International Feature Oscar Submissions

Spain has selected director Oliver Laxe’s desert odyssey “Sirât” as its official entry for the best international feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

“Sirât” was picked up for North America by Neon after its world premiere in main competition at Cannes, where it won the Jury Prize. The Match Factory has sold out major markets worldwide.

The film follows a father and his son as they arrive at a rave deep in the mountains of southern Morocco. They’re searching for Mar — daughter and sister — who vanished months ago at one of these endless, sleepless parties. Surrounded by electronic music and a raw, unfamiliar sense of freedom, they hand out her photo again and again. Hope is fading but they push through and follow a group of ravers heading to one last party in the desert. As they venture deeper into the burning wilderness, the journey forces them to confront their own limits.

France has submitted Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident” as its entry in the race for the international feature Oscar.

The film, which won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was acquired in North America by Neon.

“It Was Just an Accident” is the first film from Panahi since his release from jail in Iran two years ago. The film follows a group of former prisoners who encounter a man they think could be the guard who tortured them. With the man held captive, they must decide whether or not to enact revenge.

The movie was made by Panahi under government restrictions with the support of French producer Philippe Martin at Les Films Pelléas (“Anatomy of a Fall”) and co-producers in Luxembourg. MK2 Films has sold the film around the world.

Akinola Davies Jr.’s “My Father’s Shadow” has been selected as the U.K.’s Oscar submission for best international feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

Starring Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (“Slow Horses,” “Gangs of London”) and introducing Godwin Egbo and Chibuike Marvellous Egbo, the film spans one day in the life of two young boys traveling with their estranged father from a small village in rural Nigeria to the bustling capital city Lagos. But this journey takes place during the 1993 Nigerian election crisis, a moment of profound historical upheaval and political unrest — when everything is on the verge of change.

“My Father’s Shadow,” from Mubi, Element Pictures and Fatherland Productions, is a Yoruba, Naija-Pidgin and English-language film. It premiered earlier this year in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard competition, where it became Nigeria’s first title in the festival’s official selection and earned Davies Jr. a Special Mention from the jury.

Francesco Costabile’s dark melodrama “Familia” has been designated as Italy’s candidate for the best international feature film category of the 2026 Academy Awards. 

“Familia,” which weaves together elements of psychological thriller and social commentary and launched from the 2024 from the Venice Film Festival.

The film follows the harrowing journey of Luigi, a young man grappling with a toxic family legacy and his entanglement with extremist ideologies. Based on Luigi Celeste’s autobiographical book “It Won’t Be Like This Forever,” the story delves into the destructive cycles of violence and the struggle for redemption.

“Familia” launched in 2024 from the Venice’s Horizons strand and won the section’s prize for best actor which went to Francesco Gheghi. The film’s cast also conprises Barbara Ronchi (“Kidnapped” by Marco Bellochio), and Francesco Di Leva (“Nostalgia” by Mario Martone). 

Costabile previously garnered critical acclaim for his debut feature “Una Femmina — The Code of Silence” about women who’ve had the courage to break away from the grip of the Calabrian mob’s blood ties and codes.

“Familia” is produced by Attilio de Razza and Nicola Picone at Rome-based Tramp Limited. The co-producers are Nicola Giuliano at Rome’s Indigo Film and Pierpaolo Verga at Naples’ O’Groove, and in association with Medusa Film.

Saudi filmmaker Shahad Ameen’s road movie “Hijra,” centered on the bond formed between different generations of Saudi women during a journey across the desert, has been selected as Saudi Arabia’s candidate for the Oscar in the international feature film category.

“Hijra” is the second feature from Ameen whose first work, feminist fable “Scales,” was Saudi’s Oscar candidate in 2020.

Shot in a vast swathe of desert and in several Saudi cities and urban areas including Jeddah, Medina, AlUla and Neom, “Hijra” premiered positively in September in the Venice Film Festival’s Spotlight section.

The film centers on 12-year-old Janna, who embarks on a journey toward Mecca to perform Hajj – the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca – with her strict grandmother Sitti and rebellious 18-year-old sister Sarah. But before they reach their destination, Sarah disappears, forcing Janna and Sitti into a tense and urgent search.

