Based on the Oscar shortlists, Oliver Laxe’s Sirât has emerged as a strong contender at the Academy Awards, included not just for international feature, but also score, sound, casting and cinematography. But that does not make Sirât the favourite to win international feature – reflecting instead that the film is strong in craft categories, which make up six of the 12 Oscar categories that benefit from a shortlist stage.
Sirât is one of the so-called “big five” from US distributor Neon, which also has the Oscar entries from Norway (Sentimental Value), France (It Was Just An Accident), South Korea (No Other Choice) and Brazil (Secret Agent). All are – unsurprisingly – on the international feature Oscar shortlist of 15 titles.
Or perhaps the leading contenders might be termed the “big six”, since Willa’s The Voice Of Hind Rajab (from Tunisia) is also considered a frontrunner for nominations. The Neon quintet and the Tunisian film are the six titles nominated for best non-English language picture at the Golden Globe Awards, which will be held on January 11.
Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice Of Hind Rajab is one of three dramas with Palestinian subjects making the Oscar shortlist this year, joining the films from Palestine (Annemarie Jacir’s Palestine 36) and Jordan (Cherien Dabis’ All That’s Left Of You). All three have a historical aspect – very recent history in the case of Ben Hania’s film. Iraq’s The President’s Cake also makes the shortlist, while France’s shortlisted entry – Jafar Panahi’s It Was Just An Accident – is set in Iran.
Last year, the Middle East and North Africa region achieved just one spot on the international feature shortlist (Palestine compilation film From Ground Zero). Asia-Pacific likewise achieved one shortlist spot (Thailand’s How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies), so this year’s achievement – with films from South Korea, Taiwan, India and Japan all shortlisted – represents a big improvement for the region.
The regional loser this year is Europe, with five shortlisted titles in international feature – down from 10 a year ago, and nine the year before. This means that the Oscars shortlist for the category offers a much richer geographical spread this time around, also including two titles from the Americas region: Argentina’s Belén and Brazil’s The Secret Agent.
Local box office hits have made a good showing, including Japan’s entry Kokuho, Switzerland’s Late Shift, Norway’s Sentimental Value and Spain’s Sirat.
All but two of the 15 titles on this year’s Oscar international feature shortlist will compete in Bafta’s equivalent category (film not in the English language), where the requirement is an appropriately timely release in UK cinemas – missing are Late Shift and Kokuho. Round one voting for the Bafta Film Awards (to determine a longlist of 10) is currently open, and closes on January 7. Round two voting for the US Academy Awards, when the international feature shortlist of 15 will be reduced to five nominees, runs January 12-16.
All That’s Left Of You (Jordan)
Dir. Cherien Dabis
Jordan makes the international feature Oscar shortlist for only the second time, following Theeb in 2016, which went on to be nominated (losing to Son Of Saul). This third feature as director from US-Palestinian actress and filmmaker Dabis tells the history of a Palestinian family over several decades, and stars three leading members of the Bakri acting dynasty: Mohammad Bakri and sons Adam and Saleh. Launched at Sundance in January, the drama earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for best international feature. Watermelon Pictures releases in the US on January 9, having completed an awards-qualifying run. TAPE Collective releases in the UK on February 6.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (TAPE Collective)
Belén (Argentina)
Dir. Dolores Fonzi
Argentina is gunning for its ninth nomination in this Oscar category, and third win, following Luis Puenzo’s The Official Story in 1986 and Juan José Campanella’s The Secret In Their Eyes in 2010. Director Fonzi (Blondi) jointly adapts Ana Correa’s non-fiction book Somos Belén, which follows a lawyer’s quest for justice when her client is falsely imprisoned for having an illegal abortion. Fonzi stars as crusading lawyer Soledad Deza, opposite Camila Pláate as her client, who is given the name Belén. The Amazon MGM Studios-backed film drew 100,000 admissions in its home country following release last September; made its festival bow the same month at San Sebastian (where Pláate won the Silver Shell for supporting performance); and launched in the US and UK on Prime Video in November.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Amazon MGM Studios)
Homebound (India)
Dir. Neeraj Ghaywan
India made the Oscar shortlist three years ago with Pan Nalin’s Last Film Show, and has secured nominations three times, most recently in 2002 with Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan. Executive produced by Martin Scorsese, Homebound tells the story of two childhood friends (Ishaan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa) who dream of joining the police force, an ambition that is complicated by caste divisions and religious tension. This second feature from Ghaywan following 2015’s Masaan launched at Un Certain Regard in Cannes, won best international feature film at Zurich Film Festival, and came second runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award at Toronto. Homebound was released in UK cinemas in September by Moviegoers on behalf of Dharma Productions.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Dharma Productions)
It Was Just An Accident (France)
Dir. Jafar Panahi
France last won the Oscar for foreign-language film (as the category used to be called) in 1993 with Régis Wargnier’s Indochine, and has been nominated 11 times since, including last year with Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez. The country has once again picked a film not in French, and not set in France: Panahi’s Iranian drama about a group of former political prisoners capturing a man they recognise as a prison guard who tortured them. It Was Just An Accident launched at Cannes, winning the Palme d’Or – and encouragingly, the last two Palme d’Or winners (Anora and Anatomy Of A Fall) both won Oscars, while Triangle Of Sadness picked up three nominations in 2023, for picture, director and original screenplay. Neon and Mubi carved up key territory rights on Panahi’s film, which released in the US in October and in the UK in November. Admissions in France, via Memento, reached a robust 667,000, and global box office is $9.2m.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Mubi)
Kokuho (Japan)
Dir. Lee Sang-il
Japan has a strong recent Oscars track record – having won for international feature in 2022 with Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, and achieved a nomination in 2024 with Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days – as well as a rich past history, with five wins in total and 18 nominations. This nearly three-hour epic about a family of kabuki performers launched in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes, and grossed a mighty $117m for Toho in Japanese cinemas since release in June – the all-time highest-grossing Japanese live-action film in its home country. Director Lee’s past features include 2006’s Hula Girls and 2013’s Unforgiven (a Toronto Special Presentation), and this year he was accorded the honorary Akira Kurosawa Award at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Vue Lumiere’s UK 2026 release falls outside of the eligibility period for this year’s Bafta Film Awards.
