said.

From Lebanese street children to love behind the Iron Curtain and the daily life of a Mexican housekeeper, this year`s Oscar-nominated foreign language films draw from real life and, in some cases, deeply personal experiences.

From Lebanese street children to love behind the Iron Curtain and the daily life of a Mexican housekeeper, this year`s Oscar-nominated foreign language films draw from real life and, in some cases, deeply personal experiences. While Poland`s 'Cold War" and Germany`s 'Never Look Away' are set decades ago, Japan`s 'Shoplifters' and Lebanon`s 'Capernaum' take on contemporary themes, while "Roma" is the most personal film ever made by Alfonso Cuaron. 'Roma,' inspired by Cuaron`s 1970s childhood in Mexico City`s Colonia Roma neighborhood, is seen as the favorite to take not only the foreign language Oscar on Sunday but could make history by also winning best picture. The film, shot entirely in black and white, is inspired by the two women who raised Cuaron: his mother and a domestic worker. "The source material were my memories, but then the film took on its own life," Cuaron said. "Now my memories are tainted by the film." LOVE AND CHAOS Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski was inspired by the love life of his parents for 'Cold War,' a dark romance between a pianist and a singer set in both Communist-led Poland and postwar France. The lead characters, Wiktor and Zula, are named after his parents. "It was very personal to start with because that`s where the idea came from," Pawlikowski said. "It`s inspired by the tempestuous and chaotic relationships which involved many divorces, separations, marrying other people, remarrying, moving countries and so on." Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck also looked back to World War Two for 'Never Look Away.' The story about a struggling artist in Nazi-era Germany and then Communist-ruled East Germany spans four decades. Donnersmarck was born in West Germany in 1973 and partly grew up in the United States. Donnersmarck said he wanted to "see how within one family drama you have the murderers and the victims and the Nazis and those whom they abused and killed and destroyed living under one roof." In Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda`s drama "Shoplifters," an elderly widow, three adults, a boy and a girl create a family unit that is united by financial and emotional need. They steal to supplement their working-class wages, all while hiding from authorities after kidnapping the girl from her abusive parents. The film employs a "ripped-from-the-headlines" approach based on news reports Kore-eda read about families who commit crimes. Lebanese director Nadine Labaki cast street children in "Capernaum" to tell the story of a 12-year-old boy in a Beirut slum who tries to stop his younger sister from being married off. The plot was largely based on events Labaki witnessed or cast members experienced, and took more than four years to make. The film`s young protagonist is played by a Syrian refugee. Another young cast member was jailed during the shoot, and a third was deported to Kenya. "None of it was make-believe," Labaki said.

Oscars 2019: From street kids to war romance, best foreign-film nominees keeps it real

Tuesday`s Oscar nomination for the Lebanese film 'Capharnaum', praised for its depiction of poverty in the slums of Beirut, is a "huge victory" for the street children who acted in it, according to director Nadine Labaki. 
 
The nomination of a Lebanese picture for the Best Foreign Language Film award for the second year running is also a milestone for Arab and Lebanese cinema, Labaki told Reuters after the nominees were announced.&nbsp; 
 
"It`s a huge victory for each one of the actors who are ... putting their own struggle out there through the film, being the voice of the voiceless, each one with his own story and own struggle and own problems," she said.&nbsp; 
 
Labaki cast street children in the town of Capernaum to tell the story of a 12-year-old boy trying to stop his younger sister being married off as soon as she reaches puberty. 
 
Much of the plot is based on events that Labaki witnessed or cast members experienced, and its biting social commentary helped secure the Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival in May.&nbsp; 
 
The protagonist is played by a young Syrian refugee, while another young cast member was thrown in jail during the shoot, and a third was deported to Kenya with her mother.&nbsp; 
 
Last year, Lebanon gained its first nomination for a foreign language Oscar with 'The Insult'&nbsp;by Ziad Doueiri, a film that examines Lebanon`s sectarian tensions through a street argument that leads to a trial.&nbsp; 
 
"This is definitely very important for Arab cinema, the Lebanese especially," Labaki said. "It`s like we started our first steps in international cinema." 
 
Lebanese film maker Oualid Mouaness agreed, saying: "It`s an incredible honour for the country, and I think it really creates a visibility to Lebanese cinema and creates support." 
 
The other films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film are 'Roma'&nbsp;from Mexico, 'Cold War'&nbsp;from Poland, 'Shoplifters'&nbsp;from Japan and 'Never Look Away'&nbsp;from Germany.

