IFFR films submitted to the Oscars

Several IFFR, Hubert Bals Fund and IFFR Pro (CineMart and Darkroom) films feature on the list of international film submissions for the 99th edition of the Academy Awards. From this list, 15 titles will be selected to be voted on by Academy members. The Academy will eventually announce its final five nominated films on 21 January.

Australia

First Light by James J. Robinson | IFFR 2026

The debut feature from Filipino-Australian filmmaker James J. Robinson is an elegant and quietly devastating examination of belief, community and institutional corruption in a mountain community, centred around a rustic nuns’ convent and a conspicuously majestic church.

The film had its European premiere at IFFR 2026, where it featured in the Harbour section.

Bangladesh

Roid by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon | IFFR 2026 Tiger Competition

Living in near isolation, a husband repeatedly attempts to break free from his volatile wife, to no avail. Mejbaur Rahman Sumon’s Roid examines desire and attachment with haunting, elemental imagery and compelling performances.

The film had its international premiere at IFFR 2026 in the Tiger Competition and is now Bangladesh’s submission to the Oscars.

Colombia

Rains over Babel by Gala del Sol | IFFR 2025

A peculiar reimagining of Dante’s Inferno as a choral queer drama. Set in an urban scene, the action revolves around a bar where several characters have dealings with the incarnation of Death. Psychedelic, mystical and drenched in a camp, tropical spirit!

Rains over Babel had its international premiere at IFFR 2025 in the Bright Future section. The film is Colombia’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars and its entry for the Goya Awards.

Costa Rica

If We Don’t Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night by Kim Torres | HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support 2023

As 13-year-old Laura begins to embrace her new life amid sprawling forests and palm plantations, she discovers the town holds a sinister secret that threatens the women she holds dear.

The film premiered in the New Directors competition at San Sebastián 2025 and received HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support in 2023.

Ecuador

The Ivy by Ana Cristina Barragán | CineMart 2021, CineMart 2025, Darkroom 2025

Azucena, a woman in her thirties, approaches Julio, a teenage boy living in a group home, for reasons he doesn’t understand. As they spend time together, an uneasy closeness grows, changing the shape of a bond neither expected to find.

Ana Cristina Barragán’s The Ivy won the Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay at Venice 2025, where it also competed for Best Film in the Orizzonti section. The film later received a Special Mention in Horizontes Latinos at San Sebastián 2025. Ecuador’s submission for the Academy Awards and Goya Awards was backed by CineMart 2021 and Darkroom 2025.

Georgia

Guria by Levan Koguashvili | HBF Development 2019

In a Georgian village where the Soviet collapse brought only power cuts and poverty, a stubborn widowed hazelnut farmer holds out for two fair deals: a decent price for his harvest and a second chance at love.

The film premiered in the Spotlight section at Venice 2026 and received HBF Development Support in 2019.

Hungary

Silent Friend by Ildikó Enyedi | IFFR 2026

One ginkgo tree, three stories that unfold in its vicinity over more than a century. Ildikó Enyedi’s masterpiece – starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Léa Seydoux – is a fanciful, light and gentle weave of suggestions. Emotions echo through decades and images return with minuscule variations.

Silent Friend had its world premiere in the main competition at Venice 2025, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize and the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Talent, presented to actress Luna Wedler. The film had its Dutch premiere in the Limelight section of IFFR 2026.

Indonesia

Four Seasons in Java by Kamila Andini | HBF Development 2024, NFF+HBF 2025, HBF+Europe: Post-production Support 2025, CineMart 2025

A woman returns home after years in prison. Her unwanted return to the village leads her to a power that is hidden underneath the fog. Aiming to heal, she takes a journey to redefine her own meaning of home, family and peace.

Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini found praise in recent years for films such as Before, Now & Then, which premiered at the Berlinale 2022, where Laura Basuki won a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. Four Seasons in Java had its world premiere in the Centrepiece section of TIFF 2026 and was presented at CineMart 2025, with support through HBF Development, NFF+HBF and HBF+Europe: Post-production Support.

Nepal

Elephants in the Fog by Abinash Bikram Shah | Hubert Bals Fund Development 2021, HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production 2023, BoostNL 2021

This HBF-backed thriller is set in a Nepalese village populated by wild elephants and follows Pirati, matriarch of a Kinnar community, as she investigates her daughter’s disappearance and weighs love against duty to her community.

The film had its world premiere at Cannes 2026, where it was awarded the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard. Read our interview with filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah here.

Paraguay

Narciso by Marcelo Martinessi | HBF Development 2020

Young, handsome, daring. Desired by both men and women, whilst his only love was rock and roll. One night, his body appears tied to his bed, completely burnt.

Narciso is Paraguay’s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars and its entry for Best Ibero-American Film at the Goya Awards. The film received support from HBF in 2020 and had its world premiere in the Panorama section at the Berlinale 2026, where it won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Film.

South Africa

Variations on a Theme by Jason Jacobs & Devon Delmar | IFFR 2026 Tiger Award-winner, HBF+Europe: Post-production Support 2024

Ouma Hettie is an elderly goat herder in South Africa’s Kamiesberge. Drawn into a scam offering overdue reparations for her father’s unpaid wartime service, her rituals are unsettled and her independence imperilled in this lyrical portrait.

Variations on a Theme won the Tiger Award at IFFR 2026, was backed through HBF+Europe: Post-production Support and is now South Africa’s submission to the Oscars.