“Hijra” is a co-production between Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla film commission, the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, Beit Ameen Production, the Iraqi Independent Film Centre and Ideation Studios.

The film is lead produced by Faisal Baltyour, alongside co-producers Ayman Jamal, Mohamed Alawi and Egypt’s Mohamed Hefzy through his Film Clinic shingle. Also on board as production partners are Human Film’s Ali Al-Daradji, Three Arts’ Abboud Ayyash and Sayed Abou Haidar.

Cyril Aris’ “A Sad and Beautiful World,” a love story spanning three decades in Beirut against the backdrop of its tumultuous history, has been selected as Lebanon’s candidate for the Oscars’ best international feature film category.

The film stars Mounia Akl (“Costa Brava, Lebanon”) as Yasmina, and Hasan Akil (“Memory Box”) as Nino, two childhood sweethearts who reunite in their late 20s and grapple with romance, harsh reality and the timeless question of bringing children into an uncertain world amid the tragedies ravaging the country. The cast is completed by Julia Kassar, Camille Salameh, Anthony Karam and Nadyn Chalhoub.

“A Sad and Beautiful World” launched from the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Giornate Degli Autori, aka Venice Days, where it tied with another title for the People’s Choice Award.

“A Sad and Beautiful World” is produced by prominent Lebanese producer Georges Schoucair via his Abbout Productions, whose credits include “Costa Brava,” “Lebanon” and “Memory Box.” The film is also
produced by U.S. banner Diversity Hire (“Joyland”), alongside Reynard Films in Germany. It is co-produced with Sunnyland Film, a member of ART and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund.

Brazil has selected Kleber Mendonça Filho’s ‘70s-set thriller “The Secret Agent” as its official entry for the best international feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards.

The film was in competition at Cannes Film Festival, where it won best director, best actor for Wagner Moura, and the FIPRESCI Prize.

Set in Brazil in 1977, “The Secret Agent” follows Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s who is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.

The cast includes Maria Fernanda Cândido, Gabriel Leon, Carlos Francisco, Alice Carvalho and Hermila Guedes. The film was produced by Emilie Lesclaux.

Mk2 is handling international sales. Neon acquired the film in North America.

Poland’s Oscar Selection Committee has chosen Agnieszka Holland’s Franz Kafka biopic “Franz” as the country’s candidate for the best international feature film category of the 98th Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards.

Holland is known for Oscar nominated films “Angry Harvest,” “Europa Europa” and “In Darkness.”

The film portrays Kafka as a young man trapped in the nightmare of bureaucratic routine, eerily resembling today’s corporate world. He is a vegetarian by choice—long before it became common; he is the son of a domineering father, and entangled in fragile relationships with women.

The scriptwriter is Marek Epstein. Šárka Cimbalová produces through Czech Republic’s Marlene Film Production, with Holland.

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival in the Special Presentation section. Films Boutique is handling international sales.

Laszlo Nemes’ “Orphan,” which had its world premiere in Venice Film Festival’s competition section, has been selected as the Hungarian submission for the best international feature film Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards.

“Orphan” is Nemes’ third film after “Sunset,” and his Oscar-winning breakthrough “Son of Saul,” which debuted in Cannes in 2015, winning the Jury Grand Prix before receiving the best foreign-language film Oscar at the Academy Awards.

“Orphan’s” story follows a young Jewish boy whose mother has raised him in the hope that his father will return from the camps. These hopes are shattered when a brutish stranger appears on the doorstep to take his family back.

Nemes co-wrote the screenplay with Clara Royer, who was his writing partner on “Son of Saul” and “Sunset.”

World sales are handled by Jan Naszewski’s New Europe Film Sales and Carole Baraton at Charades.

Jordan has selected Palestinian American filmmaker Cherien Dabis’ “All That’s Left of You” as its submission for best international feature film at the 98th Academy Awards.

The film follows a Palestinian teenager who gets swept into a protest in the Occupied West Bank and experiences a moment of violence that rocks his family. The film unfolds as his mother recounts the political and emotional threads that led to that fateful moment. Spanning seven decades, the film traces the hopes and heartaches of one uprooted family, bearing witness to the scars of dispossession and the enduring legacy of survival.

