Likewise, the snub to Julieta, the latest film from Spanish auteur Almodóvar, was unexpected, although it has not benefited from quite the same level of critical adulation as Elle.
The final winner, voted on by the full eligible membership of the Academy, will be announced at the Oscars ceremony on 26 February.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its nine-strong shortlist, slimmed down from the 85 entries for the category put forward by individual national award committees.
Pedro Almodóvar’s Julieta and Elle, starring Isabelle Huppert, have already been knocked out of the race for the best foreign language film Oscar, despite being two of the most high-profile and critically acclaimed international films of the year.