Eleven films from this year’s programme have been selected by their respective countries of production for the 99th Academy Awards in the “Best International Feature Film” category.

Belgium is going with Lukas Dhont’s Coward, a drama about two young soldiers in the First World War, whose lead actors, Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, were jointly awarded the Best Actor prize at Cannes. Brazil is submitting Allan Deberton’s Gugu’s World to the Oscar selection process. The coming-of-age film won the Glass Bear and the Grand Prix of the International Jury in the Generation Kplus section at the Berlinale.

Representing Chile is Manuela Martelli’s The Meltdown, which tells the story of a childhood in the Chilean Andes in the early years following the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. France has selected Andrei Zvyagintsev’s Minotaur, a marital drama set against the backdrop of the 2022 Russian mobilisation, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes. Kosovo’s entry is Blerta Basholli’s Dua, a coming-of-age drama set in Pristina in the late 1990s, which won the SACD Award at the Semaine de la Critique.

Lithuania is entering the selection process with Andrius Blaževičius’ How to Divorce During the War. The tragicomedy intertwines a couple’s separation with the outbreak of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine; Blaževičius received the Directing Award for the film at the Sundance Film Festival. Morocco has chosen Laïla Marrakchi’s Strawberries, a drama about Moroccan seasonal workers harvesting strawberries in Andalusia. The film was honoured with the The Political Film of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung award at FilmFest Hamburg.

Malta is entering the competition with Alex Camilleri’s Zejtune, a road movie about home, farewells and the Maltese Għana musical tradition. Nepal is entering Abinash Bikram Shah’s Elephants in the Fog in the race for a place on the shortlist. The thriller, set in a Kinnar community, won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes.

Romania has selected Cristian Mungiu’s Fjord. The family drama, starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Finally, South Korea is backing Lee Chang-dong’s Possible Love, a character study about two couples, social differences and personal responsibility.

The shortlist of 15 films will be announced on 15 December 2026, with the five final nominees revealed on 21 January 2027.