{"id":232131,"date":"2026-10-09T12:27:22","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T10:27:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/?p=232131"},"modified":"2026-10-09T12:27:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T10:27:27","slug":"blog-iffr-films-international-oscars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iffr.com\/en\/blog-iffr-films-international-oscars","title":{"rendered":"IFFR films submitted to the Oscars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Australia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First Light<\/strong> by James J. Robinson | IFFR 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019 convent and a conspicuously majestic church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film had its European premiere at IFFR 2026, where it featured in the Harbour section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Bangladesh<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Roid<\/strong> by Mejbaur Rahman Sumon | IFFR 2026 Tiger Competition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Living in near isolation, a husband repeatedly attempts to break free from his volatile wife, to no avail. Mejbaur Rahman Sumon\u2019s Roid<\/strong> examines desire and attachment with haunting, elemental imagery and compelling performances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film had its international premiere at IFFR 2026 in the Tiger Competition and is now Bangladesh\u2019s submission to the Oscars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Colombia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Rains over Babel<\/strong> by Gala del Sol | IFFR 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A peculiar reimagining of Dante\u2019s Inferno<\/em> 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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rains over Babel<\/strong> had its international premiere at IFFR 2025 in the Bright Future section. The film is Colombia\u2019s official submission for Best International Feature Film at the Oscars and its entry for the Goya Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Costa Rica <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If We Don\u2019t Burn, How Do We Light Up the Night<\/strong> by Kim Torres | HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support 2023<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film premiered in the New Directors competition at San Sebasti\u00e1n 2025 and received HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ecuador<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Ivy<\/strong> by Ana Cristina Barrag\u00e1n | CineMart 2021, CineMart 2025, Darkroom 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Azucena, a woman in her thirties, approaches Julio, a teenage boy living in a group home, for reasons he doesn\u2019t understand. As they spend time together, an uneasy closeness grows, changing the shape of a bond neither expected to find.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ana Cristina Barrag\u00e1n\u2019s The Ivy<\/strong> 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 Sebasti\u00e1n 2025. Ecuador\u2019s submission for the Academy Awards and Goya Awards was backed by CineMart 2021 and Darkroom 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Georgia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Guria<\/strong> by Levan Koguashvili | HBF Development 2019<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The film premiered in the Spotlight section at Venice 2026 and received HBF Development Support in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hungary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Silent Friend<\/strong> by Ildik\u00f3 Enyedi | IFFR 2026<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One ginkgo tree, three stories that unfold in its vicinity over more than a century. Ildik\u00f3 Enyedi\u2019s masterpiece \u2013 starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and L\u00e9a Seydoux \u2013 is a fanciful, light and gentle weave of suggestions. Emotions echo through decades and images return with minuscule variations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silent Friend<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Indonesia<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Four Seasons in Java<\/strong> by Kamila Andini | HBF Development 2024, NFF+HBF 2025, HBF+Europe: Post-production Support 2025, CineMart 2025<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indonesian filmmaker Kamila Andini found praise in recent years for films such as Before, Now & Then<\/strong>, which premiered at the Berlinale 2022, where Laura Basuki won a Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance. Four Seasons in Java<\/strong> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nepal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Elephants in the Fog<\/strong> by Abinash Bikram Shah | Hubert Bals Fund Development 2021, HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production 2023, BoostNL 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s disappearance and weighs love against duty to her community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paraguay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Narciso<\/strong> by Marcelo Martinessi | HBF Development 2020<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Narciso<\/strong> is Paraguay\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Variations on a Theme<\/strong> by Jason Jacobs & Devon Delmar | IFFR 2026 Tiger Award-winner, HBF+Europe: Post-production Support 2024<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ouma Hettie is an elderly goat herder in South Africa\u2019s Kamiesberge. Drawn into a scam offering overdue reparations for her father\u2019s unpaid wartime service, her rituals are unsettled and her independence imperilled in this lyrical portrait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Variations on a Theme<\/strong> won the Tiger Award at IFFR 2026, was backed through HBF+Europe: Post-production Support and is now South Africa\u2019s submission to the Oscars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t

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A list with articles<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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