In addition to writing and directing, Dabis stars alongside real-life father and sons Mohammad Bakri, Saleh Bakri, and Adam Bakri.

The film, which made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, will be co-released in North America by Watermelon Pictures and Dabis’ Visibility Films and is slated for theatrical release this fall.

It was produced by Dabis, Thanassis Karathanos, Martin Hampel and Karim Amer. The Match Factory’s Agathe Valentin represents international sales.

The Korean Film Council has selected Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice” as the country’s submission for best international feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

The move positions the acclaimed filmmaker — whose credits include “Oldboy,” “The Handmaiden” and “Decision to Leave,” which was shortlisted in the category, — for a fresh run at Oscar glory.

The dark comedy is adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s novel “The Ax.” Lee Byung-hun, best known globally from “Squid Game,” takes the lead as Yoo Man-su, a paper-industry veteran pushed to desperate, murderous extremes after 25 years of loyalty is abruptly discarded.

The film world premiered at Venice and opens the Busan International Film Festival.

Read Variety‘s review here.

Cambodia has submitted the psychological horror thriller “Tenement,” co-directed by Inrasothythep Neth and Sokyou Chea, as its contender for best international feature at the 98th Academy Awards.

The film is set within a decaying Khmer Rouge–era tenement in Phnom Penh. It follows Soriya (Thorn Thanet), a Cambodian-Japanese manga artist who returns home after her mother’s death and becomes trapped in a series of terrifying visions that blur the boundaries between the past and present.

“Tenement” world premiered in the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2024 and has since screened at numerous festivals.

The film is produced by Westec Media Limited and Kongchak Pictures.

International sales for “Tenement” are handled by Paris-based Reel Suspects.

The Estonian Film Institute has chosen Meel Paliale’s youth-centered comedy-drama “Rolling Papers” (Pikad Paberid) as its official submission for the 98th Academy Awards in the best international feature film category.

The film is directed and written by Paliale, based on a story created with Urmet Piiling.

“Rolling Papers” follows Sebastian, who works as a store clerk. He finds his ordinary workday shaken up when he meets Silo, a free-spirited wanderer. Together, they smoke weed and dream of a one-way ticket to Brazil.

“This is a film about young people who don’t know what to do with their lives,” Paliale said.

The producers are Rain Rannu and Tõnu Hiielaid for Tallifornia.

International sales are handled by Baltic Crime.

Chile has selected Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Grand Prix winner “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” to represent the country in the international feature category of the 98th Academy Awards.

The directorial feature debut of Diego Céspedes will also vie for the best Ibero-American film prize at Spain’s prestigious Goya Awards.

The film, which is lead produced by Giancarlo Nasi of Quijote Films, will have its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on Sept. 9.

More than 400 members of the Chilean Film Academy, comprising a broad spectrum of professionals from the national audiovisual sector, chose the multi-awarded transgender drama over five other contenders, which included “The Wave” (“La Ola”) from Sebastian Lelio who took home the 2018 International Feature Oscar for “A Fantastic Woman.”

Described by Variety as “a gentle, funny, passionate and occasionally absurdist debut drama [that] packs an enormous emotional punch,” the story takes place in the early ‘80s at a desert mining town during the advent of the AIDS epidemic. It follows 11-year-old Lidia and her beloved queer family, led by her parent, Flamingo. As the deadly disease begins to spread, the superstitious mining community begins to believe that the disease can be transmitted by simply gazing at them or when one man falls in love with another. Lidia sets out to seek the truth behind the myth.

Japan has selected Lee Sang-il‘s “Kokuho” as its submission for the international feature category at the 98th Academy Awards, the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan has announced.

Set initially in 1964 Nagasaki, the film follows 14-year-old Kikuo who, after his yakuza father’s death, finds himself taken under the wing of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside the actor’s son Shunsuke, Kikuo dedicates himself to the centuries-old theatrical tradition, with their relationship evolving through decades of performances — from acting school to prestigious stages — against a backdrop of “scandals and glory, brotherhood and betrayals.”