Tuesday`s Oscar nomination for the Lebanese film 'Capharnaum', praised for its depiction of poverty in the slums of Beirut, is a "huge victory" for the street children who acted in it, according to director Nadine Labaki.

Tuesday`s Oscar nomination for the Lebanese film 'Capharnaum', praised for its depiction of poverty in the slums of Beirut, is a "huge victory" for the street children who acted in it, according to director Nadine Labaki. The nomination of a Lebanese picture for the Best Foreign Language Film award for the second year running is also a milestone for Arab and Lebanese cinema, Labaki told Reuters after the nominees were announced. "It`s a huge victory for each one of the actors who are ... putting their own struggle out there through the film, being the voice of the voiceless, each one with his own story and own struggle and own problems," she said. Labaki cast street children in the town of Capernaum to tell the story of a 12-year-old boy trying to stop his younger sister being married off as soon as she reaches puberty. Much of the plot is based on events that Labaki witnessed or cast members experienced, and its biting social commentary helped secure the Jury Prize at the Cannes film festival in May. The protagonist is played by a young Syrian refugee, while another young cast member was thrown in jail during the shoot, and a third was deported to Kenya with her mother. Last year, Lebanon gained its first nomination for a foreign language Oscar with 'The Insult' by Ziad Doueiri, a film that examines Lebanon`s sectarian tensions through a street argument that leads to a trial. "This is definitely very important for Arab cinema, the Lebanese especially," Labaki said. "It`s like we started our first steps in international cinema." Lebanese film maker Oualid Mouaness agreed, saying: "It`s an incredible honour for the country, and I think it really creates a visibility to Lebanese cinema and creates support." The other films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film are 'Roma' from Mexico, 'Cold War' from Poland, 'Shoplifters' from Japan and 'Never Look Away' from Germany.

Lebanese director credits street children actors for Oscar nod

A Fantastic Woman&nbsp;has won the Oscar for best foreign language film at the 90th Academy Awards.&nbsp;A Fantastic Woman&nbsp;(Spanish:&nbsp;Una mujer fant&aacute;stica) is a 2017 Chilean&nbsp;drama film&nbsp;directed by&nbsp;Sebasti&aacute;n Lelio which came out in 2017.

The movie surrounds&nbsp;Marina Vidal, a transgender woman played by Daniela Vega, who is in a relationship with Orlando, a man 30 years her senior and wants to plan a future but dies on the same day as her birthday.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Orlando&#39;s ex-wife forbids her from attending the funeral. And to make matters worse, Orlando&#39;s son threatens to throw Marina out of the flat she shared with Orlando. Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando&#39;s family, her gender identity is an aberration, a perversion.

When Orlando dies of an aneurysm, Marina becomes an object of suspicion for his family, who see and treat her as a rogue, and she must figure out how to work through her grief while external forces make things even more difficult.&nbsp;

So Marina struggles for the right to be herself. She battles the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become what she is now - a complex, strong, forthright and fantastic woman.

It was selected as the Chilean entry for the&nbsp;Best Foreign Language Film.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/oscars-2018-live-updates-three-billboards-outside-ebbing-missouri-34656">Follow the live updates on the Oscars 2018 here!</a>

The movie surrounds Marina Vidal, a transgender woman played by Daniela Vega, who is in a relationship with Orlando, a man 30 years her senior

A Fantastic Woman has won the Oscar for best foreign language film at the 90th Academy Awards. A Fantastic Woman (Spanish: Una mujer fantástica) is a 2017 Chilean drama film directed by Sebastián Lelio which came out in 2017. The movie surrounds Marina Vidal, a transgender woman played by Daniela Vega, who is in a relationship with Orlando, a man 30 years her senior and wants to plan a future but dies on the same day as her birthday. Orlando's ex-wife forbids her from attending the funeral. And to make matters worse, Orlando's son threatens to throw Marina out of the flat she shared with Orlando. Marina is a trans woman and for most of Orlando's family, her gender identity is an aberration, a perversion. When Orlando dies of an aneurysm, Marina becomes an object of suspicion for his family, who see and treat her as a rogue, and she must figure out how to work through her grief while external forces make things even more difficult. So Marina struggles for the right to be herself. She battles the very same forces that she has spent a lifetime fighting just to become what she is now - a complex, strong, forthright and fantastic woman. It was selected as the Chilean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film. Follow the live updates on the Oscars 2018 here!

Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars: 'A Fantastic Woman' is complex & strong

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Oscars 2019: From street kids to war romance, best foreign-film nominees keeps it real

Lebanese director credits street children actors for Oscar nod

Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars: 'A Fantastic Woman' is complex & strong