International Oscar Submissions: Romania, South Korea, Chile, Germany and More Join the List
Countries are finalising their submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film ahead of the 1 October deadline, with the Oscars shortlist of 15 films due to be revealed on 15 December and nominations following on 21 January. Several notable entries have already emerged, including Romania's Palme d'Or winner "Fjord" from Cristian Mungiu, Chile's Cannes-selected "The Meltdown" from Manuela Martelli, and Japan's "All of a Sudden" from Hamaguchi Ryusuke, who previously won the category with "Drive My Car". A new Academy rule now also allows any film that wins the top prize at one of six major festivals — Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, Busan and Toronto — to enter the race even without backing from a national selection committee.
Romania's "Fjord" stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve and swept multiple prizes at Cannes, including the Palme d'Or, FIPRESCI Prize and Ecumenical Jury Prize. Ireland has chosen the Irish-language heist thriller "Aontas" from director Damian McCann, selected by a committee including Lee Cronin and Lisa McGee, while Chile's "The Meltdown" marks Martelli's follow-up to "Chile, 1976". Japan's "All of a Sudden", a France-Japan co-production shot largely in Paris, gives Hamaguchi his second turn representing the country, five years after "Drive My Car" earned Oscar nominations for best picture, director and adapted screenplay. France has yet to submit an entry despite having several contenders to choose from.
In short
- Countries are submitting films for the 2027 international Oscar race
- Romania's Palme d'Or winner "Fjord" and Japan's Hamaguchi film lead notable entries
- Shortlist announced 15 December; nominations on 21 January
Explained simply
The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film recognises a film made outside the United States, largely in a language other than English. Each country usually puts forward one film, often through a national selection committee, and the Academy narrows the entries to a shortlist before announcing the nominees.
The films come from different national cinemas and can be made by filmmakers with varied levels of international recognition. Romania’s Cristian Mungiu, Chile’s Manuela Martelli and Japan’s Hamaguchi Ryusuke are among the directors whose work has drawn attention at major film festivals; Hamaguchi previously represented Japan with “Drive My Car”.
A new rule allows winners of the top prize at six named festivals, including Cannes and Berlin, to enter without a national committee’s backing. This creates another route into the competition and makes the festival circuit relevant to how some films reach the Oscars.
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