The cast includes rising star Ryō Yoshizawa as Kikuo, Ryusei Yokohama as Shunsuke and international star Ken Watanabe, who plays Hanjiro.

“Kokuho” bowed at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and subsequently selected for the Shanghai and Toronto film festivals.

GKids has acquired North American rights.

Lav Diaz’s “Magellan” has been selected as the Philippines’ submission for the best international feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards, the Film Academy of the Philippines has revealed.

The historical drama chronicles the final months of Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan’s life before his death on the island of Mactan.

Starring Gael García Bernal alongside Filipino performers Arjay Babon, Ronnie Lazaro, Bong Cabrera, and Hazel Orencio, “Magellan” presents what Diaz calls an “uncompromising perspective on history.” Rather than portraying the titular explorer as a heroic figure, the film depicts him as a man “facing his own oblivion,” challenging romanticized colonial narratives.

Produced by Paul Soriano and Mark Victor, the film has assembled distribution partners including Luxbox Films for world sales and North American distributor Janus Films.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, and will screen at both the Toronto Film Festival and New York Film Festival.

Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab” has been selected as the Tunisian candidate in the contest for the best international feature film Oscar at the 98th Academy Awards.

It world premieres in Venice Film Festival’s competition section and its North American premiere at Toronto in the Special Presentations strand.

The film is based on real events on Jan. 29, 2024, when Red Crescent volunteers receive an emergency call. A 5-year-old girl, Hind Rajab, is trapped in a car under fire in Gaza, pleading for rescue. While trying to keep her on the line, they do everything they can to get an ambulance to her.

The film recreates this emergency as a narrative work using actual call recordings and scripted re-enactments based on first-hand testimonies and transcripts.

“The Voice of Hind Rajab” is produced by Nadim Cheikhrouha, Odessa Rae and James Wilson. The production companies are Mime Films and Tanit Films.

The U.S. sale is being handled by CAA Media Finance, while international sales are being led by The Party Film Sales.

Tarik Saleh’s political thriller “Eagles of the Republic” has been selected as Sweden’s entry in the best international feature film category of the Academy Awards.

The film, the final installment in Saleh’s “Cairo Trilogy,” after Sundance winner “The Nile Hilton Incident” and Cannes prize-winning “Cairo Conspiracy,” features Fares Fares as Egypt’s most celebrated actor, George Fahmy, who reluctantly agrees to star in a regime‑commissioned propaganda biopic – only to find himself caught in political machinations, including an illicit affair with a general’s wife.

“Eagles of the Republic” is produced by Linus Stöhr Torell (Unlimited Stories), Linda Mutawi and Johan Lindström (Apparaten), and Alexandre Mallet-Guy (Memento Production). The project is co-produced by SVT, Film i Väst, and others, with development backed by the Swedish Film Institute.

The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the Cannes Film Festival. It will next play at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Icelandic Film and TV Academy has selected Hlynur Pálmason‘s “The Love That Remains” as Iceland’s entry in the best international feature film category of the Academy Awards.

The film, which had its world premiere in Cannes’ Premiere section, captures a year in the life of a family as the parents navigate their separation.

The cast includes Saga Garðarsdóttir, Sverrir Guðnason, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir, Þorgils Hlynsson, Grímur Hlynsson, Ingvar Sigurðsson and Anders Mossling.

The film is produced by Anton Máni Svansson for Still Vivid in Iceland, with Katrin Pors for Snowglobe in Denmark.

New Europe Film Sales handles international sales. North American rights for the film are with Janus Films.

Papua New Guinea has selected “Papa Buka” as its inaugural submission to the Academy Awards, marking the first time the Pacific nation has entered the international feature film category at the Oscars.

Directed by internationally acclaimed Indian filmmaker Bijukumar Damodaran (Shanghai winner “Trees Under the Sun”), “Papa Buka” follows aging war veteran Papa Buka as he guides two Indian historians uncovering untold WWII stories connecting India and Papua New Guinea through shared sacrifice and humanity.

The Papua New Guinea-India co-production brings together producers Noelene Taula Wunum (NAFA Productions), Akshaykumar Parija (Akshay Parija Productions), Pa Ranjith (Neelam Productions), and Prakash Bare (Silicon Media).

