Not long ago, it was a rarity to find a non-English speaking filmmaker vying for major trophies and giving their counterparts from the U.K. or the United States a run for their money during awards season. While legendary directors like Ingmar Bergman (“The Seventh Seal,” Sweden) or Akira Kurosawa (“Seven Samurai,” Japan) earned critical acclaim, they rarely competed head-to-head with English-language productions for top prizes.

A very few from across the Pond did score at the Oscars, though. Austrian-born filmmaker and auteur Josef von Sternberg, best-known for his collaborations with Marlene Dietrich on such 1930s classics as “The Blue Angel,” was nominated for “Morocco” (1930) and “Shanghai Express” (1932). Meanwhile, three-time Oscar-winning German-born director William Wyler — “Mrs Miniver” (1942), “The Best Years of Our Lives” (1946), and “Ben-Hur” (1959) — holds the record of 12 nominations for the Academy Award for best director.

Filmmaking today marks a return to the international flags flying in films. Amid a culture of DEI and with the globalization of cinema, partly due to the accessibility of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, audiences are much more receptive to diverse and foreign storytelling styles, themes, perspectives and, of course, languages. International filmmakers who made a name for themselves with non-English language films have now cemented their spots in mainstream Hollywood.

Directors like Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) walked away with top honors at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, winning best motion picture – non-English language, best director and screenplay. “Parasite” went on to an historic best picture win at the Oscars, the first-ever non-English language film to receive the honor, paving the way for other diverse talent to follow suit.

Speaking via Zoom, Japan-born filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama, whose upcoming anime feature “The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim” is set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth, talks about the appeal of foreign-born filmmakers bringing their own perspective to Hollywood.

“Hollywood storytelling has been the gold standard and it influences filmmakers around the world and, in turn, those filmmakers who worked in their own cultures bring a different creative backbone in a way that blends well together,” he says. Kamiyama began his foray into English-language fare with “Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War,” and “Blade Runner: Black Lotus,” both in 2021.

“Now everybody wants diversity and it’s what is being asked for,” he explains. “Having a diverse voice and a different perspective on life with how to tell a story blends well together. That balance is why foreign directors coming into Hollywood are so successful.”

Some of the names likely to be busy walking red carpets this awards season include French writer-director Jacques Audiard for Mexico-set “Emilia Pérez.” He’s already the winner of two BAFTAs for films not in the English language for “Un prophète” (A Prophet) in 2010 and De battre mon coeur s’est arrêté (The Beat That My Heart Skipped) in 2006, 11 César Awards and four prizes from the Cannes Film Festival. He also earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations in 2012 for foreign-language film for “Rust and Bone” starring Marion Cotillard.

German director Edward Berger earned a Golden Globe nod for his 2023 epic “All Quiet on the Western Front,” in the best motion picture – Non-English language category and won the Oscar for international feature film, while also earning a best picture nod. This year he has helmed another awards season favorite, mystery thriller “Conclave,” about the election of a new Pope, starring Ralph Fiennes, John Lithgow and Stanley Tucci.

Pablo Larraín’s 2017 film “A Fantastic Woman” was the first Chilean film to win the Oscar for foreign language film. Larraín has amassed four Golden Globe nods (“The Club” in 2016, “Neruda” and “Jackie” in 2017 and “Spencer” in 2022). His latest effort is the Angelina Jolie vehicle “Maria,” about opera singer Maria Callas’s final days.

Dutch-born actress turned writer-director Halina Reijn, whose 2022 English-language directorial debut “Bodies Bodies Bodies” was  nominated for a Spirit Award, enters mainstream cinema with her erotic thriller “Babygirl,” starring Golden Globe winner Nicole Kidman. And French-born director Coralie Fargeat, who enjoyed success with her 2017 film “Revenge,” shocked audiences with “The Substance,” her satirical body horror film starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley.

The evolution of international filmmakers and their impact on Hollywood then is a welcome transition from anomaly to the norm.