Late Shift (Switzerland)
Dir. Petra Volpe
Leonie Benesch (The Teachers’ Lounge, September 5) stars as a nurse in this tense drama, which unfolds over the course of a busy evening shift at a Swiss public hospital. Late Shift premiered at the Berlinale in February, and topped the Swiss box office for four consecutive weeks following release in its home country later the same month. It’s the third feature from Swiss-Italian Volpe following 2013’s Dreamland and 2017’s The Divine Order, and her next feature Frank & Louis will premiere at Sundance in January. Switzerland enjoyed a strong run of success in its first three decades of participation in this Oscar category, winning twice (with Richard Dembo’s Dangerous Moves in 1985 and Xavier Koller’sJourney Of Hope in 1991), and achieving three earlier nominations, but has not been nominated since. Instead, Switzerland made the shortlist three times in the past two decades. Despite releasing in UK cinemas in August via Vertigo, grossing £55,000 ($74,000), Late Shift was not submitted for the Bafta Film Awards.
Left-Handed Girl (Taiwan)
Dir. Shi-Ching Tsou
Born and raised in Taipei, Tsou is best known for her collaborations with Sean Baker, co-directing 2004’s Take Out with him and producing his Starlet (2012), Tangerine (2015), The Florida Project (2017) and Red Rocket (2021). She makes her solo directing debut with a film about a single mother returning to Taipei with her two daughters after a spell living in the countryside, and trying to make a living running a market food stall. Left-Handed Girl premiered at Critics’ Week in Cannes, and was acquired by Netflix for multiple territories including the US and UK. The film earned eight nominations at Taipei’s Golden Horse Awards, winning best new performer for Shih-Yuan Ma. It has two nominations at the Critics’ Choice Awards – for foreign-language film, and young performer (for Nina Ye). Taiwan has one previous win in this Oscar category (for Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2001) and two additional nominations (both for Ang Lee films – The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman).
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Netflix)
No Other Choice (South Korea)
Dir. Park Chan-wook
South Korean director Park has yet to score an Oscar nomination (he won a Bafta in 2018 for The Handmaiden) but that could change with this satirical thriller – starring Lee Byung-hun as a middle manager downsized by his paper manufacturing employer, and then killing rivals in order to land a new job. The film was well-received at both Venice and Toronto film festivals, and earned three Golden Globe nominations: for best picture (musical or comedy), best actor (musical or comedy) and best non-English-language film. South Korea won the international feature Oscar in 2020 with Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite (also winning best picture, director and original screenplay), and made the shortlist of 15 in 2023 with Park’s Decision To Leave. Neon releases in select cinemas in the US on Christmas Day, going wider in January, while Mubi begins the UK run on January 23.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Mubi)
Palestine 36 (Palestine)
Dir. Annemarie Jacir
It’s fourth time lucky for Jacir, making the Oscar shortlist at last after being chosen three times before as Palestine’s Oscar submission without success – with Salt Of This Sea, When I Saw You and most recently in 2018 with Wajib. She hopes to join Hany Abu-Assad, the only director representing Palestine achieving nominations in the category – with Paradise Now and Omar respectively in 2006 and 2014. Paradise Now’s Hiam Abbas is among the ensemble cast of Palestine 36, which focuses on the 1936-9 Arab revolt against British rule in Palestine. The cast also includes Kamel El Basha, Robert Aramayo, Billy Howle and Jeremy Irons. The film premiered as a Gala at Toronto in September, won best film at Tokyo International Film Festival, and is released by Watermelon Pictures in the US. Curzon’s UK and Ireland release has so far achieved a healthy £398,000 ($534,000) box office.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Curzon)
The President’s Cake (Iraq)
Dir. Hasan Hadi
Iraq first submitted to the international feature Oscar with the 2006 awards, in the post-Saddam Hussein era, and this is the first time the country has made the shortlist. Hadi’s film won the Camera d’Or for best first feature at Cannes this year, launching in Directors’ Fortnight, where it also won the people’s choice award. Iraq-born, New York-based Hadi is a Sundance Institute screenwriting and directing fellow. This debut feature by him follows a nine-year-old girl selected by her class teacher to bake a cake celebrating Saddam Hussein’s birthday, leading to a road trip to the city to secure the scarce ingredients. Sony Pictures Classics releases in the US on February 6 following an earlier awards-qualifying run, while Curzon’s UK release is set for February 13.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Curzon)