Leading the ensemble cast is 85-year-old tribal leader Sine Boboro from Papua New Guinea, alongside Indian actors Ritabhari Chakraborty and Prakash Bare. The supporting cast includes John Sike, Barbara Anatu, Jacob Oburi, Sandra Dauma, and Max Maso PPC.

Taiwan‘s Ministry of Culture has revealed that “Left-Handed Girl,” directed by Tsou Shih-ching, has been selected as the country’s submission for the best international feature category at the 98th Academy Awards.

Written by Sean Baker and Tsou, the film is set against the bustling backdrop of Taipei’s night markets and portrays a multi-generational story spanning three generations of women. The narrative follows a single mother who relocates to Taipei with her two daughters, establishing a night market stall to make ends meet. As the family navigates the challenges of an unfamiliar city and new life, the three women struggle with real-world pressures while finding belonging and family bonds through their mutual dependence.

The cast includes Janel Tsai, Ma Shih-yuan, Nina Ye, Brando Huang, Akio Chen and Chao Xin-yan.

“Left-Handed Girl” has already gained international recognition, winning the Gan Foundation Award at the Critics’ Week competition section of the Cannes Film Festival. The film was subsequently invited to the Toronto International Film Festival, and has been selected for competition at the Busan International Film Festival.

Read Variety‘s review here.

Austria has selected Bernhard Wenger‘s social satire “Peacock” as its entry in the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards.

“Peacock” had its world premiere in Venice Critics’ Week last year, and MK2 sold it to more than 40 countries. It will be released in U.S. theaters on Sept. 19 by Oscilloscope.

The film stars Albrecht Schuch, who was BAFTA nominated for “All Quiet on the Western Front.”

“Peacock” centers on the cultured and confident Matthias, who is available – for a reasonable fee – to fill any social role you desire, from “the perfect son” to the “enlightened boyfriend,” or even “pilot dad” to impress your classmates on Bring Your Parent to School Day. But while Matthias is at the top of his game professionally, his personal life begins to crumble as he detaches from his own identity and burrows deeper into his fictitious lives.

Germany has selected Mascha Schilinski’s intergenerational drama “Sound of Falling,” which won the Cannes Jury Prize, as its entry in the Best International Feature Film category of the 98th Academy Awards.

“Sound of Falling” is set in a secluded farmstead in Germany’s Altmark region. For over a century, the walls have breathed the lives of the people who live here, their tastes, their existence in time.

The film tells the story of four women from different eras – Alma (1910s), Erika (1940s), Angelika (1980s) and Nelly (2020s) – whose lives are eerily intertwined. Each of them experiences their childhood or youth on this farm, but as they roam through their own present, traces of the past – unspoken fears, repressed traumas, buried secrets – reveal themselves to them.

Alma discovers that she was named after her deceased sister and believes she must follow the same fate. Erika loses herself in a dangerous fascination with her disabled uncle. Angelika balances between a death wish and a lust for life, trapped in a fragile family system. And finally there’s Nelly, growing up in apparent security, who is haunted by intense dreams and the unconscious burden of the past. When a tragic event repeats itself on the farm, the boundaries between past and present begin to blur.

The film was produced by Maren Schmitt, Lucas Schmidt and Lasse Scharpen for Studio Zentral. MK2 is handling international sales.

Thailand has selected “A Useful Ghost” (Pee Chai Dai Ka) as its submission for the international feature film category at the 98th Academy Awards, the country’s National Federation of Motion Pictures and Contents Associations has revealed.

It debuted at the Cannes Critics’ Week earlier this year, where it won the grand prize.

Directed by debutant Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, “A Useful Ghost” follows March, who is mourning his wife Nat after she dies from dust pollution. When her spirit returns by possessing a vacuum cleaner, their unconventional human-ghost relationship faces resistance from his family. To prove her worth and their love, Nat offers to cleanse a factory haunted by the ghost of a worker whose death shut down operations. The film ingeniously reimagines the ghost story as a satirical romantic comedy, a deliberate departure from Thailand’s renowned horror cinema traditions.

