Global Cinema Champions Nominated for 99th Academy Awards International Feature Category

The race for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film is intensifying as the October 1 deadline for submissions approaches. This year’s slate includes high-profile entries from nations such as Nepal, Singapore, Israel, Romania, and South Korea, following a new Academy rule that permits top winners at major festivals to compete even without national committee backing.

Among the standout entries is Romania’s “Fjord,” directed by Cristian Mungiu. The film secured the Palme d’Or at Cannes, along with the FIPRESCI Prize and the Ecumenical Jury Prize, after being unanimously selected by Romania’s committee. Starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve, it joins Chile’s “The Meltdown” and Germany’s “Everytime,” which took home the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes.

Nepal has chosen Abinash Bikram Shah’s “Elephants in the Fog,” a feature debut that won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. The film, which follows a Kinnar community fighting to protect their village, has secured distribution deals across multiple territories through sales company Best Friend Forever. Singapore’s submission is “We Are All Strangers,” written and directed by Anthony Chen. The film completes Chen’s “Growing Up” trilogy and was the first Singaporean movie selected for the main competition at the Berlin Film Festival.

In Israel, Moshe Rosenthal’s “Tell Me Everything” was automatically selected after winning Best Picture at the Ophir Awards. Set against the backdrop of the 1980s HIV epidemic, the drama explores a father-son relationship through the eyes of a boy named Boaz. Meanwhile, South Korea’s Korean Film Council selected Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love,” his first feature in eight years, which examines the intersecting lives of two married couples.

Other notable selections include Ireland’s “Aontas,” an Irish-language heist thriller directed by Damian McCann, and Japan’s “All of a Sudden,” directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Hamaguchi’s entry marks the second time his work has represented Japan, five years after “Drive My Car” won the Oscar. Germany’s submission, “Everytime” by Sandra Wollner, premiered at Cannes before moving on to festivals in Sydney, Karlovy Vary, and Toronto. Cambodia’s official entry is “Becoming Human,” the debut feature by Polen Ly, which follows a spirit guardian navigating social change. France has yet to finalize its submission despite having several potential candidates.

The Academy will reveal shortlists of 15 films on December 15. Members across all branches who commit to viewing all shortlisted titles will then vote on the nominees, with the final list announced on January 21.