The Secret Agent (Brazil)
Dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Brazil during the military dictatorship: it is a period of history providing rich pickings for filmmakers. Following the success last year of Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here (which won the best international feature Oscar), Mendonça Filho’s thriller could claim a few nominations of its own. Wagner Moura stars as an academic relocating to Recife where he lives under an alias, and is the target of two hired hitmen. Moura won best actor in Cannes for the role, and is nominated for both the Golden Globe (best actor, drama) and Critics Choice Award. Films by director Mendonça Filho were previously submitted twice to the Oscar by Brazil – Neighbouring Sounds in 2014 and documentary Pictures Of Ghosts in 2014 – but neither made the shortlist. Neon’s limited release in the US beginning November 26 grossed $962,000 after four weeks, with Mubi set to follow in the UK on February 20.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Mubi)
Sentimental Value (Norway)
Dir. Joachim Trier
Trier’s films have been chosen by Norway for Oscar’s international feature category on three previous occasions – Reprise, Thelma and The Worst Person In The World – with a nomination for the latter (plus also for original screenplay). Awards recognition should come in fuller force this time around, with Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning all making waves in acting categories in this Cannes grand prix-winning drama about a once-famous filmmaker returning home to make a personal film. Golden Globe voters have already accorded Sentimental Value eight nominations including best picture (drama), while Trier’s film has seven nods at the Critics Choice Awards and eight at the European Film Awards. Neon released in the US in September, grossing $3.7m, and the global total stands at $11.5m including $3.7m in Norway. Mubi releases in the UK on December 26.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Mubi)
Sirât (Spain)
Dir. Oliver Laxe
A breakout success in Cannes, where it shared the jury prize and won a soundtrack award, Laxe’s bruising desert rave road movie has made Oscar shortlists not just for international feature but also four craft categories. The film has been embraced by audiences in Spain ($3.4m) and France ($5.6m), and Neon will return the film to US cinemas in January after an awards-qualifying run in November. Sergi Lopez stars as a father questing to find his teenage daughter, joining an itinerant rave community in North Africa, and accompanied by his young son. Sirât has nine European Film Awards nominations, and a pair of nods apiece at the Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globes. Altitude releases in the UK on February 20. Spain last won this Oscar in 2005 with Alejandro Amenábar’s The Sea Inside, and was last nominated in 2024 with Juan Antonio Bayona’s Society Of The Snow.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Altitude)
Sound Of Falling (Germany)
Dir. Mascha Schilinski
Sharing the jury prize with Sirât at Cannes, German filmmaker Schilinski’s second feature centres around four young women who all live on the same property over the course of approximately 100 years. Germany has scorching recent form at the international feature Oscar: nominated last year for The Seed Of The Sacred Fig and the year before for The Teachers’ Lounge, the country won in 2023 with Edward Berger’s All Quiet On The Western Front. Schilinski’s 2017 debut Dark Blue Girl – about a separated couple who get back together, much to the dismay of their young daughter – premiered in Berlin. Mubi acquired Sound Of Falling out of Cannes for a range of territories including the US and UK, and releases in the US on January 16, with the UK to follow on March 6.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Mubi)
The Voice Of Hind Rajab (Tunisia)
Dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
Ben Hania enjoyed one of the most sensational premieres of recent times for the Venice launch of her docudrama. The film dramatises Red Crescent volunteers responding to the distress call of the titular five-year-old girl, stranded in a car with slain members of her family, who were leaving Gaza under an Israeli evacuation order. This is the fourth time Tunisia chose a Ben Hania film to represent the country at the Oscars: Beauty And The Dogs in 2019 missed the shortlist; The Man Who Sold His Skin in 2021 was nominated; and Four Daughters in 2023 was shortlisted. Names signing on as executive producers include Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Jonathan Glazer and Alfonso Cuarón. Willa released in the US on December 16, and Altitude will follow in the UK on January 16.
Eligible for Bafta Film Awards (Altitude)
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