Read the Variety review here.

Bulgaria has selected Milko Lazarov’s “Tarika,” which had its world premiere at the London Film Festival, as its submission for the International Feature Film category of the Oscars.

The film centers on Ali and his daughter Tarika, who live peacefully, but isolated, from their community in rural Bulgaria. Tarika has started developing “butterfly wings,” a bone condition she inherited from her mother and which for a long time has been a source of superstition in the village. Ali rejects invasive procedures and will do anything to protect his daughter when their village’s intolerance turns dangerous.

The sales company is Films Boutique.

The Irish-made, Ukrainian-language doc “Sanatorium” is set to represent Ireland at the Oscars.

The feature debut of Galway-born filmmaker Gar O’Rourke, “Sanatorium” takes a look inside the Kuyalnik Sanatorium, a large 1970s building near Odessa in southern Ukraine, where a small group searches for love, healing and happiness and where mud treatments and Soviet-era therapies continue despite a war close by. The film had its world premiere at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in their main international competition, DOX:AWARD.

“Sanatorium” — which comes a year after the Irish-language music biopic “Kneecap” made the Oscars shortlist for Ireland — is produced by Venom Films by IFTA-winning Ken Wardrop and Andrew Freedman (“His & Hers,” “Making the Grade”), along with Samantha Corr. It was was co-produced by 2332 Films Ukraine and made with support from Screen Ireland, BBC Storyville, MetFilm Sales, France TV, and Creative Europe.

Annemarie Jacir’s drama “Palestine 36,” which reconstructs the Palestinian revolt against British colonial rule in 1936, has been picked as Palestine’s official entry for Palestine for the Oscars‘ international feature film race.

The selection of the timely film, which will soon premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, was made by an independent committee of Palestinian film professionals and confirmed by the Palestinian Ministry of Culture.

“Palestine 36” follows a young man named Yusuf who gets caught up in political upheaval as tensions rise in Jerusalem and his village amid British crackdowns prompted by the arrival of Jewish immigrants escaping antisemitism in Europe. The hot-button epic features a high-profile cast comprising Jeremy Irons as a colonial commissioner, Hiam Abbas (“Succession”), Liam Cunningham and Saleh Bakri (“The Teacher”).

The Czech Republic has selected Klára Tasovská’s documentary feature “I’m Not Everything I Want to Be” as its submission for the International Feature Film category of the Oscars following a controversial contest.

The documentary follows the life of photographer Libuše Jarcovjáková, drawing on her diaries and thousands of photographs. It depicts the underground movement in Czechoslovakia in the 1980s as well as her dramatic escape to West Berlin, and fashion shoots in Tokyo. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival last year and was awarded the Czech Lion for the best documentary feature this year.

Petra Volpe’s “Late Shift” is Switzerland’s official entry for the International Feature Film category for the Academy Awards.

TrustNordisk is handling international rights on the film, which stars Leonie Benesch, who previously appeared in the Oscar-nominated drama “The Teachers’ Lounge” in 2023, and Oscar-nominated drama “September 5” last year. Music Box has acquired North American rights.

“Late Shift” follows a nurse, Floria, as she navigates the relentless pace on a surgical ward with unwavering dedication, infusing humanity and warmth into her patient care even though the shift is understaffed. As the day intensifies, the film transforms into a gripping race against time, culminating in a riveting climax.

Read Variety‘s review here.

Turkey has announced that first-time director Murat Firatoğlu’s “One of Those Days When Hemme Dies” has been selected as the country’s entry for the Academy Awards’ international feature film category.

“One of Those Days When Hemme Dies” was selected from 14 submissions by Turkey’s Oscar committee, comprising representatives from professional associations in the country’s film industry that operates under the Directorate General of Cinema.

The film is a tale of class-based rage and rebellion through the justice-seeking journey of a farmworker named Eyüp who works relentlessly under the blazing sun during a tomato harvest in southeastern Turkey, driven by the urgent need to settle an impending debt. After a clash with his supervisor, he roams the city in search of a radical solution.

“One of Those Days When Hemme Dies” world premiered last year at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the special jury prize in the event’s Orizzonti (Horizons) section.