La Grande Illusion in 1938.

Subsequent foreign language films to be nominated for Best Picture were
Z (1969)
The Emigrants (1972)
Cries and Whispers (1973)
Il Postino/The Postman (1995)
Life is Beautiful (1998)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Of the films named above, only Z, Life is Beautiful, and
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also won the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
La Grande Illusion was made before the award was created in 1947, and
Cries and Whispers, and Il Postino/The Postman were
not submitted by their country of origin (a prerequisite for the award).
The Emigrants holds the curious distinction of being nominated for Best Picture of 1972,
losing to The Godfather; while also losing the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar
of 1971 (since that award is judged on a different timetable from the others),
losing to The Garden of the Finzi-Contis.

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