As a film critic and avid fan of the Academy’s international feature category, I’d be willing to bet that a few films from Middle Eastern countries will make the shortlist. And they even claim to be victorious on Oscar night.
Only 10 Middle Eastern countries have won the title, but the region has produced some of the most competitive lineups in years. Entries include works by a former nominee (Tunisia’s Kauser Ben Hania), a former helmer shortlisted (Morocco’s Mariam Touzani) and a winner of the prestigious Cannes Golden Camera Award (Iraq’s Hassan Hadi), as well as high-profile works from the region from Sundance, Cannes, Venice, Toronto and Tribeca.
The trend of other countries submitting Middle Eastern films to the Oscar race continues. Last year, Germany received a nomination for the “sacred fig seed” from Iranian-born Mohammad Rasoulof. This year, France are aiming for their first international victory since Indochina in 1992 and are defending Iranian opposition leader Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident”. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was purchased by savvy distributor Neon, so it has a good chance of ultimately being a success. It was released in early October and recorded strong box office revenue.
Two other Iranian-born coaches are representing countries other than their home country this year. Director Alireza Hatami directed the Turkish psychological drama “The Things You Kill” from Canada, and director Shahram Mokri directed the enigmatic “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” from Tajikistan. Given the surprising number of Iranian directors in this year’s race, it’s ironic that Iran’s entry, director Ali Zarnegar’s feature debut “Cause of Death: Unknown,” lacks buzz.
Meanwhile, another former International Academy Award-nominated director, Sweden’s Tariq Saleh, will once again represent his native Scandinavia with Eagles of the Republic, the emotional final chapter of the Cairo trilogy. The film, released in 2026 by Cohen Media Group, follows a charismatic Egyptian superstar who becomes embroiled in a dangerous conspiracy when his government forces him to play President El-Sissi in a propaganda film.
Even if you discount the “reunion effect,” there is no denying that Tunisia’s Ben Hania (an international feature nominee for “The Man Who Sold His Skin” in 2020 and a documentary nominee for “Four Daughters” in 2023) will be a strong candidate for the popular documentary drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab.” The film uses the real voices of a panicked Palestinian child trapped in a car under Israeli tank fire and calls the Palestinian Red Crescent Society to beg for help, and casts an actor to play the increasingly hysterical worker who answers her calls. It was shown at festivals in Venice and Toronto.
Morocco’s Touzani, who was shortlisted in 2023 for ‘The Blue Caftan’, provides another great entry in ‘Calle Malaga’. This sweet drama won the Audience Award in the Spotlight category at the Venice Film Festival and is sure to cheerfully challenge society’s views on aging, agency, and sexuality. Scheduled for release in 2026 by Strand Releasing, the film centers on María Ángeles (Spanish film legend Carmen Maura), an 80-year-old resident of the storied Calle de Tangier, whose ties to her colorful coastal hometown are rich and complex. Although she is Spanish, she is also somehow Moroccan.
“President’s Cake”
Another strong candidate to please viewers is the submission from Iraq, “President’s Cake.” One of the hits of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Helmer Hadi’s moving feature debut tells the story of a poor girl living with her grandmother in the Mesopotamian swamps during the Saddam Hussein regime. When she is tasked with baking the dictator’s birthday cake for her school’s annual celebration, it turns out to be an almost impossible burden for both the girl and her grandmother. At the Cannes Film Festival, the film won the jury award for Best Feature Film and the People’s Choice Award at Directors Fortnight. Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.
Egypt also chose Sarah Gohar’s Happy Birthday as a well-crafted and likeable debut novel about a young girl’s difficult life. With this title, there is a possibility that it will be on the shortlist for the first time. The film highlights the wealth and class disparities in modern-day Cairo through the story of a resourceful eight-year-old maid whose employer prevents her from forming a devoted friendship with the daughter of the family she works for. At its Tribeca premiere, it won Best International Narrative Feature, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. At press time, the film didn’t yet have an American distributor, but it shouldn’t be left homeless for long. As a writer and producer best known for the Marvel movie “Moon Knight,” Gohar must already have a following in Hollywood.
It’s hard to predict how world politics will affect the international feature race, but it may have helped last year’s Palestinian production “From Ground Zero” make the shortlist. The continued growth in support for Palestine, and the invitation of a younger, more international audience to the Academy, may also influence the arrival of two Palestinian period dramas by acclaimed female writer-directors, who share both cast and theme.
Annemarie Jacir’s epic poem Palestine 36 is a Palestinian work. This is her fourth feature film and fourth to represent the country. Set in 1936, the film delves into the growing unrest in the region as a growing number of Jewish immigrants flee European anti-Semitism and find a new home in the region, while the Palestinian people unite in their largest and longest-running revolt against three decades of British rule. Watermelon Films now showing in the US
In contrast to Jacir’s film, which boasts a large number of characters and a focused timeline, Jordan’s All That’s Left of You, by Palestinian-American actor-writer-director Sherian Davis, deals with some of the same issues, but within the more intimate context of a single family spanning three generations. Davis plays a mother who contextualizes her son’s fate through his grandfather’s hardships. This is also a Watermelon Films release. Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo have signed on as executive producers.
On the other hand, political trends are currently less favorable towards Israeli films. This year, the country submitted a Palestinian story written and directed by Jewish-Israeli Shai Carmeli-Pollak, who worked with a Palestinian producer and mixed staff. Distributed by Menemsha Films in the US, “The Sea” depicts the perilous journey of a 12-year-old boy from a Palestinian village who decides to visit the sea for the first time despite being refused entry at an Israeli checkpoint.
Since 2013, Saudi Arabia has submitted eight international feature films, two of which are by female helmers Haifaa Al-Mansour and Shahd Amin. Ameen’s current ‘Hijra’ and her mermaid fable ‘Scales’ contain strong feminist themes and striking visual elements. The story of a “hijra”, a grandmother and granddaughter whose pilgrimage to Mecca turns into a road trip of a different kind, confirms Ameen as a talent to watch.
“Hijra” premiered in Venice, along with the captivatingly titled Lebanese submission “A Sad Beautiful World” by Cyril Aris, who is making his narrative debut. In a category that traditionally favors serious drama, this romantic comedy set against the backdrop of 30 years of Lebanese tragedy acts like a breath of fresh air, stirring anticipation for Alice’s next film.
